Penelope frowned. “What do you mean by preyed upon?”
“They stayed right on top of it, taking photos, not allowing it to rest peacefully.”
“Did the boat move towards it?”
“Well, they didn’t move away like they should.”
Penelope debated correcting the woman and telling her the boat had abided by the rules, but she didn’t want to get into an argument. “Is there anything else you want to add?”
“The government should cancel these tours. It’s not right to take advantage of these animals.”
Penelope frowned. “Why participate in the tour if you don’t agree with it?”
The woman huffed. “Because the opportunity was there. If the government didn’t give people the opportunity, they wouldn’t take it.” The woman launched into a rant about all the things the government had to do to protect nature. Penelope tried to interrupt her, but it was no use. Instead, she took notes and it was half an hour before the woman ran out of steam. “Thank you for your comments,” Penelope said quickly. “I’ll raise them at our next meeting. I must be going. Thank you for your time.” She hung up and placed her head in her hands.
What a day. It was past six o’clock and she’d had enough. She walked to Declan’s office, but it was locked. She still believed a suspension was in order. Sam had admitted he moved towards the whales instead of away and as an ex-army soldier, he should have anticipated the whale would take evasive manoeuvres.
But it didn’t stop her feeling guilty about it.
Chapter 4
Sam spent the next day in the office at the shop. He met the administration staff who worked for him and went through the paperwork aspects of the business. Aside from booking tours, the shop front sold merchandise, swimming paraphernalia and souvenirs. Rob showed him through the books, explained the booking and ordering processes, and how they coordinated the paperwork, which needed to go to PAWS each day.
The website needed a revamp, and the paperwork was a little unorganised, but it wouldn’t take long to sort it out. He imagined Penelope would cringe if she saw the messy filing system and the myriad files scattered all over the computer’s desktop.
Around midday, Sam and Rob drove to the PAWS office to speak to Declan. Penelope wasn’t there and Sam couldn’t decide if that was a good thing. Maybe Georgie could give him some tips as to how best to deal with her.
“Come through,” Declan invited, and they entered a meeting room with a large table surrounded by chairs. Declan took the seat at the head of the table.
Immediately putting himself in the position of power. Interesting. Sam hadn’t dealt with the man before, but he’d called Georgie the night before and asked her about him. She’d said he was fair and reasonable.
Rob got straight to the point. “Can you overrule Penelope?”
Declan shook his head. “She’s quite within her rights to suspend your licence.” A slightly officious tone in his voice.
“Absolutely,” Sam agreed. “But she suggested she could take other statements before deciding on the length of the suspension.”
Declan pursed his lips and nodded. “True, but I’ve already posted the information on social media. If you’d come to me last night…”
“Come on, Declan,” Rob cajoled. “You know me. I’d never do anything to harm an animal.”
Declan glanced at Sam before replying. “I’m sorry. Perhaps this will give you time to teach Sam all the land-based aspects of the business.” He smiled at Sam. “Give you a chance to get settled in Retribution Bay.”
That wasn’t helpful. “There’s really nothing you can do?”
“Not without undermining my staff. I must admit, Penelope is one of the most fastidious people I’ve had working for me for a while.”
Great. As much as Sam wanted to argue further, it had been Rob’s impatience which had caused her to make a decision on the spot. He stood and shook Declan’s hand. “Thanks for your time.”
Sam and Rob returned to the shop, where they spent the afternoon calling the other passengers booked during the week and rescheduling them. By the time they were done, it was almost four o’clock and Stacey was packing up the shop. “It’s time for us all to go home,” he said to Rob.
“Are you sure? Got any more questions?”
“Not for the moment.”
Rob grabbed his keys. “All right. Don’t be scared to change things while I’m still here. Paperwork and technology are not my strong suit. Milly used to deal with that for me in my other businesses.”
“I’m not changing anything until I get a better understanding of things,” Sam told him. “Say hi to Milly for me.” He’d met Rob’s wife briefly the last time he was here. Faith’s mother was currently planning their first trip around Australia for when the season ended and Rob finally retired.
