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After they toweled off, Hope spread out a blanket and they settled on it, taking a long drink from their water bottles. Cruz curled up next to Hope and closed his eyes with a happy sigh, resting his muzzle on her thigh. The sun warmed Sara quickly, and she smiled at the dog. “You sure have won him over. And no more trouble from Creepy Guy?”
Hope laughed and patted the dog’s head. “No. We all hope Creepy Guy is in the past, but we’ll see. He was a real piece of work.”
Sara rested on an elbow, looking around the area. “There’s no way in hell you’d get me to dive that cave, but this place is great. I can see why you’d want to advertise it.”
“Not really advertise it, per se. But I’ve thought about calling it Half Moon Grotto and making it available only to our guests.”
“That’s a great idea. The resort’s small, so it could be a private oasis.”
“I’m starting to think about expanding and building some more bungalows. Alex and I have talked about what to do with all this money, but we haven’t made any decisions yet. Which reminds me, missy. You still need to go to the bank to get your name added to the account.”
“I know. I’ve had plenty to keep me busy.”
Hope smiled and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Things are going well with Jack?”
“Yeah, they are. We’re not too serious, but we have a good time together.”
Hope’s smile faded. “Be careful here. You might not be serious, but he had his heart broken by his ex-wife. At least that’s what I’m guessing. He doesn’t strike me as a footloose and fancy-free kind of guy.”
Sara raised a brow. “Well, aren’t you the expert? At this point, I think I know more about him than you.”
Hope held up a hand. “Take it easy. I’m well aware of that. Just remember that not everyone is as carefree about relationships as you, ok?”
“I’m not sure where this will go. Or if I want a long-term relationship. But Jack’s different from anyone else I’ve been with. He’s quiet, very sweet and dedicated. I’m incredibly comfortable around him—not self-conscious.”
Hope smiled at her. “Sounds like the baseline for something wonderful to me.”
CHAPTER 18
Jack eyed a drab, dark alley as Alex parked his classic Land Cruiser at the back door of Emerald Isle Scuba in Frederiksted. Earlier, Alex had mentioned needing to pick up a dozen Nitrox tanks after the afternoon trip. Jack had volunteered to help, and now here they were.
Alex pointed down the narrow lane. “There’s a watering hole down that way. You want to stop for a drink afterwards?”
“Sounds good,” Jack said, pleased at the chance to get to know his boss a little more.
Alex had parked at the shop’s rear entrance, so they didn’t have to haul the heavy tanks a long distance. As they entered the store, Alex knocked loudly on the back wall. “Yo, Gordon! You around?”
A middle-aged man wearing a bright-pink, ukulele-covered shirt entered from the front of the shop. “Your tanks are right there.” He spoke with a deep Southern accent.
Jack followed his pointing finger to the twelve shiny aluminum tanks. A green and yellow band encircled them, with NITROX written in yellow letters. Gordon handed a receipt to Alex, who frowned as he looked it over. “This isn’t enough. You only charged me for eight tanks.”
“I know. Consider it a special discount for friends.”
Alex stared steadily at him. “I’m already getting a wholesale rate, so I want to pay for all of them. You don’t have to treat me different than anyone else. What happened that night was just bad luck.”
Gordon had a gray ponytail and florid face, which was getting redder with each passing second. Jack tried to follow the conversation, completely confused.
Gordon continued, “Alex, I’m not charging you full price ever again, so stop asking. I can barely look you in the eye as it is.”
The lightbulb went off in Jack’s head, but he stayed quiet.
Alex sighed. “Yes, you can. The whole thing is in the past now, and it wasn’t your fault, ok? Charge me for all twelve. I mean it.” With an even stare, he passed over a credit card and Gordon walked heavily to the front of the shop.
“This is where you and Hope were when you were shot?” Jack asked quietly.
Alex nodded. “We were picking up new regulators, and an employee Hope was trying to help decided to rob us instead. Or he tried to until I knocked him out.” He glanced at Jack. “You read the article in the lobby?”
Jack nodded.
