guy’s guts. ”
“Nah. I bet she denied that Sales request again.”
Kerry very carefully opened her folder and put the loose sheet inside.
“Hey, Kerry.”
Kerry looked up. “Yes?”
“What’s the deal? You know what’s got big D in such a mellow mood?”
“Yes. Matter of fact, I do.” Kerry exhaled, biting off a grin as she stood up and pushed in her chair. “See you guys tomorrow.” She walked out with a jaunty step, closing the door behind her.
Kerry ruffled Dar’s hair. “All this pretty scenery, and you have to draw me?”
“All those pretty fish, and you have to take my picture?” Dar countered drolly, wrapping one arm around Kerry’s leg. “We’ll be at the dive site in an hour. You up for that, or do you want to give it a miss and just go to dinner?”
Kerry leaned against the captain’s chair and let her head rest on Dar’s shoulder. “Does my utter laziness show that badly?” she complained. “I fell asleep twice down there in the chair. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“We’re on vacation. You’re supposed to be lazy,” Dar stated, her eyes scanning the horizon again. “We can go straight in.”
Kerry chewed her lower lip, then shook her head. “No. I’m going to go make some coffee. I really want to see that old wreck, Dar. You made it sound really cool.” She straightened up and put her hands on Dar’s shoulders, massaging them lightly. “Let’s go for it.”
Dar relaxed, enjoying the strong kneading. “You sure?”
“Positive.” Kerry gave her a kiss on the back of the neck. “Take me to the galleon, Cap’n Dar.”
Terrors of the High Seas 35
“Aye, aye, matey,” Dar replied promptly. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll find us some pieces of eight.”
Kerry chuckled, resuming her position draped over Dar’s shoulders. “With our luck, all we’ll find is jellyfish or a cranky moray eel.”
“Or a pile of tin cans.”
They both laughed, a sound muffled by the spray of the boat’s wake to either side of them.
KERRY ADJUSTED HER mask, holding her hand over it and her regulator as she stepped to the back of the boat and paused, then took a big step off and plunged into the water.
It was always a bit of a shock—going from the light and breezy air into the dense, blue water. She sucked in her first breath off her tank, feeling her body adjust as the familiar above-water weight of herself and her equipment moderated in the water’s buoyancy.
While she waited for Dar, Kerry held on to the anchor rope with one hand and tightened the straps on her BC with the other.
Her ears popped, and she gently pinched her nose closed and blew out a little, equalizing the pressure in her middle ears. Just then, the water was disrupted by Dar’s entrance, her tall figure in a whirl of bubbles that cleared as she made her way over to where Kerry was waiting.
Dar’s eyes flicked over her, Kerry noticed, checking her gear out of endearing habit. She endured the scrutiny, and in return she snugged Dar’s tank a little tighter and pulled her hair out from under her BC. Dar winked at her and pointed down, and Kerry nodded.
They started down the anchor rope, descending slowly through the water toward the ocean floor sixty feet below. Diving deep was different than reef diving, Kerry had discovered. You encountered a lot of sensations you didn’t get in the shallows, like thermoclines—
layers of colder water that crept up and enveloped you unexpectedly as you descended, and the awareness of the sea pressure slowly growing against you. Breathing was just a little tougher, and the sense of being a part of the ocean was greater down there since you tended to look down more than up, and the surface was much further away.
They reached the bottom, a patch of soft, creamy white sand that had a few sparse stalks of seaweed poking up through it. Dar checked her dive computer, then motioned Kerry to follow her and started off.
Kerry obliged, staying to one side, out of
“Nah. I bet she denied that Sales request again.”
Kerry very carefully opened her folder and put the loose sheet inside.
“Hey, Kerry.”
Kerry looked up. “Yes?”
“What’s the deal? You know what’s got big D in such a mellow mood?”
“Yes. Matter of fact, I do.” Kerry exhaled, biting off a grin as she stood up and pushed in her chair. “See you guys tomorrow.” She walked out with a jaunty step, closing the door behind her.
Kerry ruffled Dar’s hair. “All this pretty scenery, and you have to draw me?”
“All those pretty fish, and you have to take my picture?” Dar countered drolly, wrapping one arm around Kerry’s leg. “We’ll be at the dive site in an hour. You up for that, or do you want to give it a miss and just go to dinner?”
Kerry leaned against the captain’s chair and let her head rest on Dar’s shoulder. “Does my utter laziness show that badly?” she complained. “I fell asleep twice down there in the chair. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“We’re on vacation. You’re supposed to be lazy,” Dar stated, her eyes scanning the horizon again. “We can go straight in.”
Kerry chewed her lower lip, then shook her head. “No. I’m going to go make some coffee. I really want to see that old wreck, Dar. You made it sound really cool.” She straightened up and put her hands on Dar’s shoulders, massaging them lightly. “Let’s go for it.”
Dar relaxed, enjoying the strong kneading. “You sure?”
“Positive.” Kerry gave her a kiss on the back of the neck. “Take me to the galleon, Cap’n Dar.”
Terrors of the High Seas 35
“Aye, aye, matey,” Dar replied promptly. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll find us some pieces of eight.”
Kerry chuckled, resuming her position draped over Dar’s shoulders. “With our luck, all we’ll find is jellyfish or a cranky moray eel.”
“Or a pile of tin cans.”
They both laughed, a sound muffled by the spray of the boat’s wake to either side of them.
KERRY ADJUSTED HER mask, holding her hand over it and her regulator as she stepped to the back of the boat and paused, then took a big step off and plunged into the water.
It was always a bit of a shock—going from the light and breezy air into the dense, blue water. She sucked in her first breath off her tank, feeling her body adjust as the familiar above-water weight of herself and her equipment moderated in the water’s buoyancy.
While she waited for Dar, Kerry held on to the anchor rope with one hand and tightened the straps on her BC with the other.
Her ears popped, and she gently pinched her nose closed and blew out a little, equalizing the pressure in her middle ears. Just then, the water was disrupted by Dar’s entrance, her tall figure in a whirl of bubbles that cleared as she made her way over to where Kerry was waiting.
Dar’s eyes flicked over her, Kerry noticed, checking her gear out of endearing habit. She endured the scrutiny, and in return she snugged Dar’s tank a little tighter and pulled her hair out from under her BC. Dar winked at her and pointed down, and Kerry nodded.
They started down the anchor rope, descending slowly through the water toward the ocean floor sixty feet below. Diving deep was different than reef diving, Kerry had discovered. You encountered a lot of sensations you didn’t get in the shallows, like thermoclines—
layers of colder water that crept up and enveloped you unexpectedly as you descended, and the awareness of the sea pressure slowly growing against you. Breathing was just a little tougher, and the sense of being a part of the ocean was greater down there since you tended to look down more than up, and the surface was much further away.
They reached the bottom, a patch of soft, creamy white sand that had a few sparse stalks of seaweed poking up through it. Dar checked her dive computer, then motioned Kerry to follow her and started off.
Kerry obliged, staying to one side, out of
Similar Books
