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April turned to her with a grin. “Well, that doesn’t sound fun.”
“And our next meetings didn’t go much better. If I’m going to get lucky in love here, it certainly won’t be with him.” A vision of the real-estate developer flashed through her head. Wayne, on the other hand... She focused on April. “Are you single?”
April’s smile faded. “Yes.”
Sara’s ears perked up at the change. “Hmm. Sounds like a story there. If we’re going to start a regular girls’ night, we need gossip!”
“Oh, it’s nothing dramatic.” April dropped her gaze to her beer, hesitating. “There was a guy, but we never even got together before he fell in love with someone else. It wasn’t meant to be.”
Sara held up her beer in a toast. “Here we are, three gorgeous and fully employed women. Any man is lucky to have us. So, let’s make sure at least one of us gets hooked up before too long!”
* * *
The next afternoon, Sara regarded the dim room before her. Located under the staircase leading to the spa, the small storage room was filled with miscellaneous dive equipment. The closet in the spa was quickly overflowing, which she had mentioned to Hope, and her sister had presented her with the key. “See if this room will work for you. I don’t think Alex uses it for much, so I’m sure you can take it over.”
A bare bulb illuminated storage shelves lining both walls. It would be perfect for storing the excess linens and supplies a growing spa was sure to need. She turned off the light and relocked the door. But I’m not about to encroach on Alex’s domain without talking to him first.
Her relationship with her brother-in-law was somewhat delicate. The first time they met, Sara had more or less steamrolled right over him in the guise of protecting Hope. But after learning more about him, she had come to regret her behavior somewhat.
Not that I’d ever admit that to him, she thought with a smile.
Still, finding out that the man you had concluded was a suspiciously middle-aged beach bum was actually a highly decorated former Navy SEAL trying to heal from grievous mental and physical wounds was knowledge Sara was still adjusting to. She liked to think she wasn’t intimidated by any man, but Alex made her pause.
And I’ll set myself on fire before letting him know that.
Animated laughter distracted her as Alex and Zach walked down the pier, both wearing scuba tanks with fins tucked under their arms. She moved to the gear room and leaned against the doorframe as they divested themselves of their tanks and BCDs. “So are you officially a diver now, Zach?”
He looked up, and she had to laugh at his face-splitting grin. “Nah, not yet. This was just my first pool session. I’ve got one more, plus my second classroom lecture before I can hit the ocean for my checkouts.”
Sara straightened. “I didn’t realize there was that much to it.”
“Diving isn’t exactly a natural activity,” Alex added with a smile. “It takes a while to learn it all. But Zach is doing great—he won’t have any trouble.”
“I can’t wait to see the new corals, and the nursery!”
Before the wedding, Alex had told her about his coral nursery and transplanted fragments now growing on the house reef. She had to admit it was fascinating. “Sounds like it won’t be long.”
Alex turned back to the boy. “You want to finish rinsing the gear? I need to talk to Sara.” After Zach’s nod, Alex joined her in the dim tunnel. “Hope told me you needed more storage for the spa. Does that storeroom work ok?”
She confirmed it was perfect and Alex promised to have it cleaned out by the end of the week. Pleased with her progress, Sara strolled to the end of the pier, standing near the edge as she enjoyed the shady palapa. The sound of bubbles breaking the surface came from her right as a diver headed toward the pier.
She swept her gaze over the calm ocean, her imagination working overtime. It’s hard to believe a whole roof is under there somewhere. I wonder what it looks like. A hurricane had torn the entire roof off the long building that now housed the spa, and deposited it several hundred yards away, fully intact under forty feet of water.
The diver surfaced and climbed the ladder next to her. It was Jack, and he nodded to her coolly as he climbed onto the dock. Curiosity about the coral project warred with her desire to avoid him, but curiosity won. “Were you diving the coral nursery?”
He had been walking away but turned back. Water dripped down his face, beads sliding over his sharp cheekbones.
He’s really not that bad looking. Maybe talking about diving will help us find some common ground.
“Yes. I’ve taken over a lot of the maintenance, making sure the fragments stay strong.”
“How can you tell?”
He stretched his back and frowned, as if the answer was obvious. “If they lose all their color, turn white and die, it means they’re not real healthy.”
Sara reared back as a hot flush crept up her face. Why do I even bother talking to this asshole? “Well, excuse me for asking. Piss off, then.” She swept past him as she stormed back to the spa.
CHAPTER 8
