Wet: Part 2 (2 page)

She nodded but then removed the reg from her mouth and exaggerated a smile to make sure he knew how much she appreciated him showing her. He chose to take it as an invitation—he removed his own regulator, slipped his hand around her neck, and kissed her before she could do anything to stop him.

They put their regulators back in their mouths and hung suspended, over the deep, gauging each other—Paul looking for her to signal he’d made a mistake—slap him or something. He smirked, thinking about how ineffective a slap underwater would be. Rhees startled and broke eye contact to look past him, pointing at something behind him.

He hesitated to turn, thinking it a ploy to get back at him. She could use the distraction to steal his mask or something, but instead, he saw wonder reflected in her eyes. He turned to see two porpoises within feet of where they hovered.

The impressive creatures played together, tossing a stick back and forth between them, like playing catch. One of the dolphins had somehow figured out how to hold the stick with his fin and he carried it around that way.  Paul held Rhees’ hand as they floated there watching in awe until their air supply dictated it was time to head back to the boat.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Paul said after he and Rhees excitedly recounted the experience to the other divers on the boat. Everyone listened and talked about it while they removed their gear.

oOo

Monday night, Annetta sat Rhees and Paul at a table inside Fratelli’s. He pulled Rhees’ chair out for her and then pulled one of the other chairs around so they could sit next to each other.

The waitress wasted no time bringing Paul his standard two beers and one for Rhees before confirming they both wanted Paul’s usual. He grabbed his napkin, set it on his lap, and then casually put his arm up over the back of Rhees’ chair. He took a long drink of his first beer and exhaled loudly.

“Long day?” she asked.

He frowned and nodded before he looked at her, strangely.

“What’s that look for?”

He just gave a nonchalant shrug, but she continued to watch him suspiciously.

“Aren’t you going to put your napkin on your lap?” he asked.

“When dinner gets here.”

He licked his lips and chewed on them for a minute. “Growing up in my house, with my mother, we learned to put our napkin on our laps, right away.”

“Okay . . . keep your pants on.”

He gave her a sidelong glance. “My pants are and have been on . . . you’re welcome.”

“Um . . . thank you.” She blushed and chose not to point out the night on the deck, the reason she’d be on a plane, headed home, in just three more days. 

“You’ve never acted like it bothered you before, the napkin on the lap, the second I sit down, thing.” She wanted to clarify so there were no mixed messages. She reached for her napkin, but as soon as she picked it up, she noticed one of those velvety jewelry boxes sitting under it. Her mouth dropped open while she stared at the box. A million thoughts ran through her head—but the box was too large to be a ring.

Paul grew impatient and finally grabbed it, handing it to her.

“It’s a going away present.” He put it in her hand and cast his eyes down, suddenly nervous, and if she wasn’t mistaken, a little sad.

She lifted the lid, and inside, a dainty silver necklace with a pendant of two intertwined dolphins lay against the black velvet background. Blue gemstones framed each side of the pendant, and one large blue gemstone lay between the two dolphins. Rhees stared at it, speechless.

“I thought the dolphins looked like the ones we saw on our dive the other day,” he said as he reached over and lightly touched the pendant. “I didn’t have a lot of time. I called my jeweler on the mainland Saturday when we got back to the shop. I gave him some ideas of what I wanted, asked him to rush it. Mitch and Shanni picked it up for me today.”

“You have a jeweler? Is that like having your own doctor? Lawyer? Accountant?” She smirked. “I’ve seen you wear this shark tooth necklace occasionally—” She tugged on his necklace. “—Dog tags even less often, and various watches.”

Paul looked like he’d been caught and had to think of a credible response. “It’s a transient island. A lot of people come and go. Some make a bigger impression than others—going away presents—you know.” His voice dropped low. “Though, I usually just get a cheap bracelet.”

“I take it this isn’t cheap, then,” she said without thinking—a reflex response because she couldn’t take her eyes off the necklace. She usually didn’t like the idea of him spending his money on her, but in this case, she didn’t mind—she wanted his gift—she’d keep it forever.

“It’s not a big deal.” He sighed, obviously thinking she was about to reject the necklace. She might have—under normal circumstances. “I wanted to get you something to remind you of your time here. The dolphins—that dive—one of our last dives together. I’ll never forget it.”

Once again, she noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes. He glanced down at the necklace, touched it again.

“The stones are the same color as the water around the island, don’t you think?”

The color of your eyes,
she thought, looking at him once more to confirm it. He looked so lost.

