NautiCal (Forever Wilde 8)

They both nodded.

“Okay, another thing is to watch your air gauge and your depth gauge. I don’t want you going deeper than about forty-five feet, and I don’t want your psi to read under a thousand. Once you reach a thousand psi, we’ll start ascending. At this shallow depth, it will give us plenty of time to explore. Any questions?”

“What if we see a shark?” Jade asked.

“We will probably see a shark. There are a ton of them here, but they’re not something to panic over. Most of them are reef or nurse sharks and have no interest in harming you.”

Mia nodded. “Except my cousin has a friend who got attacked by a hammerhead once.”

I gritted my teeth. That wasn’t the best way to calm a nervous diver. “We’re most likely not going to see a hammerhead. If you do, you’ll have major bragging rights. If you’re worried about anything you see down there, just stay close to me and we’ll stay away from them.”

Mia continued. “What about barracuda? They have super-sharp teeth.”

I nodded. “They do. And they’re kind of creepy because they swim up above you in your blind spot. But, again, they’re not interested in you if you leave them alone. Eels are the same. They look toothy and scary, but they’re usually hiding and trying not to be noticed.”

As we began to put on our BCs, I explained the equipment. Once we were ready, I did one more review of hand signals before helping each of them sit up on the edge to do a back-roll entry. Jin had hopped in the water first to help anyone who needed it, but they did great, and within moments we were descending to forty feet.

After testing the ladies’ buoyancy, we cruised around to look at some of the surrounding coral. It was fun to see Jade’s face light up when she saw a spotted eagle ray flapping lazily through the water in the distance, and when Mia discovered the grass along the sandy bottom was actually a field of garden eels standing in their little holes, she made a high-pitched squeal through her regulator.

They had a great time and handled themselves perfectly.

In the end, the danger came from an unexpected source after we’d done our safety stop and were climbing back into the boat. Jin climbed into the boat first, and then Jade followed him. Just as Mia grabbed the little ladder and began to unbuckle her BC to hand it up, Jin slipped and accidentally knocked his tank and BC overboard, right into my face. The metal tank knocked me on the head, something sharp scraped my forehead, and the bulk of the whole thing ripped the regulator from my mouth and the mask off my face. I had just enough time to mentally laugh about Jin being the Dave after all before sinking down into the water in a breathless shock.

12

Worth

In the end, I hadn’t gotten much work done while Cal had napped in my bed. I’d sat and stared at him, noting every inch of his face and body. Even though I knew he was only interested in something physical, I wasn’t sure I could say the same anymore. He was sweet and kind, interesting and funny. And the fact he was willing to teach my sister’s friends to dive for free was just one example of what seemed to be his usual generosity.

How was it possible I was falling for another young man? Did I have a type? I hadn’t thought so, but maybe there was something about it that called to me. Or maybe I was simply drawn to men who didn’t take life as seriously as I did.

I couldn’t deny he was a good influence on me, and when I sat down on the deck with my brother and sister, they immediately began saying the same thing.

“You’re happier now than you ever were with Mason,” Nat began. I ignored her and opened the folder with the contracts.

“He’s cute too,” Lucas said with a smirk.

“Mpfh.” I slid the copies out and distributed one to each of them before reaching into my pocket for the pens I’d brought.

“It’s too bad his family wants him to marry that girl,” Nat said.

I fumbled all three pens and watched them skitter in different directions on the wooden decking. “What? What girl?”

Lucas frowned at us. “I believe the proper term is woman. Geez, Nat. Since when are you such an anti-feminist?”

Nat nodded. “Sorry, you’re right. That woman.”

“What woman?” I barked. “What woman are you talking about?”

My heart was thundering, but it was probably just from reaching down to scramble for the pens. I pegged my sister with a look that meant business. She responded with nothing but sweet affection.

“You really like him.”

“What. Woman,” I demanded through clenched teeth. “He’s gay. I can’t believe his family would push him into… wait. Isn’t half his family gay?”