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“But we need another massage therapist for it, and there’s not enough work to put someone else on the payroll. Do you know anyone who freelances and would be interested in extra work?”
Selena tucked a blanket around the table then turned to Sara. “I can think of several. And everyone’s interested in extra cash.”
With a nod, Sara moved to her station. She had a client arriving soon who wanted an updo and make-up for a tropical photo shoot. Sara frowned at the small area around her. That’s the biggest problem with this spa. It’s not scalable. The space might have been more than adequate as Alex’s former one-bedroom apartment, but as a spa it was small. But Hope made do with what she had available, and Sara didn’t know how to tell her it wasn’t adequate.
Sara’s final client, who was there for a mani-pedi, finished in the late afternoon. Selena had already left, so Sara locked up and strolled down the stairs, relishing the breeze drifting through her hair. A pair of divers were just climbing the ladder onto the pier, chattering together as Sara approached. “Good dive?”
“Fantastic!” said the woman, whose short brown hair dripped saltwater. “We dove the house reef. I’ve never seen an active restoration project before. You can see the new corals, and how the fish and other critters are incorporating them.” The two headed toward the dive shop to rinse their dive gear.
Sara sat on a wooden bench that faced the house reef and northern crescent of Half Moon Bay. The prospect of diving was intriguing—especially seeing the coral project up close and personal. But that meant learning how to dive, which presented some complications.
Her musings were interrupted by her phone ringing with Marissa’s ring tone, and a wide smile crossed her face. “Hello there. Do you miss me yet?”
“I do. Not least because my first haircut since you left didn’t go so well. The woman you referred me to was booked solid, so I took a chance. It didn’t pay off. How’s life in the tropics?”
“It’s going well. My apartment is beautiful, and there’s even a pretty, white-sand beach. I’m going to paint the view soon. I’m at the resort right now, staring at the house reef.”
“What’s that?”
“Oh, just a coral reef that’s close enough to dive right from the resort. I haven’t actually snorkeled it, but it sounds pretty cool.”
“Why snorkel? You can learn to dive now.”
Sara hesitated. “Diving is sounding pretty appealing, actually. It’s the getting certified part that might present some difficulties.”
“Why? Didn’t you say your hunkalicious brother-in-law was a dive instructor?”
“Yes, but Alex and I are still getting to know each other. I wasn’t real easy on him to start, and I’m afraid he might drown me.”
Marissa laughed. “Knowing you, he might feel the impulse, but I doubt he’d act on it. I don’t think Hope would be very happy with him. What’s the real reason, Sara?”
A small smile crossed her face. She never could get anything by Marissa. They’d been friends since high school, though Marissa didn’t know any of the details of Alex’s past. “Alex was a diver in the military. A very skilled diver. And Hope... you’ve met her. She’s gorgeous and athletic and successful in everything. What if I’m terrible at it, and he has to flunk me?” She didn’t want to say out loud that the prospect of being taught diving by a former SEAL intimidated the hell out of her.
“Is he an asshole or something?”
“No, it’s not that. Though this would provide a perfect opportunity for a little payback for how I treated him last summer.”
“I’m sure you could find another instructor. There’s got to be more than one on St. Croix.”
“Ah, the passive-aggressive approach. Just thumb my nose at him and learn from someone else.”
“You could just tell them you felt it was a conflict of interest, or something.”
Sara sighed, stretching her legs out. “We’ll see. I don’t have to decide today.”
After ending the call, Sara strolled up the pier as she panned her gaze across the resort. The faint sounds of calypso music emanated from the thatch-roofed pool bar. Clark kept the volume low, so the music provided ambiance without being distracting. The infinity pool was in front of her, where Jack stood in waist deep water with a middle-aged woman who was nearly panting, her eyes enormous. Jack spoke to her in soothing tones, and the woman visibly relaxed. He patted her shoulder, and she nodded several times. Sara couldn’t hear the conversation, but the woman immediately responded to his calming manner. She replaced the regulator in her mouth and the pair kneeled below the surface.
Sara continued, passing the lobby toward the small parking lot and her RAV4. Her mind returned to the prospect of learning to dive. Jeez, are these my two choices for instruction? A Navy SEAL who will probably make my class hell, and a guy who can’t stop causing me problems?
She got in her car and headed home, still thinking about Jack and the woman he was teaching. I might have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I wonder if he liked the macaroni and cheese.
* * *
“I don’t disagree with you,” Hope said as she leaned against the glass counter in the dive shop. “But the resort doesn’t have a bunch of empty buildings just sitting around, so I had to use Alex’s old apartment.”
It was the next morning and Sara was waiting for her client. She had popped in to talk with Hope, who worked in the dive shop while the boat was out on dive trips. “I get it,” Sara said. “I just wanted you to know. I think getting this spa to be profitable could be a problem with its current footprint.”
“Well, we can certainly install another massage table in the room and on deck, especially if Selena can find someone to work when we get couples’ massages scheduled.”