“I love it,” she whispered. She couldn’t stop staring at it. “Help me put it on.”

He perked up, relieved. He slipped it around her neck and clasped it into place.

“How does it look?” she asked.

He shrugged, trying to make light of his gesture. “Like a necklace.”

She exhaled loudly to show what she thought of his answer. She reached back to unclasp it from her neck. When she had it, she leaned toward him to put it around his neck.

“What’re you doing? I got it for you. If you don’t like it—”

She shushed him. “I said I love it! I just want to see what it looks like on. There’re no mirrors in here. You’re going to have to model it for me.”

Annetta brought their food and wine. She gave them both a strange look as she watched Rhees put the necklace on Paul. He smiled bashfully and seemed embarrassed until the waitress walked off again.

“All right, how does it look?” He fluttered his eyelashes and tried to look girly, an impossible task. Even when he made silly faces, he still looked beautiful.

Rhees looked the necklace over, focusing on it to get past the touch of sorrow trying to squeeze her breath away from the inside. She’d come to appreciate spending time with him—they’d spent so much of her time on the island together. Even during the bad times, they were together the majority of it, but now it was coming to an end.

The color of the stones—it hit her again how they matched his eyes. She had to fight to avoid letting the gloom overwhelm her—in just a few days, she would never see him again.

“I’m going to have trouble looking at this without crying. I’m going to miss you.” She pretended to laugh it off and bumped herself against him, playfully. “Thank you for the necklace. You’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever pretended to have.”

Paul mumbled something inaudible before reaching behind him to take the necklace off.

“No! Don’t. Leave it on.”

“You’ve seen what it looks like.”

“I know, but . . . I want you to wear it for a while. Please? Give it a chance . . . to absorb your energy. It’ll make me feel closer to you when I wear it, knowing you wore it first.” 

Paul’s eyes looked a little shiny, but he grabbed his beer and gulped it down. “I should have gotten something for you to wear . . . oh wait, here.” He reached back and removed his shark tooth necklace and put it on her.

“But this already means something to you.”

“It’s just a shark’s tooth, makes me look badass.” He grinned, but showed no sign of having any significant attachment to it. “Now it will.”

He looked out the window, away from her, and they didn’t say anything else for a while.

oOo

Paul, true to his word, never did let her out of his sight. Rhees’ panic attacks kept them from spending much time in public. She did fine during the day with all the familiar people around, including Paul, so no one knew, but the girls on the island noticed Paul hadn’t been hanging around his usual watering holes. A lot of speculation circulated about where he was spending his time. No one considered he could be with Rhees, day and night after night.

He’d started out sleeping on the couch, but her recurring nightmares and night terrors brought him running to her side several times a night, holding her until she fell back to sleep.

He’d moved to the twin bed, telling her he hoped the closeness would help—he really did hope that—but it didn’t. He’d also wanted to prevent a repeat of Regina finding him asleep in her apartment. At one point, that was exactly what he’d wanted—rumors—about him being with Rhees. Now it didn’t matter anymore. She was leaving and all he wanted was to get her through the panic attacks.

Mitch had warned him the girls on the island were asking where he disappeared to every night, especially Regina. She’d always used more stealth in her stalking of him, but according to Mitch, she seemed to be getting more open and determined to find where he’d been spending his time. The last thing Paul wanted was to wake up and find a naked Regina next to him, so he’d been careful. So far, she and Tracy had never come home early enough to find him there again. By three o’clock in the morning, their bedtime, Rhees had already wrapped herself around him, finding restful sleep, at last.

At night, Rhees felt better with Paul there than without him. He was her nightmare repellant. In his strong arms, resting her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat as fleeting images flashed through her Swiss cheese of a memory—Paul saving her from Mario. When Paul held her, she dreamed of him saving her from
everything
.

In her mind, he’d proven he’d keep his promise and, surprisingly, she felt no fear about
that
. Sleeping with a man—yes, just sleeping—it was all so foreign to her, something she’d never spent much time imagining, but Paul was strength personified—safe. He exuded power and confidence, and apparently, that was exactly what she needed, even in her sleep—especially in her sleep.

He’d started out on the couch and then tried sleeping on the twin bed in her room a couple of times, but always, the nightmares made him end up next to her. Finally, one night, she climbed into her bed, slapped the spot beside her, and told him they might as well save themselves the trouble. He’d hesitated for a minute but decided she was right.

Chapter 2

“N
ecklace looks good on you,” Shanni said in her British accent.

