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This current is hardly noticeable. And Jack’s not doing anything to discourage her! Right in front of me, no less. She stopped to consider Alex’s comment about jealousy. Am I jealous? I can’t be! I never am, but this situation is becoming ridiculous. Liz continued to enjoy her own dive, unconcerned with Ashley. And it was clear that Ashley wasn’t interested in being reassured by Sara, either. She wanted Jack.
Halfway through the dive, he turned them around, and the water gently pushed Sara forward. In the weightless environment, it was like flying, nearly effortless. With an encouraging nod, Jack removed Ashley’s hand from his arm, but she shook her head, immediately reattaching herself like a limpet. Sara scowled as he patted her hand and led on.
By the time they returned to the boat fifteen minutes later, Ashley had detached herself, though she still stayed near Jack. But her eyes weren’t enlarged any longer, and she even peeked into a few crevices as they did their safety stop. After they returned to the boat, Ashley gave Jack another shy smile as he slid into his spot at the stern. As soon as she got her tank off, she walked over and clutched his bicep. Their heads leaned toward each other as they talked.
Fury roiled Sara’s gut and she stalked forward to stand in the shade. Alex motored back to the resort, and once again, Jack sat next to Ashley. Now she was smiling and laughing, leaning toward him. After several minutes of conversation, he gave her shoulder a squeeze and started breaking down the gear.
They were ten minutes away from the resort, but the time did nothing to decrease Sara’s anger. She was ready to throw Jack overboard. I am not jealous. That was completely uncalled-for. As soon as Alex shut off the boat, she approached Jack. “Can I see you for a minute?”
“Sure,” he said with a smile.
“Follow me.” Without looking back, she stomped toward the gear room, waiting for him to enter before slamming and locking the door.
Now his brows were drawn. “Is everything ok, darlin’?”
She stormed up to him. “Ok? Darlin’? What the hell is wrong with you?”
His face went blank as he staggered back two steps. “Why are you upset?”
“Because you were practically making out with Ashley all morning! She was all over you, and you ate it up.”
“Take it easy. That wasn’t it at all.”
“Bullshit! God, are all your dives like this?”
His mouth tightened. “Don’t you think you’re being just a little melodramatic? ‘Practically making out’? Give me a break—she was scared. I was doing my job, Sara.”
“That’s not what it looked like to me. At all.”
“What would you have me do? Ignore her until she had a complete panic attack and drowned or bolted for the surface?”
Sara stood still, both arms crossed. “No! But you could have encouraged her to stay with me, couldn’t you?”
“A lot of new divers want to stay next to the dive leader. It’s common. I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”
“No shit, sherlock.”
He raked a hand through his hair, but Sara had to admire his composure. “Can we talk about this later? April needs to get in here to store the gear. And I am working, whether you believe it or not.”
“All I want is an apology!”
“What for? I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m responsible for the whole group, especially people who need help.”
“Oh, stop being so damn reasonable! Go back to work. I’m going home.” She brushed past him and opened the door. Her footsteps echoed loudly as she stormed up the pier.
CHAPTER 25
Jack tossed several divers’ fins under the bench, trying not to use more force than necessary. Two hours had passed since Sara’s blowup, but he was still ticked off. Hurricane Sara strikes again, I guess. Next to him, Alex slid two tanks into their holders and frowned at his watch. “Where the hell is he?” Robert was coming directly from his photo shoot since April couldn’t work that afternoon. The divers chattered around them, and the boat was due to leave in less than five minutes.
“I’m sure he’ll be here.” Jack glanced around, verifying that Ashley and Liz were nowhere to be seen, and breathed a relieved sigh. Robert was the least of his problems. After attacking him, Sara had stomped home, but he still had several hours of work left. He grabbed two tanks from the cart and hauled them on board, slamming them in their slots. At least Ashley’s not around to make things worse.
“Afternoon everyone!” Robert stepped on board with his trademark smile and came up to the two men.
Alex relaxed. “I was starting to wonder if you were standing us up.”
“Nah. I got here a while ago. Blame your wife, man. She’s the one who held me up. She wants more landscapes from me.”
Alex snorted. “Figures. Let’s get this show on the road.” He climbed to the wheelhouse, and they were soon underway.
