Page 34

Twenty-Four

Stella

As predicted, the morning dawns clear and cerulean skied.

Being in Key West where my mom had lived and flown and found her own silver coins as a young woman always fills me with a sense of happiness and optimism, and this time is no different, even if this trip isn’t like any of the other ones thanks to the presence of—I don’t even know how to label him—the famous author I hooked up with in Iceland, Teddy’s old friend who happens to be an amazing kisser but sucks at mornings, the man who bashed my heart into a billion bits?

Because Zoe is an angel, she went out early and is now back with coffees and Cuban bread with guava and cream cheese from Cuban Coffee Queen on the waterfront for all of us.

Gus and I finish a final gear check and then we enjoy our breakfast while the sun grows strong in the cloudless sky.

Teddy’s sleeping in, a habit he’s started on this trip, but Huck’s up studying the PADI Open Water Diver training book I’d given him back in South Carolina.

“It’s the perfect day to head out,” Zoe says, tapping her take-out coffee cup against mine.

I nod, tucking my arms around my legs. There’s a slight breeze and the sun is warm and golden, like honey butter.

“How’s work been?” I ask her. “Was it hard to get the time off?”

Zoe takes a long sip of her coffee. “It’s been good. Busy. I’m glad to have a break, actually. I just finished a challenging trial last month that had me and a bunch of associates working around the clock. My sleep bank is pretty depleted.”

“Did it turn out well?”

“It did, thankfully, or I wouldn’t have been able to come. It’s kind of hard to say no to a winner. For a while there during the trial I wasn’t confident that the outcome would be in our favor.”

“You’re probably being modest,” I say. “You’re such a rock star.”

Zoe shakes her head. “I’m serious. It could’ve gone either way, and the jury deliberated for a long time. Sometimes being a rock star isn’t enough. I know the firm believes in me…Cagney said if my next case turns out well, then they’ll consider making me partner.”

“Zoe! Talk about burying that lede. Partner? That’s a huge deal, right?”

“Yeah, it is. It’s always been the goal.

But enough about work stuff, my whole life the past couple of months has been consumed with work stuff.

I want to hear more about how things are going with the author, and how the heck the two of you ended up getting attacked by jellyfish.

” She eyes me, and I remember why she’s so successful—we’re not even in a courtroom and I’m ready to crumble under her cross-examination.

I shrug. “It’s going fine. I guess it would be fair to say that the magnitude of my loathing is less than it was last month.

He’s trying. He did all this research before he came, which was a nice gesture.

It feels like his interest in the expedition is genuine.

I appreciate that. And he’s just been curious and helpful—you know, all the kinds of things that make it hard to hate a person.

Plus, he got land-sickness in South Carolina so I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit sorry for him when he was struggling to stay upright. ”

“And the jellyfish?”

“A side effect of a totally innocent evening swim over at Peg’s.”

“ Totally innocent? I might’ve believed you if you hadn’t added the adjective.” She scrutinizes me while she takes a long sip of her coffee. I shift uncomfortably under her gaze. “You went skinny dipping, didn’t you?”

I shake my head. “No. He even had shoes on.”

“And what about you? I know you didn’t ruin your shoes in the salt marsh.”

My eyes snap shut. I walked right into that. “Teddy blabbed, didn’t he?”

“He wasn’t too clear on the details, but he was very forthcoming about you wearing only your fancy underwear when he found you both out there.

He went on and on about it. Apparently, he had no idea you owned sexy lingerie.

I never doubted that you had some good stuff, but I was a little surprised you packed it for our expedition when we’re spending ninety-nine percent of our time on the boat or in the water.

Didn’t you once tell me that the only thing you needed other than your scuba gear and your metal detector were a bikini, instincts, and sunscreen? ”

Heat rises in my cheeks, and I pull my hat down farther on my forehead.

Of course I own nice underwear. I just save it for special occasions, which generally do not include our expeditions, as Zoe has so graciously pointed out.

The fact that I’d packed my special-occasion lingerie for this trip fills me with flaming-hot shame.

Zoe lowers herself so I can’t avoid looking at her.

“What gives, Stella? I feel like you undersold what happened in Iceland with Huck. You told me that you guys had very casually hooked up one time and then he’d bailed on both you guys…

but I’m starting to get the feeling that the hookup was anything but casual and you feel like he deserted only you. ”

I’m quiet for what feels like hours. “Did Teddy blab that too?” I ask, trying to keep the defensive edge out of my voice.

“No. He didn’t say anything about it, but you’ve never been one to care about casual connections, and you seem extremely bothered and are packing your nice undies. Evidence doesn’t lie.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “That ship has sailed.”

“Maybe it has for you, which I would get…honestly, if he bailed on you, I have half a mind to punch his face myself… except I saw the way that man was looking at you last night at the restaurant.”

“So?” I take a large bite of my Cuban bread and chew.

The pause doesn’t have the desired effect of making Zoe give up this line of discussion. She continues to watch me, eyebrows lifted.

“Okay, fine. I give up. How did he look at me?”

