Page 62 of Tiger's Voyage

“It depends. Nervous, inexperienced divers can use twice as much air as experienced ones. Smaller framed people use less than larger.” He quickly glanced at Kishan and Ren. “And the deeper you go, the more air you use. The average is about an hour dive at sixty feet. More experienced divers could stay under as long as two hours.”

As I nodded in response, Kishan handed me a bottle of water. I smiled at him, mouthed, “Thanks,” and opened the bottle.

“The other two things you need to learn about are the weight system and the wet suit. Wet suits keep you warm underwater. We’ll be doing some dives with the wet suit and some without.”

“Is the wet suit, uh … bite resistant?” I smiled shakily at Mr. Kadam, who smiled back.

“The wet suit does protect your skin from cuts and scrapes though it still can be torn. So in answer to your question, no, it’s not bite resistant unless the fish are very small.”

I grimaced while Kishan added, “She’s afraid of sharks.”

“Shark attacks on divers are not unheard of but are also not as common as people might think. I’ve been on dives and fed sharks, and I thought it was exhilarating. We might see some sharks, but I doubt they’ll bother us or give us any trouble. We can spend some extra time drilling on what to do if you are attacked by a shark, if you like.”

“That would be a good idea. Thanks,” I added.

“The other thing we’re going to be working on today is the weight system. Most people need weights to help them sink into the water. We’ll be practicing today with both weight belts and integrated weights.”

Wes went over every piece of equipment in detail and then asked us all to get into the deep end of the pool. Mr. Kadam and I were first in. I cleared the water out of my eyes just in time to see Ren, Kishan, and Wes peel off their shirts.Sheesh, it’s like being at aGQbeach photo shoot.I could easily picture Jennifer hyperventilating at the sight. I snorted.She’d likely faint and drown if she was in my position.I was already used to seeing muscular bronzed chests, but even I had a hard time paying attention. If I ever intended to walk down the beach with any of them, I’d have to warn them to prepare for swooning girls falling at their feet.Hmm, good thing we’re taking CPR later.

Wes had us practice using different weights and getting a feel for how they pulled us down. The biggest one was too heavy for me. I couldn’t resurface carrying it, so I left it on the bottom for Kishan to retrieve. When Wes was satisfied, he had us all swim laps for the next half hour. He said we’d reconvene in the afternoon in the media room to get certified in first aid and CPR.

I was starving by the time we had lunch and ate a huge sandwich. Then I showered, changed, and met our group in the media room. I’d taken first aid and CPR classes before, but this was all new to Ren and Kishan. They both listened attentively and learned quickly. I partnered with Mr. Kadam to keep peace between the brothers. He wrapped a sling around my arm, and I practiced the Heimlich maneuver on him.

Ren wasn’t happy having to sit so far away, but he’d spent most of the day near me, and the effect it was having on him showed. I asked during a break how he was doing. He just smiled and said, “Headache.” I moved even farther away at that point, although Wes kept trying to get me back into the circle.

Ren left after class and either skipped dinner or ate in his room. Kishan purposefully sat next to me, leaving no option for Wes except to take the seat across from us.

Wes and I chatted again, but it didn’t annoy Kishan as much as it had before. Instead, Kishan seemed surprisingly content to sit and listen to our conversation.

Wes mentioned that the thing he missed most about Texas was the barbeque. “There just isn’t anything in this world like slow-cooked beef brisket and pulled pork with slaw and beans. That’s my little version of heaven. I’m sure the angels would all have sticky fingers and sweet, spicy sauce on their cherubic faces if they were able to sample it.”

I laughed. “I feel that way about cheeseburgers.”

“It’s been, oh, about three years since I’ve had a good barbeque. Three long years of rice and curry.”

“I’m not much of a curry fan myself. Maybe we can ask the chef to arrange something special for you.”

“Why, aren’t you just about as sweet as syrup on a sundae? I sure would appreciate that, ma’am.” He winked. “How’d you like ta stroll the deck of this fine ship with me and watch the sunset? I need a purty girl to put her arm around me and steady this wandering cowboy as he finds his sea legs.”

I raised an eyebrow and affected a Southern accent. “Why, I think you’re a-pullin’ my leg there, Texas. You’ve had your sea legs a lot longer than I have.”

Wes rubbed the stubble on his face. “You might be right at that. Well then, how about you taggin’ along to keep me warm?”

“It’s about eighty degrees.”

“Shoot, you’re a smart one, you are. Then how ’bout I jes say that a feller can get pretty lonesome by hisself in a strange country, and he’d like to keep comp’ny with you fer a while longer.”

Wes offered his arm with a charming grin. I was just about to take it when Kishan stood up between us and stared Wes down.

“If Kelsey wants to stroll the deck,Iwill take her. Why don’t you … mosey back to your buckhouse?”

“That’sbunkhouse.” Wes grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. “And tellin’ a man to git lost and makin’ him do it are two entirely different propositions.”

“I’m happy totellyou and would be even happier tomakeyou. Your choice.”

“Kishan, cut it out. I’ll walk with you tomorrow night. Wes is our guest, and he won’t be here very long. You’re not planning to make any fresh moves are you?” I asked Wes.

“No, ma’am. I consider myself a perfect Southern gentleman. I ain’t never laid a finger on a gal that didn’t want me to, not that any of them ever turned me down before.” He grinned mischievously.