Page 21 of Visions of You

“How long have you been driving boats?” I asked, my knees soft to absorb the motion of the vessel streaking over the waves.

His rimless sunglasses were over his eyes now, and he kept his gaze on the water as he answered. One hand loosely gripped the wheel. “I’ve been driving boats since I was a kid, but I’ve had my captain’s license for five years or so. This is the first time I’ve drivenShark Baitin an official capacity.”

I couldn’t resist a smile. He’d found the dive sites easily and followed our instructions exactly on where to stop to drop our groups in the water. “I guess this is our day for impressing each other.”

He darted his eyes to mine, and this time a smile definitely appeared on his face. He was even more gorgeous with the sunglasses on. The brown shades accentuated his dark looks. Maybe there was a chance he was becoming Hot Not-So-Grumpy Guy. “Maybe I need to fill in forMiguel more.”

I arched a brow and leaned toward him slightly. “Someone’s got to give the guy a day off. Maybe that’s why he’s sick.”

His smile broadened, showing a set of straight white teeth, and the air became charged between us.

“April!” Maia shouted from the deck below, and I jumped. “Are you going to chat with my brother all day or help us?”

Heat rocketed across my cheeks, and Gabe’s smile faltered. Blinking, I turned my head to where Maia stood on the deck with her hands on her hips. “Be right there!” Then I turned back to Gabe. “Do you realize we’ve gone an entire morning without antagonizing each other?”

He had faced forward again, but his eyes shifted to me momentarily. “Don’t go jinxing it. We’re not back at the dock yet. Besides, I like a woman who’s not afraid to stand up for herself.”

“Oh, I don’t lie down for just anyone, don’t worry.” I couldn’t believe the words had come out of my mouth. Good thing I was already blushing.

Gabe slowly turned his head to me, his eyes becoming molten behind his sunglasses. “Noted. You’d better go help Maia before she gets any more pissed off.”

Afraid of what might come out of my mouth next, I swallowed hard and pulled on my board shorts. I avoided eye contact with him as I tossed my towel next to the bag. Then I moved to the ladder, grateful to put some distance between us. Away from the very charged air between us.

Chapter Ten

April

Miguel returnedto work the following day, and the next two weeks passed quickly. Gabe moved into Evan’s old office in the dive shop but wasn’t there often, at least when I was around. As I stepped onto the boat for the morning trip, my eye fell on the wheelhouse, even though I knew he wouldn’t be there.

I’ll see him soon enough. Probably tomorrow.

He’d drivenShark Baitseveral times when Miguel was off, and fortunately, his irritated, surly countenance diminished the more he drove. In fact, there were times he bordered on beingniceto me. He’d even brought me a coffee the other day.

Miguel drove us out of the canal, and I turned my mind fully to the morning ahead. Maia, Wyatt, and I had meshed as a team and got along well together.

I was settling down in my new home and looking for ways to get to know people. I’d come across a post advertising a group of women who met monthly to discuss books and drink wine. They sounded like my kind of people, and I was quickly reading the current bookbefore the meeting in a few days. As much as I liked Maia, I wanted other friends too.

After the second dive, I was breaking down equipment when Maia came over to me. “What are you doing for lunch?”

“Going to Dorado, like normal. You want to join me?”

“I can do better than that. Why don’t you join me for lunch up at the Big House? You haven’t been up there yet, so I can give you a quick tour. We’ve got time before you need to be back for the afternoon trip.”

“Thanks. That sounds great.”

As we walked around the dive shop, I glanced toward the beach, recalling the lights I’d seen the previous evening. “Was there a special occasion last night on the beach?”

Maia smiled. “No. That was our weekly beach barbeque. It runs from six to eight, and staff are welcome to any leftovers. Feel free to show up near the end and dig in. It’s a great meal.”

My stomach growled just thinking about it. “Sounds fantastic. You guys treat employees well here. Especially me!”

She pulled me into a quick side hug. “You might be getting a little more special treatment, but we have a great reputation for a reason. We try to keep it that way.”

The Barn was on the way, so I stopped to change into dry clothes. Since I was being invited to a home with its own name, I went with a white sleeveless blouse and skirt. I twisted my hair in a clip, then Maia and I continued up the sand path. My eye lingered when she pointed out the cottage next to hers that belonged to Gabe and Hailey.

We went around a bend and the family home came into view. I blew out a low whistle. “I guess it’s aptly named.”

Maia laughed. “Yeah. It’s got six bedrooms and baths. But I’ve got four siblings, so that came in handy. People on Dove Key like to call it Markham Manor, and we pretend we don’t know that.”

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