Page 24 of Meet Me in Tahiti

Because what if the sharks came back? She could put everyone in danger—again. With the stupid gash on her leg that might start gushing again once she hit the water.

“Tessa?” said Russell. She felt his eyes on her.

She breathed. “I can’t do it.”

His eyes were patient, concerned. “Can’t go snorkeling?”

“I can’t go in there.”

She’d never suffered a panic attack in her life, but this was going to become one if she hopped in that water right now.

He blinked, then looked at the water with her. Probably thought she’d lost all the marbles she still had left. “You sure?”

“Completely sure. There are some things a girl from Ohio is not meant to do. I’m just not cut out for this. Can I just go back to theLatitude,please?” She’d wear the shame proudly if she had to.

He smiled warmly, nodding. “Of course you can. You don’t have to go in.”

His voice was soothing. She let out a heavy breath, shaking her head. “Thanks. I thought I could do it. But the sharks—last night… All I can picture is…”

His expression softened even more, his deep blue eyes kind. “Ahhh. Got it. That makes total sense. But I’dnever bring you guys here if we had anything to worry about. The sharks rest in the deeper caves during the daytime. They only come out hunting at night.” He seemed to be trying to give her a second chance, which was fair. It was his job. And he’d been there for her wholeresetspeech last night.

But she shook her head. “Okay, but—my leg. If the cut broke open somehow—I mean, look at all that coral—and then I started to bleed again… I do not want to find out what would happen next.”

His warmth felt genuine as he glanced at the closed wound on her leg, which was, honestly, small and insignificant now. “Hey, I get it,” he said gently. “These reefs aren’t for everyone. And it takes guts to speak up.”

Her pulse was still racing, but she figured he would rather not have to rescue her if she’d gone in and then panicked. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” She also appreciated that he hadn’t pressured her to go in.

He glanced around for the others in the water, taking a quick headcount. Avery and Nate swam side-by-side, faces in the water, backs to the sun. Kyle and Marin treaded in awe amid a school of colorful fish. Jenna and Drew were exploring the reef to the east.

He turned back to her. “But maybe we can find something else you’d want to do instead of going back to the boat?”

She felt a lift in her mood, her nerves easing, her pulse slowing to a normal rate. “Like what?” she asked, straightening her shoulders.

He moved out of the driver’s seat and sat down nextto her, and she felt his toned bicep brush against her arm, smelled the fresh coconut scent of his sunscreen under his T-shirt. Her skin tingled.

“Learn to drive this thing?”

She laughed out loud, then glanced at the controls of the dinghy. “Seriously? You would let me drive this thing?” Now this was something she would love. She studied the wheel.

He nodded enthusiastically.

She gazed into his blue eyes. “Oh my gosh, yes.”

“Yeah?” He grinned. “Cool. You said you were expanding your horizons, right?”

She nodded, still a little embarrassed.

He was trying to stop her from feeling bad about missing out on the reef, wasn’t he? And it was just what she needed right now. How could he know that? They’d only just met a few days ago.

Intrigued, she bit her lip. “Okay. So how does this thing work?”

She slipped carefully into the driver’s seat, and somewhere between his gentle coaching and the steady throttle of the dinghy, something yielded in her chest. He directed her away from the reef and further out into the open waters.

“That’s it. You’ve got it,” he said. “Now, you want to go a little faster?”

She did. Laughing into the salty breeze, she tightened her grip on the tiller and gunned the dinghy faster, sending up sparkling sprays of water as she carved wide, looping circles over the clear blue water below.

Tessa’s heart filled. She felt alive. Completely and utterly happy—and so alive.

---