Chapter Nine--17K words!

Here's Chapter Nine. You guys are helping so much. This is really flowing fast now. I passed 17,000 words today. Who-hoo!

Pieces of yesterday's discussion got woven into today's chapter. Keep the questions coming. I love that.

I think this dive log stands on it's own as a whole chapter. I don't have a hard and fast rule about what needs to be in a chapter and if we get a poem, chat or dive log. I don't always alternate them. I try to put it in the POV of the most vulnerable character. That means Leesie tomorrow. Enjoy Michael and all his new diving buddies today.

Thanks for the names. Do you like what I picked? If you get any visions of what these guys could look like, please post them! I concentrate on the voices at first and then have to go back and add bits and pieces of description. I'll really describe them better when Leesie talks to Kim in the next chapter. Too weird to have Michael commenting on a guy's hair color and rippedness. He would comment on if they've got shirts on or not. I think I'll make Gabriel shirtless for this scene. Imagine that's in there when you read it.

CHAPTER NINE

MICHAEL’S DIVE LOG – VOLUME #10

Dive Buddy: Leesie

Date:  05/09

Dive #:

Location: East End, Grand Cayman

Dive Site:

Weather Condition:

Water Condition:

Depth:  

Visibility: 

Water Temp: 

Bottom Time:  

Comments:

            Felt bad dumping Leesie in that trashed apartment and bolting, but boats don’t wait. Maybe this isn’t going to work. She didn’t look happy when I left. Not that I expect her to look happy. She didn’t look content.

I thought about buying us our own condo down here or even a house, but we can’t stay there alone if we’re not married. She says that’s what she wants, but I’m convinced it’s because I’m off limits. Marrying me is as taboo as shacking up with me. I guess it wouldn’t be major sin, but it would be something close to it. When I asked her before Christmas last fall, she insisted I believe all her Mormon stuff and join up before she’d even consider putting on my ring. She’s so screwed up right now. She’s got to be thinking a lot straighter before we get married. What if she comes out of it in a year and hates me forever because I took advantage of her when she was desperate?

I don’t think she’ll ever be a hundred percent like she was before. I’ll take fifty—twenty-five. Maybe I’m crazy to think she’ll be close to that by the end of summer. But we’re waiting. It doesn’t feel right. Whenever I think of it, I get this dark, foreboding feeling. I’m not going to be her rapist. I’m not going to be the evil infidel who carries off the virgin. I’m not going to let her do drugs or smoke. Freak. I won’t even let her drink a stupid cup of tea. So what do we do? I had no idea.

And then all of a sudden these guys need me and Alex needs a roommate. Perfect answer. Almost. Me dumping her there and running off to dive—even if it’s work—is so not perfect.

I grab my bag of gear out of the back of the RAV, tote it down to the dock, and hand it into the boat to Alex.

“Have you got everything you need?”

“I have no idea.” I step down into the dive boat, take my bag, check it to make sure Claude actually sent all my gear. It looks good. I give Brock, an Aussie dude who’s captain today, a thumbs up, and Ethan and Gabriel, who will leave later on the other boat with Cooper, cast off the ropes. I catch one. Alex gets the other. And Brock motors towards the break in the reef and the wild three foot swells beyond it.

Brock guns the boat through the cut and we’re into. Our divers hang on tight. “This is calm for East End,” Brock yells down to them.

Alex and I get our divers geared up and thrown overboard. She gave me all the jocks. Nice. We go deep first dive.

I push my group to the edge to get down to my favorite swim through at this site. We wind through the coral cave that narrows into a tube. One of the divers gets hung up. I send the others ahead—fin back and help his useless buddy untangle the dude’s hoses. The group misses the turn that takes them up to the top of the reef. I get their attention banging on my tank with a heavy metal d-ring I keep hanging on my B.C. just for that purpose. I motion them to return and follow me. They maneuver around in the tight space, eventually we’re one by one carefully rising through a chute forty feet to the top of the reef.

We finish off the dive, toss around in the boat until we motor back inside the reef where it’s calm enough to wait out the interval without all the divers puking their guts up. So far no one’s blown chunks. Good day in the East End.

I change over all the gear while Alex cuts up fresh fruit and passes out bottles of water. I figure I owe her. I don’t mind doing the heavy work.

Second dive is shallow, surgey, and too short. A couple of my divers suck through their tanks too fast. I let the rest explore this easy site on their own, get the goons topside and safe on the rocking boat, and when I go back the rest are surfacing, too.

As the boat makes the dash through the break in the reef, I notice somebody lying on the beach. Nobody much uses this beach. It’s kind of there for show. Everybody who comes here dives all day long. We get closer, and I recognize Leesie.

I hustle heaving up gear bins and empty tanks. The other boat got in before us so there are lots of hands to help. Alex has amazing strength. She hands up tanks and gear almost as fast as I do.

I climb out of the boat, pick up my gear bag, and dump it in the soak tank. I’ll deal with it after I check in with Leese. She hasn’t moved since I first saw her.

“Hey, mate.” Brock calls after me. “When do we get to meet your fiancé?”

I stop, turn back. “Now’s good. She’s down on the beach.”

“I’ll gather the mates, and we’ll present ourselves to your lady. See you in ten.”

“Cool.” I hustle down to the beach to warn her.

She’s sleeping in the sand wearing just that ugly T-shirt I bought her and the bikini bottoms. She looks way too sexy like that to meet her new apartment-mates.

“Hey, babe.” I nudge her with my toe.

She doesn’t stir.

I drop onto the sand on all fours hanging over her. “Babe.”

She opens one eye. “Hey.”

I sit next to her and speak low. “What’s with the wet T-shirt contest?”

She yawns and opens both eyes. “I couldn’t tie those stupid strings.”