“Like a puppy staring at its favorite shoe. You know, the one it wants to chew on so bad but knows it shouldn’t?”

“I’m leather now? Jeez. Great. I’m a shoe.”

“Look, I’d happily be a Manolo Blahnik. Stylish and sharp. No one said you had to be a worn clog or something, touchy. I feel like I hit a nerve. Tell me, then. Am I right? ’Cause I also noticed that you were trying real hard not to look at him.” She pokes me.

I sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe the hookup wasn’t all that casual.

” Maybe I’d thought I could fall for him and felt that he’d seen me and saw the same potential that I did.

Maybe I’d stupidly thought it was fate running into him in that bar.

Maybe I’d let my guard down and gotten bitten by that puppy and his stupid New York Times conversation-starter questions.

What was I supposed to do? He wrote moving stories and asked me about who I’d most want to have dinner with and if I knew how I was going to die. Huck Sullivan did not play fair.

“I knew it.” Zoe isn’t the kind of person who gloats, even though she is a winner through and through.

She wraps her arm around my shoulders. “Look, I don’t know exactly what transpired last year between the two of you, but I can tell that there is something that hasn’t quite been resolved, so I suggest that you resolve it so we don’t have any more jellyfish stings, or broken hearts, or anything else that could wreak havoc on this trip.

You’re too important, and I know how much this trip means to you. Sort it out.”

I hold up my hand in a Scout’s honor pledge. Seemingly satisfied, Zoe tilts her head to the sky, and I take the opportunity to sneak a quick glance across the deck toward Huck, who is scribbling a note in the margin of his diving book several feet away. I lean back on my elbows, soaking up the sun.

“Look at this day, Zoe, it’s perfect. What could possibly go wrong?”

“Did you just say what could possibly go wrong ?” Gus asks.

He’s brought Huck with him, and they both drop down beside us.

“The number one rule is that as soon as you say that every freaking thing that could go wrong will. Why’d you feel the need to jinx us, Stella?

God, I probably should go check all the systems and gear again just to be safe. ”

“I love your pessimistic nature,” Zoe says.

“I’m a realist, baby.”

“Paranoid,” I say. “Teddy still sleeping?”

Gus nods. “I don’t know what’s up with that guy.

Normally, first day out, he’d be the first one ready to shove off and get out to our site.

Remember last time we were here, and he woke us all up with steel drum music blaring from that old boom box?

Should we just go? And more importantly, can I eat his treat? I love that guava.”

“Don’t eat his breakfast, Gus,” Zoe says. “You know how possessive Ted can be over his snacks…and Stella’s already tempted fate this morning with her nothing-can-go-wrong speech.”

“Wise woman,” Gus says, and leans in to kiss Zoe on the mouth.

“On that note,” I say, awkwardly scrambling to my feet. Huck, who’s been silent so far in this exchange, stands as well. “I’m going to get us underway. Huck, can you give me a hand?”

“Definitely,” he says. “What’s the plan this morning?”

“We’re going to head southwest, toward Dry Tortugas. The site’s not too far from there, but that will be a good place for you to practice diving before we go out in the open water. Can you cast off the lines and pull in the fenders for me?”

“Sure thing.”

Huck assists with the undocking like a seasoned pro, and I practice an exemplary level of self-control and barely register the way his muscles flex and contract with the effort. He rejoins me at the helm, and I set the course west. “Have you ever seen anything about Dry Tortugas?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Nope.”

“It’s cool. The fort has kind of a moat surrounding it.

A bunch of coral has built up on the walls of it over the years so there’s plenty of wildlife to see, but it’s also shallow and well protected.

It’ll be a good chance for you to practice clearing your mask and get a feel for your regulator and BC. ”

“Buoyancy compensator? Did I get that?”

“Yup, you got it. You brought your own fins, right?”

“Yeah. And sorry that I wasn’t able to do the open water training class before I got here. I tried but by the time this all came together and I called, it was too late and all the classes were full. Teddy said that he’d teach me.”

“I’ll do it.”

“I definitely don’t want to trouble you. I’m sure you have much better things to do than supervise me.”

“Well, I run things, so I do the training. Anyway, Teddy has some bad diving habits. He’s experienced and we’ve all dived together so many times that it doesn’t cause problems for us, but I don’t want a beginner like you picking them up and causing a safety issue.”

“Right. I wouldn’t want that either. I value not drowning.”

Do you ever get a feeling that you know how you’re going to die? I can almost hear his voice and remember the way he looked across the restaurant table. I give him a tight-lipped smile but say nothing.

“I guess I’ll make sure that I’m ready to go,” Huck says, and then heads toward the stairs below deck.

Zoe sidles over to me.

“You want to take over?” I ask.

“Nah. I just came over to inquire why exactly you’re so adamant about teaching our esteemed guest how to dive when we all know that Gus is the most experienced dive master here and has zero tolerance for bad habits.”

“I don’t know, Zoe, you keep talking but all I hear is that you want to navigate.”

“Fine, whatever, evade my questions. I have a picnic to pack anyway.”