Page 25 of Mister Daddy

“So?” Carter asks when we’ve climbed back onto the small boat and removed our face masks. “What did you think?”

“It was beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it. I only wish I’d had my camera.”

“Next time, you’ll bring a camera. At least we have the photos of us that Kathleen took when we were with the coral.”

His casual tossing of phrases like “next time” is startling. Does that mean he wants a next time with me?

The way my heart picks up at the thought proves what I’ve been afraid of since the day I met Carter – I’m falling for him.

No one has ever made me feel like he does. Not only is he supportive of what might be a crazy dream, he’s encouraging me to take a chance. So much so that he took me out scuba diving today when he could have been doing countless other things in the Bahamas.

Back on the shore of our Bahamas island stop, Carter tips the diver and requests she send him copies of the photo once she uploads it to her computer. He gives her a business card with his email address, then takes my hand and leads me up the stairs to a tight, chaotic street.

“Are you hungry?” he asks. “There’s this amazing restaurant here, locally owned. We could have dinner there, if you’d like?”

“I’m starving,” I admit. We’d had a pretty good lunch before the dive, but something about sinking deep into the sea makes me extra hungry. I don’t know exactly how many calories a dive burns off, but I’m about to gain them all back.

Carter leads me to a quaint restaurant off the beaten path, far away from tourists. We find seats quickly in the small establishment.

“Do you like seafood?”

“I love it,” I tell him. It feels kind of wrong to eat fish after all of the beautiful creatures we saw underwater, but I can smell the delicious aroma of seafood cooking in the kitchen, and there’s no way I’m passing that up. “What’s good here?”

“Do you trust me?” he asks.

I nod. “Sure.”

“I’ll order for us.”

Carter heads for the ordering counter without even giving me a chance to read the menu. Twenty minutes later, our meals arrive in front of us.

I take a sip of the bright yellow drink, and it’s like a tropical explosion in my mouth. “Goombay punch,” Carter says as he watches me taste the beverage. “A must try if you’re in the Bahamas.”

“It’s delicious!”

Now it’s time to dig into the food. I bite into a hot fried piece, and the salty seafood practically melts in my mouth. I can’t help the groan that escapes my lips.

“What is this?”

“Conch fritters. The other fried thing on the plate is fried plantains. Plus some pigeon peas and johnnycake.”

I try a bit of everything and end up cleaning my plate. The different flavors meld together to create the perfect dinner. Carter and I finish at around the same time, neither of us talking while we chow down on the local delicacies.

“So?” he says. “What’s the verdict?”

“I may never be able to eat in the States again. This trip is ruining me for food.”

He laughs. “I’m glad to hear that.”

We walk slowly back to the dock as the sun sets around us. At the port, Carter squeezes my hand and then releases it. “I have some work to get done, but do you want to come by my room tonight?”

“I’d love to.”

He kisses me tenderly and then disappears onto the ship. I follow behind him, floating from the magical day we’ve spent together.

Unfortunately, the second I get in my room, my cloud turns to rain.

“Where have you been?” Jessica demands. “We were worried.”