Page 24 of Hidden Depths

"That's where two currents meet."

"You can actually see that?"

"Sometimes."

"What else?"

"The wind."

"The swells."

"The birds."

"The clouds."

"The color of the water."

He looked at me like I'd just spoken another language.

"You see all that?"

"I grew up seeing it."

He laughed softly.

"I would've missed every bit of it."

"Most people do."

He looked back toward the horizon.

"I guess everyone has something they notice."

I studied him for a moment.

"What do you notice?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Finally...

"People."

"What about them?"

"I notice when they're pretending."

The answer surprised me.

"And?"

He looked toward the lower deck where laughter floated upward.

"I don't think anyone on this yacht is."

Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.

Because he was right.