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“Man, I’d love to do this for a living. What’s the instructor course like? Is it hard?”
Alex added his wetsuit to the pile on the floor. “It’s a lot harder than basic open water certification for sure. But it should be—you’re responsible for people’s lives. Here at Half Moon Bay, I mostly lead dives. I do some certifications, but most people are here to dive, which is the fun part of the job anyway.”
Mark closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the marine air. “I could definitely get used to this.”
Alex moved to the next tank. “Well, it’s not so enjoyable when it’s pouring rain and the seas are six feet. But I agree, on days like today, it’s the best job in the world.”
Mark went back to sit next to his wife, and Alex redressed in his staff T-shirt before continuing to remove the regulators and BCDs from the tanks so he and Tommy could get the tanks off the boat quickly once ashore. As they tied up to the pier, Patti and another woman walked toward them. He held out a hand to help the divers off the boat.
“You look like a group of happy divers. That’s what I like to see!” Patti wore her trademark smile.
“Fantastic morning!” Lucy said with a broad grin. “Give Alex whatever he wants to stay here. He is a wonder at finding things underwater.”
“He is, that’s for sure. We’re proud to have him and Tommy both. Enjoy your lunch.”
The group continued down the pier toward their bungalows as Patti and the woman headed toward the boat. Tommy stayed aboard and started handing Alex the dive gear so they could rinse it in fresh water.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Patti said, stopping in front of Alex. “Sounds like a successful mornin’ of diving.”
“It was,” Alex said, turning toward them and lifting his sunglasses onto his head. “Can’t go wrong on a day like this. We even saw a couple of sharks.” The very pretty woman standing next to Patti looked to be in her mid-thirties and of average height, with brown hair being blown around by the wind. She seemed preoccupied and didn’t really meet his eyes, like he wasn’t worth noticing.
“I’d like to introduce you both to someone,” Patti said. “This is Hope Collins, the new owner of the resort. Tommy, standin’ in the boat there, is our captain. And this is Alex, our dive guide and instructor.”
“Welcome!” Tommy scrambled off the boat and onto the dock to shake her hand. “It’s so good to have you here! You’re gonna love it.”
She gave Tommy a tight smile. “Thanks. It’s been quite a morning, but everyone has been so friendly.”
“Hi, I’m Alex.” As he shook her hand, tension radiated from her. Either she was just uptight, or something else was wrong. She didn’t seem overly friendly. “I figured Steve would be showing you around himself. This resort is his baby.”
Patti and Hope shared a dark look.
What is going on here?
Patti breathed a sigh. “That brings me to the other big announcement. Steve is gone. He left last night.”
Tommy dropped the BCD he’d been holding. “Huh?”
“What do you mean he’s gone? He left the island?” Alex asked, stepping closer to Patti. “He never said anything to me about leaving now.”
Patti met his gaze. “He didn’t talk to anyone. When he didn’t come into the office this mornin’, I got worried and went to his house to check on him. I found a letter sayin’ he was leavin’ right away.”
“I can’t believe this! Did you try to call him?”
Hope took a step back and narrowed her eyes.
“Of course I did! I’m not an idiot, you know.” Patti’s eyes flashed. “His number has been disconnected.”
Alex held up his hands. “Sorry, only thinking out loud. He told me he was finding it harder to turn over the resort than he’d thought it would be.” He turned to Hope. Now her attitude made more sense. Her lips were set in a thin line. “Are you ok? I’m sure this isn’t how you thought your arrival would go.”
“No, this is definitely not how I had pictured it.” She lifted her chin. “But I’ll be fine.”
The steel in her spine made Alex take another look. She met his gaze head-on, as if daring him to tell her she’d fail. He still wasn’t sure he liked her, but he thawed a little. Alex appreciated people who weren’t afraid of a challenge.
“I’ve been giving Hope a tour of the resort and introducing her to people. We’ll let you two get back to work.” They turned and walked back down the pier.
“What are we gonna do now? I can’t believe Steve bolted on us!” Tommy stood with his hands on his hips, indignant.
“Me either. I didn’t think he’d make it the full six months he talked about, but I never thought he’d cut and run.” Alex grimaced.
