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A smile lingered on Jack’s face. Zach was a small, yet determined kid. He’d probably do great in his scuba class. He turned his attention back to Alex, curious. Jack had never asked him about his background, and Alex hadn’t brought it up himself, either. The two men worked well together, so Jack figured he’d get to know him eventually. “Give me a call. I’ll help however I can.”
Alex sobered. “I know it can be tough to make ends meet as a divemaster. You do a great job. I’ll give you work anytime I can.”
Jack went back to dunking the BCDs into the fresh-water trough, rinsing the salt out of them. Then the sound of laughter filled the area, and he glanced up as Hope and Sara stepped off the stairs to the spa, headed his way. They didn’t pause their conversation except for a friendly nod from Hope. Sara just glared as they passed by, and he gave her a hard stare in return.
He was hoping Sara would be less attractive upon her return. Nope—still stunning. Jack sighed, turning back to his work as he reminded himself of her personality.
Great, she’s arrived, and still as pleasant as ever. She’s got trouble written all over her, and she’s Hope’s sister. As long as we stay out of each other’s way, everything will be fine.
CHAPTER 7
Walking just behind Robert, Jack entered Breakers Bar & Grill. The two men made their way down a brick path to the large bar and sat on two stools. The bartender, whose black curls were neatly cropped, nodded. “Hey, Robert. Usual?” Robert nodded and introduced Jack, who ordered a Leatherback.
Maurice, the bartender, was built like a linebacker. He brought over two beers and the two men toasted. Jack regarded the bar as he took a drink. There was a mixture of locals and tourists, and there was no music blaring, making conversation easy. Tables were spread over the brick floor, and several were nestled in the sand outside, close to the waves as they swept ashore.
“Cool place,” Jack said.
The overhead lights shone on Robert’s dark, shaved head. “Yeah, it’s been one of my favorites for a long time. Despite Maurice’s presence.”
Maurice snorted as he shook a martini, then nodded his head at Jack. “You a divemaster too?”
“Yeah. I work at Half Moon Bay and Ocean Surf.”
“Not too many divemasters are as lazy as Robert, only workin’ at one place.”
Robert took a drink before grinning. He had extremely white teeth, which made his smile dazzling. “Only because my photography business is doin’ well enough. I hustled plenty before that.”
Maurice cupped a hand to the side of his mouth and said in a loud stage whisper to Jack, “He’s lazy.” Then he went to the other side of the bar to serve the martini.
Robert threw a peanut at his head before turning to Jack. “You gettin’ settled in?”
Jack nodded. “Apartment’s all set up, and between the two jobs, I’m making ends meet.” He’d recently moved to St. Croix and hadn’t made many friends yet. When Robert had asked Jack if he wanted to stop for a beer, he’d jumped at the chance.
“Where are you from?”
“Texas, near Galveston,” Jack replied. “I was in construction for a long time. My ex-wife and I got certified to dive about ten years ago and I just fell in love with it. Like I had finally found what I was meant to do.” He took a pull on his beer. “My wife, not so much.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty common.”
“I kept taking advanced certifications and got my divemaster license three years ago, but I never really used it. Then my marriage ended. It took me a while to get my footing back, and I moved to St. Thomas about a year ago. Decided it was time to work as a divemaster full time.”
Robert grinned. “St. Thomas, huh? How was that?”
Jack closed his eyes and swallowed as Robert laughed. “A nightmare. I worked for a cattle-boat operation that took out divers from the big cruise ships. I got really good at handling train wrecks and emergencies, though.” He laughed and shook his head. “I moved here a couple of months ago. I like St. Croix much more. It’s a lot more laid back, and neither outfit I work for caters to the cruise-ship crowd, which is an extra plus.”
“They’re both good operations, especially Half Moon Bay. I’ve known Alex for a while now.”
“You’re from here?”
Robert nodded. “Born and raised. My dad is a fisherman, so I’ve been around the water since I could walk. And I’m a fellow member of the divorced club. My ex had expensive tastes, and even working two jobs plus my photography gig, I couldn’t make ends meet. When I told her we needed to cut back, she did. Me.” He laughed and took another long pull.
“Ouch. Sorry. To be honest, I’m still not sure why my wife left. I did everything I could to make her happy. She changed her hair color and appearance every other month. She was never happy.”
Robert looked at him steadily. “Maybe it didn’t have anythin’ to do with you. Hard to be happy with someone else if you’re not happy with yourself first.”
“You might be right about that. I kept trying to tell her she was fine just the way she was—I didn’t want to change anything about her. Then I came home from the construction site one day to find her side of the closet all cleaned out and a note saying she was gone.”
“I’m sorry, man.”