Paul had forgotten he still wore Rhees’ necklace. “It reflects the real me, don’t you think?” he asked with a smirk.

“The shark tooth is a closer fit.”

“You’re probably right.”

“What’s up? Rhees didn’t like it?”

“She did. Apparently she’s into Chi—wanted it to absorb my energy to take with her, or something like that.”

Shanni grinned, patted him on the back, and walked away.

Paul found Rhees and slipped the necklace around her neck from behind. “All energized and ready for its owner.”

She closed her fingers around the pendant and imagined she could feel him in it. “Thank you.” She took his shark tooth off and handed it back. He stared at it before he put it on, actually trying to sense any vibes that might be leeching from it.

“You know,” he whispered in her ear, “a girlfriend would probably give her boyfriend a kiss in exchange for a piece of jewelry . . . in case anyone’s looking.”

“I’m leaving. Does it really matter what anyone thinks?”

“What about what I think?”

He’d won. She took a deep breath and seemed to have to brace herself to reach up and kiss him lightly on the cheek.

“That’s the kind of kiss you’d give me if I’d given you a going-away pencil.”

She jerked back to study his expression, see if he was serious, but then she smiled and leaned in again, kissing him on the lips, softly—tentatively.

He grinned wickedly, snatching her up and holding her against him. He smashed his mouth against hers and slipped his tongue inside, long enough for everyone on deck to notice.

“Mm! Now that’s a kiss. If you keep that up, I’m going to have to run home and jack off.” He’d thought to make her laugh, but she wrenched from his hold and the look on her face made him sorry he’d said it.

Shoot!
He surprised himself when the word popped into his head.
She has no clue that a guy in my situation might need . . .
He hadn’t been with anyone since the night she’d called him the epitome. He chuckled and nudged her with his arm.

“I’m kidding!” he lied.

oOo

The divers on the boat readied themselves. It would be Rhees’ last dives, maybe ever.

“Are you sure you want to wear that in salt water?” Shanni asked, pointing out Rhees’ new necklace. 

“I’m never taking it off.” Rhees fingered the pendant fondly.

“You know that’s worth, like . . . a thousand dollars, right?”

“Really?” Rhees almost couldn’t even respond. She knew Paul well enough to believe it could be true.

“I don’t know how much Paul spent. It was already paid for when Mitch and I picked it up, but my dad owned a jewelry store in India, where I grew up. I know a nice piece when I see it.”

Rhees slipped her fingers around the pendant again and gently stroked the dolphins but didn’t say anything.

“I’d say that’s white gold or even platinum, and those gems . . .” She nodded her head, impressed. “Definitely blue diamonds. Do you know how rare blue diamonds are?”

Rhees shook her head. She took the necklace off and slipped it into the dry bag she kept under the bench. “Don’t tell anyone it’s here, okay? I’d be sick if it got stolen.”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

oOo

During the surface interval, Rhees pulled Paul aside.

“You know, I would have been just as happy if you did buy me a pencil.”

Paul held his poker face, but silently cussed to himself. “Oh?”

“Shanni says her dad is a jeweler in India. She can spot an expensive piece of jewelry from a mile away. She said this is worth at least a thousand dollars.” Rhees put the necklace in his hand. “Paul! Why would you spend so much of your money on me? You know how much I hate—”

“I didn’t pay a thousand dollars.” He put his finger over her lips so she’d stop scolding him.

She didn’t appear to believe him.

He flashed a big cheesy smile, grabbed her and spun her around so he was standing behind her, and then held her with his arms wrapped lightly around her shoulders. Their cheeks rested against each other. He opened his hand so she could see the necklace again.

“I swear.”

Luckily, she didn’t seem to catch how he’d said swear and not promise. She finally relaxed in his arms and took the necklace from his hand. She leaned into him, and he returned the gesture with a swift kiss on her temple.

“Thank you. I do love it,” she whispered, reassured. He let go of her and she walked away to prepare for the next dive.

“Damn.” He hated lying to her.
Note to self.
“From now on, buy jewelry from India. It’s cheaper. Damn, I paid three—even in this God-forsaken, Third World country,” Paul said under his breath.

oOo

Rhees and Paul grew quiet the closer it got to the time of her flight. He insisted on taking her to the airport, using the ferry to the mainland and a cab to the international airport to buy more time.

He stood in line with her at the ticket counter, handling her check-in, taking advantage of her limited Spanish, and the poor, unsuspecting attendant. Using his charming smile and twinkling eyes, he upgraded Rhees to first class at a substantial discount. Small airports such as this one didn’t tend to have first-class lounges so Rhees wouldn’t realize what he’d done until it was too late. Getting chastised for spending money on her was a brutal experience to endure, but it never stopped him.

