Page 26 of Buzzer Beater

I followed his direction, submerged my masked face in the water, and gasped. Fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors were swimming around a reef formation a few feet under the water.

The world around me faded away as I stared down at the swirl of activity below. I dove down for a closer look, smiling at a fish that was curious and brave enough to swim toward me before darting away. I surfaced, blowing out hard to clear the snorkel the way Manuel had instructed. Once I caught my breath, I dove down again.

The rest of the group was in sight, but I didn’t pay them attention. I got as close as I dared and almost screamed when an eel poked its head out of a hiding spot.

Creatures I’d only seen on TV or at aquariums were all around me. It was magical. More than I’d imagined.

My poor attitude disappeared by the time we got back at the boat and headed toward the shore. This was one of my favorite experiences of my life. Ever. I completely forgot about everything that was happening above water. Everything from the past, all my work stress and anxiety disappeared. I was simply existing. Observing.

I’d never had such a calming, serene experience.

I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. Not even when two of the hockey wives sat down across from me and Amber.

“Hi, I’m Madi and this is Chloe.” The blonde nodded her head to her friend.

“Hi.”

Chloe, the brunette, smiled. “I know this is weird, and I’m sorry if we’ve made you uncomfortable.”

I hesitated before waving off their concerns. “It’s fine. We’ve all had fun.”

Madi nodded. “Sorry if Erik crossed the line earlier. I saw him talking to you. He’s not normally one to get involved in other people’s business, so he must have felt he needed to say something.”

I shrugged. “It’s okay. Is he your husband?”

“Yeah, and her brother.”

Chloe smiled. “Sorry for my other half.”

I looked between her and Madi, obviously missing something.

“Erik’s my twin. I tend to feel responsible for his actions.”

I didn’t know what else to say, but I remembered Amber’s plea to play nice. “It’s really okay, guys.”

“I’ve seen you before.”

I blinked, not understanding Chloe’s statement. I looked to Amber, but she just shook her head slightly. “At the resort?”

“No, at his house.” She stated matter of fact.

Now I was really confused. “Who’s house?”

“Colin.”

Madi looked at Chloe. “When?”

Huh, apparently, I wasn’t the only one out of the loop.

“I was helping him unpack, after he bought his house a few years ago. I found a box of old things like pictures, a few books, and his old jerseys. I went through to see how to organize it and I found a box with tape keeping it closed.”

Madi shook her head. “I’m not sure what surprises me less, you organizing his house or digging into things you shouldn’t.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “The point is, I opened the box and it was stuffed full of pictures of you and him.”

I tried not to react. So what that he’d kept memories of us? So what that it was taped closed and shoved in some random box to be forgotten about.

“You two looked really happy.” She pushed.