Wet: Part 1 (4 page)

“Rhees, play with us,” Tracy urged.

“Oh, no, I’ve never played.” Rhees held her hands up and shied away as if they’d asked her to hold a snake. She watched them for a while, thinking she might learn how. It looked simple enough, and if she could figure it out before she played, she might be able to join on another night. It didn’t take long to give up—not going to happen.

She’d convinced herself she had some sort of mental block about games. Growing up, it seemed everyone, except her, knew how to play every game already. When she did play, they would tell her she should have made this move, or she couldn’t make that one, and she always came in tease-worthily last, even on the games she thought she understood.

She finally got to the point where she’d freeze up inside and fill with dread whenever someone suggested a game night. She’d become an expert at coming up with excuses for staying home with her parents instead of hanging out with friends. Even that wasn’t always safe. Her parents often badgered her to play with them—some made-up version of Rummy, their favorite Friday-Date-Night activity. 

Rhees wandered around the bar again and found a bookcase filled with books. The sign said, “Take a book-leave a book.” She’d just finished a book on the plane and needed another, so she looked the titles over and took one, making a mental note to bring her old book back the next time she came to the bar.

The sun set around five thirty, all-year-round, she’d been told—the island’s proximity to the equator, and no Daylight Savings Time changes, meant that by eleven, it seemed like it had been dark for a long time. Rhees moved outside, found an empty table on the edge of the water, and sat down. The bar had lights in the water around the deck, which offered a comforting glow against the dark night. She stared out for several minutes, taking in the beauty of the clear blue water. It almost made her excited to start diving—almost.

Movement in the water startled her and she saw a flash of black dart by, into the light and then out again, just as quickly. She heard splashing beyond the lights but couldn’t see what caused it. She stood and moved to the edge of the dock and squinted, trying to see. Suddenly, the reason for the disturbance came into view, and she froze.

“Reef shark.” Paul came up behind her, startling her, and making her lose her balance. His fast reflexes helped him grab her before she fell into the water.

“Shark!” She hung on to him, scared to death that she might end up in the water with it. “I didn’t know there were sharks here . . . except for the big, docile ones that don’t eat people.”

“We don’t see them often. That one’s just a baby looking for table scraps.”

“I want my money back. I can’t get in the ocean with sharks.”

Paul laughed and his eyes seemed to sparkle more than usual in the glow of the lighting. “You’ll be
lucky
to see any sharks while you’re diving, except maybe one or two of ‘the big docile ones that don’t eat people’. We do have quite a few whale shark sightings here.”

He took a couple of steps back, with her in tow until they were away from the edge before he let go. She pulled her chair a little farther from the edge and sat down, watching the water warily. He sat in the chair facing her.

“If you get eaten by a shark, I’ll give your money back.”

“Thanks. If I’m inside the belly of a shark, I won’t have much need for my money anymore.”

“That’s the policy and the very reason for it.” He laughed again. “I don’t make promises I don’t keep, and I promise, you will
nawt
be eaten by a shark.”

She noticed the way he drawled on the word
not
, but her heart still raced, her fear of the ocean overwhelming her thoughts at the moment. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You can do this!” she said under her breath.

“You’re still alive, by the way.”

“Barely. I almost fell in. He’d have eaten me and I’d be the inspiration for the next Jaws movie—which one are they on now,
Jaws Thirty
?”

“I’m not talking about the little shark.” Paul laughed. “If you’d fallen in, the splash would’ve scared him to Australia. I meant the germs. My
cooties
haven’t killed you.”

“Oh. Yeah. Surprisingly!” She tried to laugh. “Since coming here, I’ve been forced to discover all sorts of germs aren’t quite as deadly as I once suspected, but I still don’t think I’ll ever get warm and fuzzy over the little critters.” She had to close her eyes and clear her thoughts on the matter before she needed another shower. She’d also discovered how much she didn’t like taking showers on the island. Apparently, news about the invention of water heaters hadn’t reached the island yet.

The waitress, a young pretty girl, showed up and asked if Paul wanted to order. She ignored Rhees. Paul ordered a beer and looked at Rhees expectantly. “I’m buying. It’s the least I can do since it’s my fault your rent is higher than you anticipated.”

“Um, a Diet Coke.”

The waitress looked confused.

“Coke Light,” Paul told the waitress. She lit up with recognition and walked away. “Coke? I thought I was a better teacher than that.”

“Well, you asked if I was an alcoholic. I’m not, but only because I throw in a lemonade or a soda every once in a while.”

She made him smile. “Why are you here—if you’re so afraid of the ocean?”

