Page 16 of Finding Cory

Chapter Six

The previous day seemed dreamlike and unreal to Olivia when she woke to a bright, hot morning and Rosie knocking on her door. The other girl waited while she dressed, then accompanied her to breakfast, chattering about all the things Olivia should do on her first day.

"I'm going snorkeling later," Olivia cut Rosie off, "but I'd really like to just take a walk around the resort this morning. Find my way around properly, really get familiar with the place."

"Absolutely." Rosie nodded her approval. "Reception has a good map of the island; stop there and grab one before you go. And don't forget a hat, and sunscreen!"

Olivia thanked Rosie for her advice, refraining from snapping that she already knew that. She hadn’t seen Cory this morning, at his cabin or in the staff dining room, and butterflies were beginning to flutter in her stomach. What did she really know about Cory, anyway? She'd met him less than a day ago, yet the previous night they'd got extremely hot and heavy together.

Determined to forget about Cory for the time being and get to work, she grabbed one of the maps from Reception and headed back to her cabin to put on sunscreen and find her hat and sunglasses. Ten minutes later she set off, a bag slung over her shoulder containing a bottle of water, a notebook, and a pen. In the absence of being able to take photos and make notes on her phone as she normally did, the notebook would have to do.

She kept a close eye on the time during her walk, mindful that she needed to get back to her cabin in time to change and then meet the boat at the dock at one. Lunch wasn't in her plan, since she had no desire to humiliate herself yet again in front of Cory by getting seasick on the boat. The transfer from Hamilton Island had been short enough yesterday that she hadn't worried about it, but bobbing about on a smaller boat for a couple of hours could well be a different story.

Returning to her cabin with a stack of notes to consider, she swiped another of Suzannah's sodas, thinking guiltily that she must find out where to buy more, before finding her bikini. She'd brought three, sure there would be plenty of opportunity for swimming, but no swimming shirt. Chewing on her lip, she shrugged and grabbed one of Rosie's T-shirts, an elderly-looking one. Floating facedown in the water for an hour or two, she was likely to end up with a burned back if she didn't cover up. She made sure to thickly cover every exposed inch of skin with the waterproof, high-factor sunscreen she'd bought in Sydney before putting her hat and flip-flops back on and heading for the dock.

The boat was bigger than she'd expected; not one of the big handsome cruisers that transferred tourists to and from the island, but a generously sized motor-yacht. Cory stood on the deck, talking to a couple of tourists who'd just boarded. Both were attractive young women, who stood close and gazed at him with undisguised admiration.

Cory's eyes slid towards Olivia and he smiled but made no effort to break off his conversation. She nodded at him in greeting and boarded the boat, walking past him and finding a seat on which to put her bag containing her towel and water bottle. She absolutely refused to show jealousy; quite apart from the fact that it would put Cory off her completely, she was pretty sure she didn't have anything to worry about.

Her decision was vindicated a couple of minutes later as Cory came over to greet her properly, an arm sliding around her waist as he bent to kiss her cheek and nuzzle lightly against her neck.

"Hello, beautiful."

"Hello yourself." Olivia wiggled as his fingers slid against her ribs and he found a ticklish spot. Laughing as she squeaked and danced away, Cory pulled her back closer and ducked beneath the brim of her hat to claim a proper kiss.

His lips were warm and sweet; Olivia lost herself in the kiss briefly, in the slide of the heat of his body through the thin layers of their clothing as he pulled her close.

A wolf-whistle made them pull apart. Color tinged Cory's cheeks as he made a face at the boat's driver. "Put a sock in it, Jodie."

The driver was an older woman with darkly tanned skin and white teeth flashing in her laughing face. Cory introduced Olivia, telling her, "Jodie's spent her whole life in the Whitsunday Islands. She knows all the best snorkel and dive spots, and nobody's better at finding the whales in whale-watching season."

"Which is when?" Olivia asked curiously.

"June to August is the best time. The whales give birth to their calves in the warm waters here; it's a natural nursery for them. We're not allowed to get too close, but sometimes they come close to us." Jodie smiled at her. "I've got some amazing photos and video we've taken off the boat; you can have whatever you like for marketing material."

"That's terrific!" Olivia said. Cory had remained at her side, his warm hand resting lightly on the small of her back. He moved away then with a murmured apology to go and greet some more tourists boarding the boat. Olivia barely noticed his departure, focused on her conversation with Jodie.

"That everyone, Cory?" Jodie called back after a couple of minutes. "Cast off, then!" she said when she got a reply in the affirmative.

"Do you need me to sit down?" Olivia asked uncertainly.

"No, you're fine there." Jodie expertly brought the boat's big engines up to a low rev, guiding the boat away from the dock with a deft touch. "You two look good together," she said unexpectedly.

"We only met yesterday," Olivia admitted, "but I feel like I'm falling head over heels."

"I've known that boy all his life." Jodie was wearing reflective sunglasses, so Olivia couldn't see her eyes, but her tone was friendly. "He's one of the few people I've ever met who's just as beautiful on the inside as the outside. Don't you break his heart, now."

"I'll try," Olivia promised, touched by Jodie's obvious fondness for Cory. Nobody seemed to have a bad word to say about him, except Jill who obviously had an ax to grind. "It'd be like kicking a puppy—how could you? I've got baggage, though. Maybe too much."

"Eh." Jodie shrugged, gunning the engines as they cleared the small harbor. "That's life for you. You'll do fine. You didn't look funny at him when those girls were all over him; that's the one thing Cory wouldn't be able to stand."

"Rosie warned me about that," Olivia admitted. They were having to speak more loudly to be heard over the engine noise, and she looked towards the back of the boat, hoping Cory wouldn't overhear. He was talking cheerfully to a young couple, though, helping them select snorkeling gear from a cabinet. "She told me about Jill."

"Did she now!" Jodie said nothing more, though, just concentrated on piloting the boat, and Olivia relaxed and turned her attention to the crystal blue waters they skimmed rapidly across.

"Hey." Cory came to join her a few minutes later, slipping into the empty seat beside her and putting his arm around her shoulders. "Want to come pick out some snorkeling gear? Everyone else has theirs."

"Sure." She followed him to the back of the boat, ignoring the two girls who'd been flirting with Cory and who were now staring at her and whispering to each other.They are no threat to me, she told herself and believed it. Even knowing Cory as little as she did, she was quite certain the chance of him getting involved with one of the resorts guests was pretty much zero.

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