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But getting irritated at Zach was hardly productive. It was her fault. Sara frantically jabbed at Jack in a thumb’s up gesture. He nodded, and the trio ascended to the surface.
Jack ripped his mask around his neck. “Oh my God, Sara! What the hell happened?”
“Oh, man,” Zach added. “This is so not good.”
Sara whipped her eyes between them. “I forgot where my fins were! I kicked the tree and when I went to see what happened, I kicked the other one!”
Jack closed his eyes and rubbed them with both hands. “Oh, shit.”
Sara groaned. “Alex is going to kill me.”
Jack snapped his eyes wide open. “Oh, bullshit! He’s not going to kill you. He’s going to kill me!”
Zach nodded sagely. “He’s got a point there.”
Sara held a hand out, trying to placate the crowd. “Alex isn’t going to kill anyone, ok? I’m sure he’ll understand it was an accident. You’re both getting upset over nothing.”
Both of them stared slack-jawed at her.
“You’ve never seen him pissed off, have you?” Zach said, then gave a terrified bark of laughter.
She took a deep breath, inhaling as much confidence—or maybe delusion—as possible. “Please. I can handle Alex in my sleep. We’ll simply ask him how to repair the damage and proceed accordingly.” She sent a beseeching look to Jack, rushing the next words out. “Please don’t make me do this alone.”
He scowled. “You can’t dive alone! Of course I’ll help. Assuming I’m still alive.”
Another nervous titter escaped Zach, and Sara’s heart twisted as she stared at the wide-eyed boy. “You’re completely blameless, so just relax.”
“Uh-huh. Pretty sure I’m what’s called collateral damage.”
Jack turned to him. “She’s right—you don’t have to be involved in this. Alex told me he was going to the shooting range this afternoon.” He pressed both palms against his forehead. “Oh God. I’m so dead.” Pulling his hands down, Jack schooled his expression. “What I’m trying to say is that he’s not even around right now. Zach, just go home and go to school tomorrow. Sara and I will figure out a plan.” He met her eyes. “I’m working with Alex in the morning, and I can tell him about it then. I’ll see him before you will.”
Sara’s heart tried to pound out of her chest. “I can come with you. We’ll face him together.”
Jack shook his head. “No, I need to do this alone. Really.”
Sara glanced down. Forty feet below the surface, a dense cloud surrounded the coral nursery. Stomach sinking, she nodded at Jack.
CHAPTER 21
Jack arrived at Half Moon Bay early the next morning, hoping for a chance to talk to Alex alone. But Tommy was already there, and the two men were both hard at work getting the boat ready. With a sigh, Jack jumped in too, resigned to wait until after the trip to speak with Alex about the coral-nursery debacle.
There was a slight tension on the boat. At first, Jack thought it was coming from him and his anxiety. As they traveled to the first dive site, Alex was noticeably quieter and more serious. Tommy worked double-time to improve the mood on the boat and did a great job of keeping things fun with the guests. But Alex’s mood made Jack even more nervous.
Great, I have to tell him his favorite project got clobbered, and he’s already in a bad mood.
Fortunately, they had fantastic dives and the time underwater improved Alex’s temper. He was more like his usual self and laughing with the divers by the time they returned to the dock. As soon as the guests were off the boat, he slung two BCDs over his shoulders and headed for the gear room.
Never one to shirk an unpleasant task, Jack lifted two more and followed. He entered the gear room and shut the door. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Alex hung his BCD and turned, moving his eyes to the shut door, then back to Jack. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I need to tell you something, and you’re not going to like it.” He straightened his spine, meeting Alex’s gaze. “I took Sara and Zach on a dive yesterday to the nursery. I wasn’t watching closely enough, and two PVC trees got knocked over. They’re obliterated. All three of us feel terrible.”
Alex had stood expressionless during his explanation. Now he lifted a brow. “So that’s what happened, huh?”
“You knew already?”
He leaned against his workbench. “Yeah. I went for a swim this morning, right over the roof. I could see from the surface that something was wrong, so I free dived down to verify it.”