She glanced down and pursed her lips, thinking of the easiest way to explain. “It’s a dull story.”

“My favorite kind.” He flashed a warm smile. His eye appeared to wink again, but during dinner Rhees had figured out that his right eye twitched on its own, a kind of facial tick. Images of straight men and jealous boyfriends not taking kindly to stray winks from a man who looked like Paul made her smile for some reason. She’d also already figured out that he used his left eye when he winked on purpose.

“I’m a good listener. Try me.”

She laughed. “Okay, but remember as your eyes gloss over with boredom, it’s your own fault.”

“I don’t do boredom very well. I’ll tell you to stop if it gets too unbearable.” He stared, waiting, and she realized that staring was also a normal thing for him. He had beautiful eyes and he obviously knew how to use them.

“Well, when I was little, I was at a friend’s house when I saw this documentary on TV about diving and I thought, ‘Man. I wish I was that cool’. The problem is, I’m not cool, at all. I’m a big baby. I never do anything exciting because I’m always too chicken. When my mom died . . .” The pain of losing her mother felt fresh again, but she’d trained herself to work through it. “It forced me to think. I realized I didn’t want to die knowing I never did anything with my life. I remembered wanting to scuba dive, so I promised myself I’d go someplace exotic and do it . . . someday. But deep down, I knew I never really would.”

“But here you are.”

The waitress showed up and set their drinks on the table. She lingered momentarily, watching Paul, as if hoping to get his attention. When he didn’t give it, she finally walked away. She glanced back once more, and Rhees didn’t understand the dirty look she gave her.

“Is the waitress mad at me for not knowing how to order a Diet Coke?”

Paul finally glanced in the waitress’ direction and let out a sigh. “No. She’s mad at me. So, what happened to make you
dive
in?” He winked, purposely this time.

“My dad died a few months ago.” Rhees looked down and tried not to let the sad thought ruin the rest of her night. “He named me the only beneficiary on his life insurance policy. It wasn’t much. Enough to bury him, put his affairs in order . . . and there was a little left over. I had a choice. I could either finish school, or come here—the cheapest exotic place I could find to learn to dive.” She laughed, though she felt more like crying. “I read online the rooms were cheap and you could eat for a dollar fifty a day here. I’m beginning to realize the Internet might have exaggerated a bit.”

“A bit, but it’s pretty close if you like fruit and baleadas.”

“I do.” She giggled. “I had a baleada for lunch. They’re delicious, and cheap.”

“Main staple here. And sorry again for raising your rent . . . but have you seen Strawberry Hill Estates? The name is kind of deceptive.”

“Kind of?” Her eyes grew wide.

“The place is a magnet for the lowest degenerates on the island. There aren’t many of those, but I’m just saying.”

“I did see it. Please don’t apologize. You did me a huge favor.”

“Good. I’m glad you don’t hate me.” The intensity of the way he looked at her made her hope she wouldn’t blush, but then he looked away and released her before she did. “So you were left with a chunk of life insurance money on your hands.”

“Not a chunk. More like a morsel.” She played with her Coke bottle to distract her from thinking too hard about her loss as she explained. “I didn’t even know he had insurance. He always said he didn’t believe in it. ‘I don’t want anyone lookin’ forward to me dyin’ so they can have a party with my insurance money’.” She changed her voice to imitate her father. She laughed briefly and then looked down, trying to hide from Paul how sad she must look.

“I’m sorry for your loss. It’s hard to lose family.”

“I’m sorry. Your family’s gone too?”

“No.” His laugh sounded a little sardonic. “But I haven’t seen them in a while, and I have no plans to.” His face contorted into a frown. “Wow, I haven’t even thought about them . . . in years.” His eyes turned cold and hard, no longer the inviting blue color of the warm, tropical ocean. “I don’t dwell on the past.”

“So you ran away? Are you by chance my long lost brother who ran away from home when I was ten?”

“
Gawd
. . .” The serious look in his eyes changed to one of revulsion. He stared at her warily. “I hope
nawt
!”

If what everyone had said was true, he’d probably had a few un-sisterly thoughts about her. They locked eyes, confirming they were both thinking the same thing. A few awkward seconds passed until he finally broke into laughter making his eyes sparkle again. Rhees threw her hands over her face in an attempt to hide the blush she felt creeping in.  

“If you run into trouble, money-wise, let me know. I have ways to help you earn a little extra if you get desperate.”

“What?” Rhees misinterpreted his offer.

