relinquish their vision of endless profit, wanting nothing more than to continue living their fairy-tale dreams.
Coral Beach’s golden goose was its spectacular beaches, its numerous water activities, and its offshore reef. Lily knew that if the town’s coral reef was unhealthy, chances were that all the rest—beaches, water sports—would eventually be affected, too.
But who in Coral Beach would willingly sacrifice something to care for the reef’s vital ecosystem, and who instead would choose to exploit the area until it was too sick to save? Would Sean McDermott be the one to take a stand and conserve this natural environment? A secret corner of her heart wished to believe it so.
The words Marine Center floated past, and Lily dragged her attention back to the meeting.
Sean was nodding in reply to the comment. “Certainly,” he said. “But why don’t we let Dr. Banyon and her assistants answer that—”
“Sorry to cut in again, Mr. Mayor,” Pete Ferrucci apologized with a self-deprecating chuckle. “I confess to being a bit dismayed by the last-minute switch in scientists. Initially, we were informed that the head scientist from the Marine Center would be Dr. George Hunt. Naturally, I looked him up, checked him out, and was pleased to see he had the right experience for the job. Now, suddenly, we’ve got ourselves a brand-new scientist. Could you tell us, Mr. Mayor, why the committee members weren’t advised such a change had taken place?”
A muscle jumped above Sean’s lean jaw. “I apologize that my staff and I were unable to alert the committee sooner.”
Ferrucci wasn’t listening. He’d fixed his attention on Lily, Karen, and John. He had a flat, dark stare. Typical of most predators, he picked the most vulnerable member of the research team first.
“Ms. Masur, would you mind sharing your credentials with us, along with your area of expertise in marine biology?”
Karen glanced around the room full of strangers, and blanched. “Uh, I’m the photographer.” Karen’s brown eyes widened when the committee members continued to look at her, waiting expectantly. “I take pictures,” she managed.
“Oh.” Ferrucci’s smile shifted, turning into a smirk. “I see. And do you have a degree in marine biology?”
“Um, no, I don’t.”
“Environmental science, perhaps?”
Karen shook her head.
“How about a degree in photography?”
“I took a leave from college,” Karen’s admission was delivered in a near whisper as bright splotches of embarrassment spread across her cheeks.
Ferrucci’s smile grew wide. “Mr. Mayor, I’d like it duly noted in the minutes that the scientific team the Town of Coral Beach has contracted to replace Dr. Lesnesky has less than stellar—”
All right. Enough was enough. Lily would be damned if she’d allow anyone to make disparaging remarks about her team.
“Excuse me for interrupting,” she said as she stood up. All eyes turned to her. “Mr. Ferrucci, members of the committee, let me assure you of Karen Masur’s abilities as a photographer. Her work at the Marine Center—one of the most highly regarded institutes in the country— has been consistently excellent. Let me stress how vital her role as photographer is. As you doubtless know, the principal aim of a reef study is to document its physical state and record any signs of deterioration. To accomplish this, we scientists utilize a variety of tools to provide us with visual evidence. Even with advances in computer technology, photography remains an essential tool for recording the health of the coral, and for documenting different types of species—plant and fish alike. I have full confidence that Ms. Masur will do a superb job with this study.”
Ferrucci’s mouth opened, a big gaping hole ringed by black facial hair. Lily looked away. “Now, so we don’t waste any more of the committee’s time discussing my team’s credentials, let me simply add that although Mr. Granger is
Coral Beach’s golden goose was its spectacular beaches, its numerous water activities, and its offshore reef. Lily knew that if the town’s coral reef was unhealthy, chances were that all the rest—beaches, water sports—would eventually be affected, too.
But who in Coral Beach would willingly sacrifice something to care for the reef’s vital ecosystem, and who instead would choose to exploit the area until it was too sick to save? Would Sean McDermott be the one to take a stand and conserve this natural environment? A secret corner of her heart wished to believe it so.
The words Marine Center floated past, and Lily dragged her attention back to the meeting.
Sean was nodding in reply to the comment. “Certainly,” he said. “But why don’t we let Dr. Banyon and her assistants answer that—”
“Sorry to cut in again, Mr. Mayor,” Pete Ferrucci apologized with a self-deprecating chuckle. “I confess to being a bit dismayed by the last-minute switch in scientists. Initially, we were informed that the head scientist from the Marine Center would be Dr. George Hunt. Naturally, I looked him up, checked him out, and was pleased to see he had the right experience for the job. Now, suddenly, we’ve got ourselves a brand-new scientist. Could you tell us, Mr. Mayor, why the committee members weren’t advised such a change had taken place?”
A muscle jumped above Sean’s lean jaw. “I apologize that my staff and I were unable to alert the committee sooner.”
Ferrucci wasn’t listening. He’d fixed his attention on Lily, Karen, and John. He had a flat, dark stare. Typical of most predators, he picked the most vulnerable member of the research team first.
“Ms. Masur, would you mind sharing your credentials with us, along with your area of expertise in marine biology?”
Karen glanced around the room full of strangers, and blanched. “Uh, I’m the photographer.” Karen’s brown eyes widened when the committee members continued to look at her, waiting expectantly. “I take pictures,” she managed.
“Oh.” Ferrucci’s smile shifted, turning into a smirk. “I see. And do you have a degree in marine biology?”
“Um, no, I don’t.”
“Environmental science, perhaps?”
Karen shook her head.
“How about a degree in photography?”
“I took a leave from college,” Karen’s admission was delivered in a near whisper as bright splotches of embarrassment spread across her cheeks.
Ferrucci’s smile grew wide. “Mr. Mayor, I’d like it duly noted in the minutes that the scientific team the Town of Coral Beach has contracted to replace Dr. Lesnesky has less than stellar—”
All right. Enough was enough. Lily would be damned if she’d allow anyone to make disparaging remarks about her team.
“Excuse me for interrupting,” she said as she stood up. All eyes turned to her. “Mr. Ferrucci, members of the committee, let me assure you of Karen Masur’s abilities as a photographer. Her work at the Marine Center—one of the most highly regarded institutes in the country— has been consistently excellent. Let me stress how vital her role as photographer is. As you doubtless know, the principal aim of a reef study is to document its physical state and record any signs of deterioration. To accomplish this, we scientists utilize a variety of tools to provide us with visual evidence. Even with advances in computer technology, photography remains an essential tool for recording the health of the coral, and for documenting different types of species—plant and fish alike. I have full confidence that Ms. Masur will do a superb job with this study.”
Ferrucci’s mouth opened, a big gaping hole ringed by black facial hair. Lily looked away. “Now, so we don’t waste any more of the committee’s time discussing my team’s credentials, let me simply add that although Mr. Granger is
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