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April threw the lines, and they proceeded to the dive site. Sara kept up a steady stream of conversation as she tried to keep Ashley’s attention. As Alex slowed the boat, the young woman blew out a big breath. “I don’t know why I get so nervous.”
Liz laughed. “Neither do I. Eighty-two-degree clear water and flat seas. Conditions don’t get any easier than this, Ashley.”
Well, aren’t you the helpful one? But Sara kept a pleasant expression. “I know firsthand that Jack is an excellent divemaster. We’re in good hands.”
Ashley frowned, eyeing Jack. “I hope so. I really liked Robert. It makes me nervous to switch.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “God, Ashley. Enough, already.”
“We’ll be fine,” Sara said. “Jack gave me a fish to identify. We can try to find it together.” She described a sergeant major, a common yellow-white fish with black bars. Ashley just nodded absently, watching Jack closely as he gave the dive briefing about the site and likely animal life. Sara tried to ignore Ashley’s close attention toward Jack, surprised at the twisting in her stomach.
His group was first in the water, and Sara deflated her BCD and sank below the surface. Liz descended quickly, never sparing a glance for Ashley or Sara. Ashley was having difficulty, but Jack helped deflate her BCD and she began to sink.
After getting an ok signal from her, Jack turned to lead the group over the reef top. Sara added several puffs of air as they leveled off at fifty feet, staying well above the coral. She had learned her lesson about fins and coral. Colorful sergeant majors flitted all around the group, swooping to eat tiny creatures in the water column. Excited, Sara turned to point them out, but Ashley was staring straight at Jack’s fins, keeping an even distance away. Sara poked her in the arm and pointed at the fish. Ashley shot her an annoyed glance and focused on Jack again. Ok. I guess she needs a few minutes to settle down.
Jack found an enormous green moray stretched out in a crevice, and beckoned the divers over one at a time. Sara leaned against him as she looked at the fearsome creature, welcoming his comforting touch. The eel made her uneasy, even though Alex had told her they weren’t aggressive unless provoked.
Sara moved away so Ashley could have her turn. As Jack beckoned, she shook her head. He smiled and held out a hand. Ashley reached for it and swam forward, then transferred her hand to his arm. She maintained a death grip on him, taking a quick glance at the eel before looking away.
Jack took the lead again with Ashley at his side, her hand still gripping his upper arm. Sara narrowed her eyes, the twisting in her stomach turning into a hard, spiky ball.
Are you really nervous, Ashley, or are you going after Jack?
The rest of the dive progressed uneventfully, except Jack had to vent Ashley’s BCD several times to keep her from becoming too buoyant. Liz appeared to be having a great time, peeking into crevices and under ledges, while totally ignoring her friend. Meanwhile, Ashley kept a laser focus on Jack, who practically ignored Sara. She ground her teeth against her mouthpiece.
After returning to the boat, Alex helped Sara to her spot, and she shrugged out of her tank. Ashley slumped next to her, staring at the fiberglass deck. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get this.”
Sara gave her a guilty pat on the shoulder, regretting her earlier thoughts. “Sure you will. Alex certified me not long ago and said it just takes a while.”
Ashley gave Alex a quick glance before turning her attention back to Jack, focusing intently. Sara took a deep breath, trying to push down the resentful thoughts that kept rising. Sitting there stewing wouldn’t do any good, so she got up to refill her water bottle as April handed out Hope’s pineapple tartlets. Sara took one and moved under the covered deck, watching as Jack sat next to Ashley. Her head was still down, and he talked softly to her. Several minutes passed, and she finally looked up, giving Jack a shy smile. A stab of alarm knifed through Sara. He smiled back and nodded, squeezing Ashley’s shoulder before rising to switch over equipment for the second dive. Sara’s guilt fled, replaced by a hot cauldron as she forced herself to relax. Needing a distraction, she climbed the ladder to stand next to Alex.
“Good dive?”
“Ok.” She shot an irritated glance at the deck below. “There’s a new diver that’s all over Jack.”
Alex grinned. “You never struck me as the jealous type.”
“I’m not, but that doesn’t mean she has to hang all over him.”
He turned the wheel, angling them closer to shore. “It’s part of the job. She was nervous yesterday too. Some people just need a little extra attention until they get the hang of it. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not sure she even noticed there were fish on that last dive. But don’t worry, I’ll be a good buddy.”
“I’d never expect anything less.” He throttled back, inspecting the water. “Looks like we’ve got a little current here, but not much.” He called up Jack and April, and Sara stood off to the side, listening as they discussed the plan for the second dive. They discussed going to a different site, but all three concluded the current was mild enough.
April studied the water. “We’ll just start against the current, then drift back. Piece of cake.”
Alex stared at Jack, and something passed between them. Jack nodded. “I’ll moor us. We’ll be fine.” With a wink at Sara, he moved off and dove into the water to attach the boat to the submerged mooring ball.
“What was that about?” Sara asked Alex.
“I wanted to make sure Jack was ok with Ashley being in a current, which can make divers a little jittery. But this is mild enough to swim against without much trouble.”
As the group descended and began swimming, Sara immediately felt the water’s resistance as they finned into the mild current. It was a little more work, but Jack set an easy pace. She smiled as memories of their swim in the current returned to her. Time to check on my buddy. Ashley’s eyes were wide inside her mask, and she swam right past Sara, catching up with Jack. He gave her a reassuring smile and patted her shoulder.
He found several things of interest on the dive, including a huge conch that left a trail as it traveled slowly across the sand, and a mottled gray grouper over four feet long. It hung motionless, watching with black eyes as they finned past it. But Ashley was oblivious, looking only at Jack. After twenty minutes, she kept a constant grasp on his upper arm.
Sara was not pleased.
