Going Under (Wildfire Lake 2)

“Once everything is done and we open Memorial Day weekend, we’re going to get another appraisal. Then Laiyla and Levi will decide how they’re going to buy it—whether that is to start a business just for the lake and have Laiyla and Levi own it, or if he’s going to buy it under his contracting business and share that ownership with his partner, Mitch. Either way, we should cash out in July, which gives you and me July and August to plan our first trip.

Plan our first trip. A bubbly sensation bursts in my gut, part excitement, part fear. That’s only six months away. But that also means Kat and I will have been together eight months, and I’d feel good about this plan with that kind of foundation.

“If you could get vacation from work, we would have a good chunk of time to give it a try,” she says. “I mean, we won’t be sailing across any oceans, but we can get pretty far sailing every day, stopping at different ports close to wherever I buy the boat.

“Once summer is over and the girls are back in school, there are a couple of three-day weekends you could make into four or five days if your work schedule allows—Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day. That doesn’t give us much time to be together, so between the end of summer and the first holiday we meet, I would sail toward the West Coast so you could catch a short flight to wherever we wanted to be. That time of year, we could stay anywhere in the south, and it would be warm. Mexico is a quick flight from LAX, which would be fun for the kids. Cabo San Lucas or Puerto Vallarta. Both have islands off the coasts that are perfect for snorkeling. If they’re ready, I could introduce Violet and Poppy to diving.”

By the time she finishes talking, I’ve got a smile stretched across my face. “I’m shocked at how much I love that idea.”

She clicks through the months. “Then we hit Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, and you’ll have been at the hospital over a year. You could combine your leave with your normal days off, and we could probably get a good three-week window in there to head somewhere warm. That would allow the girls to still spend some of the holiday with your family.” She looks at me. “This is all up to you. I don’t want to interfere with your normal routine or take you away from your family.”

“We could work it out.”

She grins. Her eyes sparkle with excitement, and she leans in and kisses me. I’m fucking floating when she returns her attention to the screen. She moves through the months, pointing out there is a three-day weekend in January and February, then comes spring break, Memorial Day and summer’s here again.

“Wow,” I say. “We could see each other almost every month.”

“Yeah.” Her voice is breathless with excitement, and her eyes search mine. “What do you think?”

“I think it sounds like paradise.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“What would you do in between?”

She shrugs, “Make my way toward our next destination. Pick up mechanical work along the way to stay busy. Dive. If I stay anywhere for more than a week, I’d pick up diving lessons or tours. I know people everywhere. As soon as I show up, I’ll have work.”

A sliver of my excitement dims. I think about all those friends, some of which are likely previous lovers. I’m not sure how I feel about that. My initial reaction is no fucking way. The thought of another man touching her flares inside me like fire. Especially in this dreamy setting she’s portrayed.

“What’s wrong?” She turns my head toward her. “Talk to me.”

“It’s just a lot of time apart,” I say, embarrassed to express my juvenile jealousy. Especially to someone as worldly as Kat, who clearly has a different take on the role of sex in life. But I feel like she needs to know. “I need to tell you something.”

“Okay.”

“Jana cheated on me.”

Kat’s eyes round in surprise, and her lips part.

“It was only once,” I say, “and we got over it, repaired our marriage, and went on. I thought it was in my past because I haven’t felt jealous since. But with you… Yeah, the thought of you returning to your old life makes me more than a little crazy.”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you.” She cups my jaw. “We’ve still got a lot of time together. Let’s not worry about some

thing that’s so far away. You’re going to be so busy with work and the girls, the time between visits will go by fast.”

That wasn’t the response I was hoping for. I roll to my back and pull her close, tucking her hair behind her ear. “What about you?”

She kisses me, and there is so much affection in her eyes, I could almost make myself believe we share the same feelings. But I’d been blindsided by Jana’s affair, so I don’t trust my assessment.

“I can always keep myself busy,” she says.

My confidence dims.

“Wanna look at boats?” she asks.

I laugh. “You say that with the same enthusiasm you have for sex.”

She scooches to the side, and I return to my belly and glance at my watch. Kat navigates to a used-boat website and scrolls through the listings. “This is the boat I was going to get before I had this idea.”