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Sara shot her another sidelong glance. “Of course you would say that.” She ran a hand over the neoprene fabric. It was fairly thick and looked constricting. That thing can’t be comfortable...
The door opened and Alex walked in, raising his brows at the two women. “Time for a sister-to-sister chat?”
“You could say that,” Sara said.
He gave Hope a quick kiss and moved behind the counter, opening a thick file folder. “Leaving the dirty work to Robert and Tommy?” Hope asked.
“I need to prepare for Sara’s class,” he replied, then glanced at Sara, a glint in his eyes. “I don’t have much time to prepare all the obstacles.”
Sara mock-glared at him. Then something occurred to her. It has been entirely too long since I’ve poked the bear. And Hope just gave me a golden opportunity. “Be careful, Alex. If you make things too difficult, I’ll complain to your old lady here. Now that you’re married, it doesn’t sound like she’s putting up with your antics anymore. In fact, she just got through telling me that the honeymoon’s over and you just don’t affect her the same anymore.”
She kept her most innocent expression, clasping her hands in front of her as Hope whipped her head around with a furious glower. “Sara!”
Alex ignored Sara, completely focused on Hope as he straightened to his full height. He slowly sauntered around the counter, pinning his wife with his eyes. “Is that right?” he asked in a soft, sensual voice.
Sara considered herself Alex-proof, but even she could almost see the waves of pure male pheromones he was giving off as he approached Hope. She stood frozen, completely helpless against him, like an antelope staring at a tiger. Except this antelope wanted to be eaten whole. Badly. “I didn’t say that,” she squeaked.
He stopped before her and slowly drew an index finger down the side of her face. Hope inhaled sharply, parting her lips.
“Oh?” he breathed. “You shouldn’t be telling tall tales, Mrs. Monroe. That could have dangerous consequences.”
“Dangerous?” Hope’s chest moved with the force of her breathing.
“Very.”
Sara rolled her eyes. “For God’s sake. Stop it, you two. Of course she didn’t say that, Alex.”
They still ignored her.
“We’ll just have to continue this conversation later,” Alex said.
Hope stepped closer, pressing her hand against his chest. Their faces were an inch apart. “Promise?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.” Then he threw her a ten-thousand-megawatt smile and her knees actually buckled. He spun on his heel, and Sara snickered. Heading toward the door, he glanced her way. “You have more important things to think about than stirring the pot, you know. Like your swim test. I’ll see you at the pool in a couple of hours.”
“Wouldn’t miss it, Alex.” But his reminder brought back the uneasy slithering in her gut. Why did I pick today to do that? Not smart, Sara!
Alex closed the door behind him, and she turned back, needing a distraction from her pre-class anxiety. Hope was still leaning against the counter. She pressed both palms against it for support, as if she were made of putty, and just blinked at the closed door.
Sara shook her head, laughing. “You know, Mom and Dad got your name all wrong. It should be Hopeless.”
* * *
Sara stood in the shallow end of the pool, trying to keep from shaking. She had passed the water skills with high marks, the swim test presenting no difficulties. Treading water for ten minutes had been more challenging, but Alex kept up a steady conversation about marine life as he performed it with her, which distracted her and made the time go by quickly. Then they had moved on to the next phase of the class, which involved wetsuits and actual scuba gear—breathing underwater. Which was the most exciting part.
At least that’s what she kept telling herself.
They stood side by side in waist-deep water, and her anxiety ratcheted up steadily. She’d been right about the wetsuit she had examined in the dive shop. It was constricting. And after she added the BCD with its attached tank and regulator, she could hardly breathe.
“All we’re going to do is put our face in the water,” Alex said. “Then we’ll do the same with a mask on. Finally, we’ll add the regulator and breathe off it. We’ll take it slow and get used to it, ok?”
“Sounds good.” She was hell-bent on not admitting her fear to him, and with any luck, he couldn’t see it, though her hands were trembling a little. Despite his teasing that morning, he had been reassuring and calm during their session. It was a different side of him, one that made Sara slightly less convinced he was out to drown her.
Alex moved them slightly deeper into the pool and the weight of her tank nearly disappeared. Ok, that’s better. I can do this. I can put my face in the water, for God’s sake. In unison, they bent at the waist, holding their breath as they submerged their faces. The water clung to her closed eyes and tried to enter her nostrils. Sara’s heart leapt out of her chest, and she bolted upright, trying not to gasp.
Shit! I’m learning scuba from a goddamn Navy SEAL, and I can’t even put my face in the water! He’s going to make me do fifty pushups, then flunk me for sure.
She was breathing hard, and tears began pricking her eyes as Alex lifted up beside her. He gave her a small smile, and his eyes were soft. “Relax, Sara. It’s normal to be nervous about this.”