“A loan—I’ll lend you money. You can pay me back when you return to the States, get back on your feet.” He looked desperate to clear up any misunderstanding about accusing her of being willing to prostitute herself. “Or a job, I know people. I can get you a job. You could even help out around the shop. That’s all I meant.”

“Um, thanks. I might need to take you up on that offer—the job offer. This, coming here, was probably not the most practical choice, but . . . I had to, you know? No more excuses. Bite the bullet. Pull my big-girl panties up—” Her eyes flashed up to meet his, suddenly embarrassed to say panties in front of him. She blinked a couple of times and then remembered her point, which made her sad again. “Change of scenery and all that . . . it’s hard losing everyone in your world.” She looked away to rein in the tears threatening to fill her eyes again. “Things are going to be tight enough as it is when I go back. I don’t want to have debt hanging over my head.”

Paul nodded to show he understood.

“Um . . . it’s late. I’m tired. I’m not used to this wild party life.”

“This is a wild party?” Paul smirked, obviously amused.

“It is for me.” She smiled sheepishly. “I might be a little jet-lagged too. All I’ve been able to think about for the last two hours is climbing into bed—and I would have by now, but the truth is, I can’t remember the way to Oceanside.” She squirmed uncomfortably at having to admit to being lost and unable to find her way home.  “I’ll never find my way in the dark without Tracy and Regina.”

“They’ll most likely be a while. They stay out late, sleep in late. They’re supposed to be working on their dive master, but they never sign up to be on the boat in the mornings. Even when I do schedule them, they don’t make it.” His brow creased and he leaned forward as if he wanted her to listen carefully. “For future reference, before those two become a bad influence on you, you
have
to make the boat to earn the certification.” He sat back again and grinned after emphasizing the last few words.

“Most of my students can’t afford to take so long to earn their certifications. Once they’re finished, they can earn a little money, working with the guests—guests tip their dive masters. But those two . . . I think they’re more interested in the social life than results.”

“Really?” Rhees couldn’t imagine having enough money to stick around just because she liked living on the island. “I wish
I
could stay indefinitely.”

“Really?” It was his turn to sound surprised.

“I have no money, no job. I’ve been taking care of my dying parents for the last few years. Now I have no family, no home—there’s nothing to go back to. This—” She waved her hand over her surroundings and put on a regal air. “The splendor of this dingy bar called Tanked, and by that, I mean the island as a whole—” She giggled but then shrugged her shoulders and sat quietly for a second, fingering her bottle of soda. “Change of scenery.”

“You’ll figure it out,” he assured.

“Yeah, I’m sure I will.” She looked over at Tracy and Regina and giggled again. “But first, I need to figure out how to get back to my apartment.”

“You really are funny.” Paul laughed but then he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. His mouth twitched. He seemed nervous and didn’t look up, but when he finally did, his eyes met hers—the look in his eyes . . .

She felt the butterflies fluttering in her stomach and moving up into her heart. She couldn’t look away, and finally, she understood why all the other girls were so in love with him.

“I don’t usually do the asking. This is out of my comfort zone, but . . . you
could
stay
. . . at my place tonight.” His eyes cast down to his feet. He finally did look up again—his eyes flashed hypnotically and yet uncertain, as he waited for her to respond.

Her heart skipped a beat, no, several beats, and she opened her mouth to speak but her words failed her.
Rhees, breathe!
She gaped.

He arched a brow at her but then he looked down again, releasing her from his spell as if he’d suddenly become self-conscious.

That’s it? I’ve been freaking out all day, waiting for a quiet, polite request?
Rhees, you’re such an idiot.
“Um . . . look. Tracy and Regina told me—”

“Please, don’t believe everything everyone says about me,” he interrupted her, desperate, she thought, to set her straight about what people had been telling her. She felt even worse now that she knew she’d fallen so easily into the gossip web. She always thought she did a better job of avoiding that type of thing. Disappointment welled up in her. She was no better than the others and vowed to be more careful in the future.

“It’s only ninety-eight percent true. The other two percent is
complete
bullshit.”

It took a second for his words to sink in, but she burst out laughing. She leaned forward and whispered to him, the way he had to her at the restaurant, “You’re funny.”

One side of his mouth hitched up, but he still seemed unable to look her in the eye, like a shy, nervous little boy. “What do you say?” he finally asked, quietly.

“Wow! Um . . . yeah, I did hear a few things . . .” She nodded and cleared her throat. “Actually, um, Regina said I shouldn’t tell you, but—”

“Someone should probably warn you about Regina. She tends to live on the paranoid side of the street. No one knows for sure what her deal is, but she sees conspiracy and intrigue around every corner.”