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Hope smiled again as she and Alex now wore matching T-shirts. “You can hold your breath a long time. Wouldn’t it have been easier to use your scuba gear?”
Alex shrugged. “Maybe. But I don’t get that many chances to free dive. It’s like anything—you have to practice it to keep your skills up. I couldn’t have stayed down much longer. His weight pouch was further away than I thought it would be.” He reached for a towel to wipe his face. “I used to be better at it. Getting lazy in my old age, I guess.”
“Old age, huh? You don’t look it.”
“I just turned forty. But I’ll thank you for the compliment, Boss Lady.”
* * *
The sun approached the horizon and pink, wispy clouds streaked across the sky as Hope studied the bar menu, indecisive. Iced tea was her typical choice, but she didn’t want to be typical. Not anymore.
“You know,” Clark said. “You are standin’ in the presence of one of St. Croix’s greatest mixologists. Or at least I hope to be.” He laughed. “Every year at The Buccaneer Resort, they hold the St. Croix Mixologist Contest. I am goin’ to win that—mark my words.”
She rested her chin in her hand, smiling at him fondly. “I would never doubt you, Clark.”
“I come up with a special cocktail every day. Often, it’s my own recipe. Today it’s the Half Moon Breeze. It’s light rum, Midori, pineapple juice, and 7UP, all blended to perfection. Can I get you one of those?”
“Sold. As long as it’s cold, I’m in. I’ll be at that corner table over there.” Hope sat down, glancing at the dive boat tied to the pier, which reminded her of the great time she’d had on it. She rode along again this morning, repeating her solo snorkeling while the rest of the boat dived. She was impressed after watching Tommy and Alex in action. It was obvious they’d worked together for a while. They had the easy rapport that came from long-time friendship.
Hope leaned back in her chair as Alex approached. After ignoring the jolt in her gut at making eye contact with him, she beckoned him to join her.
Have to be friendly, after all. But remember the aloof part.
“Looked like you enjoyed yourself this morning,” he said. “I saw you snorkeling during the second dive.” Clark brought over her cocktail, and Alex ordered a beer.
“It was fun, and it really is beautiful down there.” She frowned. “I didn’t realize you were watching me.”
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t stalking you.” He sat back in his chair and laughed, then his smile fell. “What?”
Hope took a quick drink of her cocktail to cover her reaction. “Huh? Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about the snorkeling.” Alex’s laugh transformed his face, making him appear much younger.
Don’t even think about it. He might be good looking, but he works for you. Not to mention you have no idea why a forty-year-old guy is being a beach bum on a Caribbean island.
“I try to keep an eye on anyone who’s in the water. You looked plenty comfortable. You sure you don’t want to learn to dive?”
“I don’t know.” Hope stared out at the ocean. The sun had set, and there was a faint orange glow in the west. “The thought of it used to terrify me. You know, running out of air and drowning. But now I’m getting used to the idea a bit more.” She turned back to Alex. “If I decide to go ahead with it, you’ll be the first to know.”
CHAPTER 16
Alex sat at his workbench in the gear room, inspecting the regulator in front of him. Finally, he gave up with a sigh. He was getting frustrated, and that frame of mind while working on intricate equipment never ended well—for him or the gear. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
The dive trip that morning had taken some skill on his part, both in terms of diving and guest relations. Most of the time, leading his dive trips was a piece of cake. Alex snorted.
Especially compared to what I used to do.
He bit back the thought, returning his mind firmly to the dive.
A brother and sister duo had been diving with him for several days. The sister, Jade, was newly certified and a bundle of nerves. They’d been at the deepest part of the dive this morning when Alex had looked over to see her sinking rapidly as she wildly stabbed the inflator button on her BCD to add air and stop her descent.
But from the amount of air being released into the water, she was pressing the wrong button and venting more air out instead of adding it, making her sink even faster. Jade was spiraling into panic—her fins kicking hard as a frantic burst of bubbles appeared with each rapid exhale. Alex recognized the trouble signs immediately and rushed to her, quickly inflating her BCD before placing her finger on the button to show her the correct one.
Jade stopped sinking and relaxed a bit as Alex smiled at her around his regulator, nodding as he squeezed her shoulder. A comforting touch did wonders to calm scared divers. He kept a hand on her until she returned his ok signal, then he turned around to lead again. Jade had clung to Alex like a limpet for the rest of the dive, her brother forgotten, though he reasserted himself once back on the boat.
Tim was several years older than his sister and had just logged his hundredth dive, which was a big accomplishment. Unfortunately, he was also an asshole who paraded around the boat making sure everyone knew about his milestone while oblivious to Jade’s distress, which irritated Alex to no end. But he’d maintained his professional demeanor, shaking Tim’s hand and congratulating him.
Alex had done his best to reassure Jade, giving friendly encouragement while maintaining a professional distance, especially when she’d stroked a finger down his arm as she thanked him. That had made him back away in a hurry.
He never got personally involved with female guests. Plus, she’d recently graduated from college, and young girls didn’t interest him in the slightest. At least the second dive had gone better, though Jade still hadn’t let him get far away from her.
