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He twitched the corner of his mouth. “Something like that. And stop comparing yourself to Hope. She doesn’t have your spark, you know.”
She leaned toward him, and he forced himself not to look at her mouth.
“Is that right?” she asked. “Better be careful. Sparks can light fires.”
“Good thing we’re surrounded by water, then. And how is it you’re single?” Jack held his breath. Is she going to bite my head off for asking that? He didn’t know her history, but he was pretty sure there wasn’t a man in her life.
She kept the same soft, introspective tone. “I never wanted to be tied down. And I have yet to meet a man who changed my mind about that.”
That fit with what she’d said previously. There was a connection between them now, but he wanted a woman he could depend on. The last time he’d tried to stay with a woman who didn’t want to be there, it hadn’t ended so well. Getting a little ahead of myself here, aren’t I? “That’s smarter than committing to someone you’ve got doubts about.”
She raised a brow. “Something you have personal experience with?”
“You could say that. I was married for eight years and got divorced the year before last.”
“I’m sorry. That’s common enough these days. How old are you, anyway?”
“Thirty-two. You?”
“Thirty-three.” She grinned. “I should be giving you advice, since I’m the wiser one here.”
Jack could have pointed out that older didn’t necessarily mean wiser, but he wasn’t stupid enough to say it out loud. “If it’s about diving, maybe I’m the wiser one.” With a regretful sigh, he glanced at his fins. “I’d better get going. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow at Ocean Surf. And remember, I’m just downstairs if you have any issues with your class.”
As he stood, their eyes held for a long moment before she nodded to him. Jack walked back toward his truck and a smile rose on his face.
CHAPTER 13
The sun was less than an hour from setting when Sara dumped her purse on the kitchen counter, heading straight to her bedroom to change into a swimsuit. After tugging on a blue one-piece, she quickly braided her hair into a long tail, looking at her body in the mirror as she plaited it. It was a modest suit—the only kind she was comfortable in. But it did show off her breasts and a smirk rose. “Eat your heart out, Hope. You might have a nice rack, but that’s the one department I handily have you beat.”
She’d had a conversation with April over lunch that day, getting tips on her certification, which had mostly consisted of the divemaster saying, “Would you relax? You’ll do fine.”
Of course you’d say that, you think Alex walks on water. And Sara couldn’t deny that April wasn’t the divemaster she wanted help from.
Throwing on a cover-up and grabbing a towel, she trotted down the stairs, her mind returning to Jack. They had certainly gotten off to a rocky start, but she was big enough to admit she had misjudged him. The other night when she’d been sitting on the swing, there had been a strong current between them. A current that had brought home to her how incredibly kissable his mouth was. In addition to those giant brown eyes, he was sweet and funny, and always calm. She snorted. That might balance my assertiveness rather well.
The last thought brought her to a standstill. Am I really thinking about getting together with him?
Yeah, maybe I am...
She stood outside the landing, staring at the ocean. It was flat and welcoming this evening, and it was hard to believe it was mid-December from the weather. Should I swim in the ocean instead of the pool? That would give me some confidence for sure. Sara frowned. It might not be safe alone, and she wasn’t the strongest swimmer in the world. Still undecided, she worried her lip between her teeth.
The sound of footsteps came from her left, where Jack slowly approached with his head down and both hands in his pockets.
“You don’t exactly look on top of the world.”
He whipped his head up, and a smile replaced the tiredness. She couldn’t help returning it as he said, “Things just started looking up. I had a long day at Ocean Surf. One of the other divemasters is an asshole, and the manager doesn’t like to micro-manage. I have a feeling Cameron and I have a reckoning coming. It feels like high school sometimes.” His gaze took in her cover-up and towel. “Going for a swim, I take it?”
“Yeah. My swim test is tomorrow, so I was thinking about practicing in the ocean.”
Jack reared back, his eyes enormous. “Alex is making you do an ocean swim?”
Sara laughed. “No, just the normal lap swim in the pool. But I’m kind of nervous about it. I thought swimming in the ocean would make tomorrow look easy and boost my confidence. Except I’m scared to do it by myself.” She pulled her long braid over one shoulder and ran her hand down it. Jack followed every movement, and a satisfied ripple traveled through her abdomen. Oh yeah. There are sparks flying now. “Is your offer to help still available?”
“You want me to swim with you?”
Her heart lurched. “Only if you want to. You don’t have—”
He grinned crookedly at her. “Sara, I’d love to. Just let me grab a towel. I’m already wearing swim trunks.”
