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Robert had forgotten his zoom lens at Half Moon Bay and offered to buy Jack dinner at Breakers if he’d bring it. Happy to accept, Jack had brought the lens but left it in his truck. He’d get it after they ate. As he and Robert sat at their usual spot in the bar, Jack was continually distracted by a couple at a private table in the sand. He couldn’t stop watching the woman, whose back was toward him. It had to be Sara. Naturally his focus narrowed on the man she was with. It sure looked like a date to him, and he lost his appetite, a gnawing ache filling his stomach instead. The man looked familiar, but Jack couldn’t place him. He just had a negative feeling about the guy, but then, how else would he feel about someone dating Sara? “Do you know that guy over there behind you? Don’t be obvious.”
After a surreptitious glance over his shoulder, Robert shook his head. “Never seen the dude. Why?”
“I know I’ve seen him somewhere, and he didn’t make a good impression. But I can’t place him.” He scraped his bar stool back. “I’m headed to the restroom. I’ll grab your lens on the way back.”
When he came out of the men’s room, he was drawn to the couple again, but the table was now empty. With a sigh, he walked to his pickup and retrieved Robert’s lens. As he shut the door, movement caught his eye, and he froze.
Sara and the man stood in front of a white Tesla. They came together in a kiss, and a blade stabbed through Jack’s chest. The man moved his hands to Sara’s ass, pulling her against him, and Jack couldn’t watch anymore. Blood roared in his ears as he stumbled across the dark asphalt parking lot, finally grabbing the frangipani trellis for support. He clutched the camera lens tighter in his hand, his lungs needing more and more air. There was no mistaking what he had just seen, and it hit him like a freight train.
I blew it—she’s with someone else now. I was too chickenshit to tell her how I feel and now I’ve lost her. But I can’t shake the feeling that guy is bad news.
Finally, he straightened, scraping a hand over his new beard, and continued into the restaurant, refusing to look back. He schooled his expression and placed the long lens on the table. “Here you go.”
Robert brightened. “Ah, thanks. I’m lost without this thing, and I’ve got a shoot first—” he glanced at Jack and his smile fell. “You ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Shit. I’m a terrible actor. “I just saw that couple again in the parking lot. Kissing. It was Sara.”
“Oh, damn. That stings.”
Jack jerked his head up and down, still stunned. “I wish I could place that guy. We might not be together anymore, but I don’t want to see her with some asshole.”
Robert’s expression turned shrewd. “You sure that’s not just your heart talkin’? If she’s ready to move on, maybe you should too.”
I don’t want to move on. I want her!
His head was spinning so much he could hardly focus on Robert. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know up from down anymore. I’d better get going.”
When he got home, Sara’s SUV was in its usual spot, but that didn’t mean anything. It had been her. Goddammit, who is that guy?! Jack trudged into his apartment and got ready for bed. As he tried to sleep, he consciously cleared his mind, refusing to dwell on Sara, and soon his body relaxed, edging toward sleep.
Then his eyes flew open.
Alex’s furious words reverberated like a lightning bolt, bouncing around the inside of his skull. “I mean it, Timmons. If you set foot on Half Moon Bay, I’ll flatten you.”
CHAPTER 34
The morning sun was bright and welcome on Sara’s face as she stepped onto the wooden planks of the pier. She glanced at the end of the palapa where Jack was placing Nitrox tanks in the boat, and they made eye contact. She stopped short, riveted to his face. He straightened, holding her gaze as he started moving toward the side exit of Surface Interval. But Tommy shouted out, “Throw the lines, Jack. Let’s go divin’!”
Jack tossed a final, frustrated glance at her before untying a rope on the dock and jumping aboard. Did he want to talk to me? Her heart raced as she watched him, now engrossed in his job. He had been looking a bit scruffy lately, but he now sported a full, neatly trimmed beard.
Releasing a breath she’d been unaware of holding, Sara itched to run her fingers across it.
The boat was soon out of the bay and the loudest sound in the deserted, still air was water gently lapping against the pilings below. After rubbing her tired eyes, Sara moved toward the dive shop. Why am I thinking about Jack? Because her date with Wayne had only pointed out the differences between the two men. And how she had always been so comfortable—accepted—by Jack. More than any other man she’d ever met. Wayne had made her feel like she was an item in a buffet, to be chosen or not, and without much thought.
It was obvious to her now that she loved Jack, but she wasn’t about to be with a man who wouldn’t even try to work things out. She needed to know how he felt about her. Sara entered the dive shop, where Hope stood at the large display wall, rearranging scuba fins. “Good morning,” Sara said. “I’m surprised you’re working. I didn’t see Alex on the boat.”
Hope turned to her with a smile. “He’s off today, but I’ve got a lot going on right now with expansion plans. So here I am, toiling away in the dive shop between phone calls and emails. I’m hoping to work from home later, though. You have a break in the action?”
“Yeah,” Sara said. “I’ve got a client coming soon, but my makeover this afternoon cancelled, leaving me totally open. I might take off early.”
A slow smile rose on Hope’s face. “Ooh. Maybe spend the afternoon with your mystery man? Word on the street is you had a date last night.”
Sara parked a hand on her hip. “Seriously? Is there no privacy around here?”
“None. Trust me. Well, there is, but only if you can keep from being seen. I showed Patti the rock pool, so the days of our private oasis are officially numbered. Half Moon Grotto is in the works.” She put the final aqua and black fin on the shelf, then turned fully toward Sara. “So, tell me! How was it? And who is this guy, anyway?”
Sara rifled absently through rash guards hanging on a circular rack. “No one at this point. The date wasn’t a resounding success. He was a little aggressive for my taste.” She paused, not really focusing on the shirt as uneasiness sent a tickle down her spine. She was still considering Wayne’s business proposition and didn’t want to discuss it with Hope yet. There was no doubt the site at Half Moon Bay was the better prospect, but she needed to make up her own mind before talking about it with her sister.
Hope’s face fell. “Really? I’m sorry. He didn’t go too far, did he?”
