Page 74 of Building Courage

“That’s…I’m so sorry.”

“I am, too. He was really upset and just needed to be close.”

“You’re not making the easy choice, Brynn. He’ll be gone on deployment every few months. He’ll be doing dangerous trainings and other things.”

“I know.” She was silent a moment. “He’s the first man I’ve wanted to touch me in three years.”

Jess remained silent for a moment. “You’ve waited a long time for him.”

Something in her voice sounded like she was holding back tears.

“I’m happy for you,” she said. “But if he ends up hurting you, Navy SEAL or not, I’ll kick his ass.”

Brynn laughed. “I’ll do it myself. You can help. I’ll call you tomorrow. We’re going to dive first thing in the morning and spend the rest of the day together. I’ll call you when I get home.”

“Have a good dive, and you know the rest.”

“Thanks, Jess.”

It was good to have a friend who looked out for her. After she finished packing her bag, she slung her pint-sized purse across her body and locked her door.

She hadn’t spent a night anywhere else since renting the apartment, and it felt strange to leave it but liberating as well.

Tucker waited in the parking lot at her car and opened the door for her to get in. “Think you can find your way?” he asked with a grin.

“I have GPS.”

He laughed. “We’ll work on those navigational skills tomorrow, too.”

Chapter 21

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Because Grant couldn’t take them out, they walked into the cove from the beach. “You need to learn how to enter the water from the beach anyway. You may have to do it in Australia,” Tucker said.

Once in knee-deep water, they turned their backs to the water and, holding their fins, walked backward against the surf. When the water reached chest-high, they put on their flippers and submerged.

The water was colder than she remembered. The extra weight of the camera, video light, and strobe, in its two-armed formation on either side of the camera, demanded an adjustment. There was going to be a steep learning curve that only practice could satisfy.

With Tucker swimming beside her, she could depend on him to keep track of their bottom time and plan their decompression times if they went too deep. But she was going to have to figure things out for herself eventually. He might deploy at a moment’s notice, and she couldn’t see herself diving alone. Ever. It was just too dangerous without a partner.

She wasn’t afraid with him by her side. He pointed out possible points of interest she could photograph. She caught several photos of him. No one would recognize him outfitted in his gear.

One of the small sharks they had seen on their last dive came near to explore them. She caught a quick picture of it using the strobe light. It darted away into the kelp forest. She started as a giant black sea bass glided slowly along the bottom, like a huge silent shadow. The monster fish seemed uninterested in them.

Seeing a small lobster hiding in a clump of seagrass, she attempted to capture a close-up before it could scamper away. The bright yellow-orange Garibaldi were easy to spot and photograph. After that, she made several other attempts at various subjects. Her last photo at the kelp forest was of a sheepshead fish with its bold strips and funny human-like teeth.

As they surfaced, a young sea lion whipped by and circled to investigate her and her camera. She caught some playful pictures of it coming close to nose against her equipment, and she was actually able to touch it before it darted away. It was then she felt she’d at least started to understand how to use the equipment and the lights.

She’d have to practice as often as she could.

Once ashore, Tucker helped her take off her Camera rig, BCD, and tank and carried them up the beach for her. He shucked his own tank and set it beside hers. She didn’t realize how tired she was until she sat down in the sand.

“Thanks for this. I appreciate you taking the time to teach me scuba, but having my back while I learn how to use my camera equipment is going the extra mile.”

“That was the job all along, Brynn.” He shrugged. “It’s funny how the fish sort of gravitated toward you.” He shoved his hood back.

“I think they were interested in the light.” She removed her dive gloves, shoved her hood back, and dragged her hair out from beneath it.

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