“You could have left your bra on.”  

“My sling covers everything.”

“Not everything. Here.” I hold out my towel. “Use this. The guys will be here in a few minutes. They want to meet you.”

“You don’t want them”—she glances down at what’s showing through her damp T-shirt—“to see that?”

“No.”

“You’re jealous?” She sits up and takes the towel.

“Protective. These guys seem nice—divers and all—but did you see the bathroom? Animals.”

“I can clean it up for you.”

“Don’t go near it. It’s toxic. You’ll end up back in the hospital.”

“I’ve cleaned up after guys back—” She closes her eyes tight and puts her hand over her mouth to hide her trembling lips.

I sit next to her, wrap my towel around both of us, loop my arms around her shoulders and pull her in tight.

She shivers and puts her head on my shoulder. “I found his T-shirt mixed in with my stuff.” Her whisper is so quiet I can barely hear her.

I chafe her shoulders.  “That’s why you’re down here half-naked?”

“I guess.” Her voice quivers. “I dropped it. Couldn’t pick it up. Isn’t that stupid? It’s still on the floor.”

I squeeze her. “Not stupid at all. I’ll go up and take care of it.”

A shudder runs through her body.

“Do you want to meet these guys later?”

“I already met one. Why didn’t you tell me there was a guy asleep in the other bedroom?”

“I had no idea. Was he nice?”

“Hardly.”

“Must be Seth. I guess he has a right to be grumpy. I heard Ethan and Cooper had to pull him out of some bar late last night. He must have been sleeping it off.” I start to get up. “I’ll go tell the others you’ll meet them later.”

She holds me next to her. “Too late. They’re here.”

I stand up, leave Leesie the towel. “Hey guys—this is Leesie.”

She stays sitting in the sand, waves and even manages a smile. “Sorry I can’t get up. Both ankles are sprained.” She tips her head towards her blue post-op boots cast off beside her.

Brock squats down in front of her. “I’m Brock. These goons are Gabriel, and my Commonwealth brothers, Ethan and Cooper.”

Gabriel acknowledges her with a nod and a flashy smile and trudges through the sand toward the condo building, but Ethan and Cooper sit down beside her. I take up a proprietary station behind her, slip a possessive arm around her waist.

She glances from side to side at Ethan and Cooper. “Where are you guys from?”

Cooper, who has bleached blonde hair and a perpetual burn, smiles and says, “Guess.”

Leesie squints her eyes. “You don’t have an accent.”

Ethan tips his head close to hers. “Aye, he does lass. Get him to say ‘eh.’”

“Canadian?”

Cooper’s face gets a little pinker. “Guilty. And Ethan’s a loud mouth Scot.”

He leans forward so he can glare at Cooper. “She was supposed to guess.”

Brock settles cross-legged in the wet sand in front of her. “That leaves me. I’ll give you a hint. I’m not here to get out of the gloom and cold like these other two blokes are.”

“Braggart.” Ethan flicks sand at him.

I lean forward and whisper in Leesie’s ear. “He called me ‘mate’ like a thousand times today on the boat.”

“That could be English? No. Australian.”

Brock laughs. “No fair, mate. You gave it away.”

“Sorry, dude.” My arms tighten around Leesie’s waist. “I don’t like to see my damsel in distress.”

Brock takes the hint. “Well,” he stands, “we’ll leave you two to it.” He drags Ethan and Cooper off their butts. “Let’s give these two some peace.

“See you upstairs, eh?” Cooper exaggerates his accent.

“Glad to have you aboard.” Ethan puts out his hand and she takes it. “Alex is that pleased to have another lass in the place.”

Leesie smiles and let’s go of his hand. “Thanks. We’ll be up soon.”

She watches them out of sight. I watch her. “What do you think?”

“I like the Commonwealth Brothers.”

I nod. “Divers.”

“What’s with Gabriel?”

“Rumor is he’s a Latin playboy who will inherit half the known universe.”

“He is gorgeous.”

“Hey, remember who you came with, babe.”

“Well that are all a lot nicer than that guy upstairs.”

“Seth.”

“He’s gross.”

“All guys are gross after they’ve drunk themselves numb.”

“You’ll never do that will you?”

“I can only think of one thing that would make me do that.”

“What?”

“What do you think?”

“Me?” She snuggles her head under my chin. “In Thailand—when I accused you—what happened?”

“I became a work-a-holic.”

“I’m glad you had that job.”

“I should have blown it off—come right home and set you straight.”

“I should have believed you.”

I should never have stormed off in the first place. But freak, girl, you should have taken my ring. I still feel echoes of how angry I was even now.

She kisses my neck. “I’m sorry.” She finds my lips. “Things would be so different if I’d believed you.”

“What do you mean?” I murmur against her mouth.

“Nothing.” Her lips are on mine for a long time. “Why didn’t I trust you?”

“I don’t now, babe.” I scoop her in my arms so I can kiss her better. “It doesn’t matter now.”

I’m starving, and I’ve got all those tanks to fill, but I can’t let go of her. We make out with the ocean lapping at our feet and the sun setting behind us.

Alex interrupts us. “Sorry.” She holds out a paper plate with two sandwiches on it. “I’m not much of a cook.”

I grab a sandwich and take a big bite. “Leesie is.”

“Bonus.” Alex sits down by Leesie. “I knew I liked you.”

They start to jabber about clothes and stuff. I slip away, leaving the girls to get to know each other. I’ve got a date with about forty empty scuba tanks and big fat compressor.

As I walk down to the gear shack, I’m engulfed by a wave of intense emotion. It takes me a moment to figure out what it is. Freak, I’m happy. It’s tinged with ache for Leesie and her grief and pain. But we’re together. She’s mine.

And nothing can change that.

Ever again.