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“I think you look amazing in that hat.” He leaned closer and said, “And that towel gives a man all kinds of ideas.”
“Oh? What kind of ideas?”
He smiled wider, and a tremor ran through her body as she locked her gaze on his mouth. “Maybe I’ll have to show you sometime.” Turning back to the group, he said in a much louder voice, “Ok folks! We’re almost back. Time to gather up your stuff.” He brushed her hand as he left, walking back up to stand with Tommy.
Attempting to cool off after the conversation, Hope returned to the bow and redressed. Alex had been talking on his cell phone. Now he turned to her, eyes wide with excitement. “Hey, you want to have lunch? I’ve got some news on that boat I was telling you about.”
* * *
Alex was at her corner table when she arrived at the restaurant, and she sat across from him.
“I think this boat is a great opportunity, Hope.”
“It sounds exciting. Tell me about it.”
He opened his phone and showed her several photos. “It’s a forty-six-foot Newton, outfitted for diving—used but in great shape. My friend knows the owner and vouched for him.” Alex’s excitement was palpable. “This boat is a lot bigger, and I think we need that. We’re getting more guests, and we could use the extra room since we might need to split into two groups permanently.”
“If you say it’s what we need, that’s good enough for me. How much is it?”
He leveled his gaze at her. “Well, that’s the thing. It’s $150,000. It’s been maintained regularly, and it doesn’t have many hours on it at all. Believe it or not, it’s a great buy.”
Hope slumped, exhaling heavily. “Ouch.”
They dug into their sandwiches, giving Hope time to think it over. “I can come up with the extra money, but that leaves me pretty thin. I never thought the day would come that I’d be thinking about buying a six-figure dive boat.” She paused, then came to a decision. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Let’s do it. Is it here in St. Croix?”
Alex shook his head. “It’s in St. Thomas. I can fly over in the morning and drive it back. I’d probably be back here by early afternoon.”
“You? Not Tommy?”
“No, I want him here with the dive group.” Alex’s face broke into a broad smile. “Besides, I hardly ever get a chance to drive. This’ll be a blast.”
“Ok, let’s move on this. We don’t have long before Robert’s friend needs the boat back. If you give me the man’s number, I’ll call and get things rolling.”
Several hours later, the boat was hers. The owner, a local with the wonderful name Baxter McBride, had texted her a multitude of photos and several videos. They filled out the bill of sale via fax, and she had him fax her a copy of the title to make sure he actually owned it. She wired the money to his account and told him she expected to take possession in the next day or two.
Hope met Alex on the beach, informing him she now owned the new boat.
He grinned at her. “You do know how to get things done. Let me call Robert and see if he’s free. If he can take the morning dive, I’ll go to St. Thomas tomorrow.”
“Nope. We’ll go to St. Thomas.”
“Are you sure? St. Thomas is over forty miles from here. We need to come back through an open water channel.” Alex paused, watching her. “It could get rough, Hope. It won’t be like the boat trips we’ve had around here.”
She shrugged. “I’m not afraid of a few waves. Besides, I checked the forecast, and it’s supposed to be beautiful tomorrow. If I’m spending this much money on a new boat, I’m making damn sure I’m there to take possession. Text me when you get the details worked out.”
She turned and looked back at him, eyebrows raised. “Besides, somebody has to keep you in line.”
CHAPTER 37
The morning dawned clear and perfectly tropical as Hope and Alex arrived at the St. Croix airport at 6:30. Hope was full of excitement for their day of adventure. Alex had driven them in his old Land Cruiser with plans to pick it up later that day. At the check-in counter, he insisted on buying both their tickets.
“You’ve already outspent me on this trip by six figures—this is the least I can do.”
As they passed through security, Alex asked for a manual security check.
“Why’d you do that?”
He turned, eyes wide with horror. “Have you ever seen the images those things produce? You can see everything. I have to preserve my modesty, you know.”