He followed her up the long, circular ramp to the second floor, carrying her backpack for her. He paid her exit taxes, ignoring her complaints about it as they made their way to the security entrance. He frowned at finding no one in line, no good excuse to keep her waiting outside with him a little longer, still befuddled at how they’d ended up here. He couldn’t believe she’d be on a plane soon and he’d never see her again.

He held her hands. They alternated between looking at each other and the floor, trying to keep emotions under control. Rhees tried not to cry, her poor attempts becoming a little too obvious each time she choked up but then reeled it back with a sigh and a nervous giggle. Paul didn’t say much at all, less than usual.

“No use prolonging the misery. Maybe it’d be best to just get this over with.” She pulled away, one hand slipping apart from his.

“Yeah, I suppose.” His grip tightened on the hand he still held. She paused, mercifully, he thought. “Please email me as soon as you can.”

“Okay.”

“I mean it. I won’t be able to relax until I know you’ve found a place to live, not sleeping in a cardboard box on some riverbank.”

“I will. I promise. Place to live—first thing on my agenda.”

“Good.” He pulled her chin up and gazed at her face, giving her a chance to prepare before he kissed her softly; a sweet, innocent kiss, but his lips lingered, unable to let go. He gratefully noticed she didn’t pull away or cringe, not this time, the last time. “I’m going to miss you.”
You have no idea how much.

“I’ll miss you.”

He leaned his forehead against hers and took a deep breath, let it out.

“I should go.” She didn’t want him to remember her as a blubbering mess, but she didn’t know how much longer she could hold it back.

She walked backward, still holding his hand until their arms stretched as far as they could. They let go and she turned her back to him when she reached the conveyor belt to work on getting through security.  She couldn’t bring herself to look back again until she’d walked through the metal detector and retrieved her backpack and shoes. He hadn’t moved from where she’d left him. He watched her, his cheek and mouth twitching.

She waved and stood, trying to memorize his face until the tears started to fall. He nodded. She waved once more before she staggered around the corner, plopped down in a chair in the waiting area, folded over, and sobbed. It embarrassed her to break down that way in public. She wanted to stop, knowing people probably pointed and stared at the crazy woman, but she couldn’t seem to control herself.

She asked herself over and over, “What am I doing?” Not one good answer came to mind, and yet she was only an hour from walking away from everything that mattered to her. She loved the island, the diving, and especially the shop. She loved working there, hanging out there, and Claire. She loved Claire. She would miss Dobbs too, but most of all, she would miss Paul. She had nothing—no one waiting for her in Utah.

She didn’t know how long she’d been crying and saw no end to the misery until she sensed someone standing in front of her, closely—too close. She was sure that some compassionate soul in the airport had finally taken pity on her, had come to console her. She wasn’t ready to be consoled. She didn’t believe it possible, and didn’t want to waste anyone’s time. She especially didn’t feel like talking to a stranger, forced to put on a happy face just to make someone she was never going to see again stop worrying about her. She pretended to not notice, hoping whoever it was would go away, but she wiped her eyes, just in case. Guilt stung at her conscience for resenting the poor, misguided good Samaritan.

With clear eyes, she opened them and got a look at the feet of the person standing in front of her, a man. A man wearing jeans and brown leather flip flops—the kind Paul always wore. She looked up, afraid to hope.

Her eyes slowly rose to see the angel standing over her—a beautiful angel named Paul.

“I started thinking. I don’t travel enough anymore. There’re so many places I’ve never been—like Utah. I’ve never been to Utah.” He sounded so casual, as if everyone just hopped on a plane at a moment’s notice.

She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his waist. He didn’t hesitate to hold her to him until the new round of tears, the ones seeing him again had caused, finally stopped.

“The guys at security are getting suspicious. Are you in the mood for a good strip search?” he joked.

She finally let go and he put her down, but he left his hands on her waist.

“What are you doing here?”

“I told you. I’m headed to Utah, going to check it out.”

She noticed a small suitcase next to him and eyed him carefully.

“After you left, I stood there like an idiot, forever, thinking about how worried I was going to be until I knew you’d made it safely, and you were all established.” He grinned. “I know myself well enough. It’ll drive me absolutely crazy with worry. So I went downstairs and booked a seat on your flight. This way, I can see for myself you’re all settled in before I come back.”

“And you just happened to have a Hello Kitty suitcase.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He blushed. “Taye and I learned a while ago you don’t just buy a one-way ticket and try to hop on a plane without luggage to give you the appearance of an honest traveler. For some reason, TSA sees that as a red flag. They totally treat you like a bomber or something.” He shook his head with a silly grin.

“How long will you stay? When’s your flight back?”

He shrugged and looked like he’d just been caught doing something illegal. “I bought a one-way ticket.”

“One-way ticket?”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take to get you settled. I’ll buy a return ticket when I know you’re all squared away.”

She wondered how long he’d really stay—if she never got squared away. Could she pull that off? She smiled at the thought.

“So, I popped into one of the little kiosks downstairs, looking for something to give me the appearance of a real tourist.” He looked at his bag and seemed embarrassed. “Hello Kitty’s all they had.”

“And I’m sure TSA didn’t think it strange at all that a grown man put an empty, Hello Kitty suitcase through screening.” She giggled.

“It’s not empty.” He gave her a mock,
how stupid do you think I am,
look and snorted. “I bought several souvenirs to remind me of my visit to this country.”

She giggled, but then she threw her arms around him again. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“Neither can I.”

oOo

Rhees sat, all curled up, her feet on the chair, her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, relaxed. She faced Paul, smiling. He slouched, sprawled out on the chair next to her, his head resting against the back of his chair and turned so he could look at her.

“I knew you’d be crying, and I knew it would break my heart to see you like that—I really,
really
hate it when you cry.” 

She forced a grin. “
I
kept asking myself, ‘Why am I going back to Utah? There’s
nothing
there for me.
Everything
is here’.”

“Then why
are
you going back?”

She shrugged and whispered, “You said I should go home.”

He sighed and he looked angry with himself. “I know, but . . . since when do you listen to me?”

“Do I sense you don’t really want to go to Utah with me?” She raised an eyebrow, questioning his sincerity with sarcastic humor.

“Of course I do.” He winked at her. “If you’re set on going back—I definitely want to go with you. At least until I’m sure you’re going to be all right.”

“But if
I don’t really want to go back?” She bit her lip, afraid of how he might answer.

His eyebrows knit together and his mouth twitched a few times. “Then . . . don’t.”

She thought about it for a minute but leaned her head against her hand in a defeated gesture and glanced away. “It’s not really a choice. If I don’t leave now, I’ll just have to leave later—and not
much
later. My money isn’t going to last forever, and the only jobs on the island pay a dollar and eighty cents an hour, I’ve checked. You know Frida, that blonde girl, from Denmark? She’s the one who waits on us at just about every restaurant on the island. Working four jobs won’t leave me any time to be at the shop. Maybe it’s best to just get it over with.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, actually.” He sat up and leaned forward. He would have to discuss the money with her eventually anyway. He’d arranged to have ten thousand dollars put into her bank account to ensure she’d have money to pay deposits, rents, utilities and other things requiring money upfront. He’d about choked on his dinner the night she’d told him she only had four hundred dollars to her name. “I need to pay you for all the work you’ve done.”

“No, you don’t. I never once expected to be paid for any of it.”

“You’re the hardest worker I’ve ever had, the most trustworthy and dependable—Rhees, I honestly don’t know how I’ll manage without you. You are personally responsible for the biggest boost in business that I’ve had so far. Even Claire can’t compete with that. Not only do I owe you for what you’ve done, but
if you stay
, I need to start paying you—to make sure you’ll stay at the shop and not get scooped away from me by the competition.”

Her mouth dropped open indignantly. “I would never go to the competition!”

“I know. That’s why you’re worth the salary I plan to pay you.” He smiled big. “In fact, I’m making it a condition.” He realized how risky it was to give her an ultimatum, but she was a creepazoid magnet—including himself. He had one more concern on his agenda that needed addressing. It was best to lump it in—lumping things together often worked as a distraction tool.

“If you stay, I pay you for all you do around the shop . . . and we still go ahead with my plan to convince everyone we’re together.”

She blushed, embarrassed that it hadn’t even occurred to her they wouldn’t still spend most of their time together. She’d totally taken it for granted. As far as getting paid to do it—she loved helping out around the shop. It seemed fair, but she never expected compensation for doing what she loved, though it would solve a lot of her problems. The logistics of staying on the island had always seemed like a vicious, unappealing cycle of working someplace to earn enough money so she could stay at the shop, where she wanted to be, but she wouldn’t really be staying at the shop because she’d be working so many hours someplace else. It made her head spin just thinking about it.