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CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Aurelia
“Thank you so much Autumn,”I gush as we sail slowly back to the dive center. We’ve just finished up the snorkel trip to the reef that Isaac had arranged. He sits at the front of the boat with Clark, who’s driving, both of them deep in conversation. “I’ve never seen anything so incredible.”
“It’s pretty mind-blowing, isn’t it? I see it almost every day and it never gets boring.”
I look over at her sorting through the equipment we just used, at the back of the boat. I envy how effortlessly beautiful she is. Long blonde hair hanging in perfect waves just like the ocean she lives on, tan skin and bright blue eyes. Isaac told me she’s the sister of a small screen actress in Hollywood and I can now see the resemblance.
“When did you start doing all this? Diving and stuff?”
She finishes up putting items in bags and straightens. “Oh, I don’t know, I was thirteen maybe? I used to go down to Sunset Point after school with the guys in my class. We’d ride the waves until the sun went down.”
“Wow, I wouldn’t have been allowed to do anything like that at thirteen. Your parents must be pretty cool.”
She laughs and her face lights up. “Yeah, pretty cool or just pretty preoccupied with my sister’s career. I used to get away with a lot. Thankfully I was too surf-obsessed to get into any real trouble, and the guys were a little older and always looked out for me.”
“So, when did you start diving?”
“It wasn’t long after I started surfing. I got PADI certified when I was fifteen and started entering competitions soon afterwards. I held a world record for a while.”
“Really? That’s so cool.”
“Yeah, I thought it was too.” Her smile softens and I sense some sadness behind her words, so I change the subject.
“When did you come to this resort?” I hold a hand up to my face to shield my eyes from the sun. It’s late afternoon but the rays are still intense here at this hour.
“About three years ago. Best decision I ever made.” She sits down opposite me.
“Why did you choose Starling Key?”
“I didn’t really. I think it chose me,” she laughs. “I traveled east for a fresh start, to find some independence I suppose. I traveled to most of the Keys, spent some time in Miami, just bummed around for a while. I decided to settle on Key West but as I drove past Starling Key I got curious. It was the only Key I hadn’t spent time on, because it’s privately owned, of course. I just wandered into the reception and saw Connor there. I asked if there were any jobs going. He asked what I could do. I told him water sports mainly but I would have been happy waiting tables or housekeeping. I just wanted a change—to make a living somewhere near the ocean. He offered me a job on the spot, arranging dive trips. Then when Antonio, the dive master at the time, decided to move on—dive masters tend not to stay in one place for very long—I took over his job.”
“Do you think you’ll move on soon, too?” I find myself hoping not, even though I’ll be moving on myself in a matter of weeks.
“Probably…” She looks down at the long strands of hair she’s untangling. “I’ve been seeing this guy, Jesse. He’s a vice president at Office Heaven up in Miami. It’s been going pretty well and I think he might be about to propose.”
“Wow, that’s huge!”
She grins, embarrassed. “Yeah, I know. If he does, I’ll probably go live with him in the city.”
“The city? Won’t that be quite a change for you?”
“Maybe. But Miami Beach is right there—I’ll be near the water—and I should be able to find work easily. I need to get serious about settling down eventually.”
I’m surprised—Autumn doesn’t look that much older than me. “How old are you? If you don’t mind me asking?”
“Twenty-six,” she replies, looking slightly embarrassed again.
“You’ve got plenty of time to settle down yet.”
“Yeah, but when you have a twenty-two-year-old sister who not only achieved every single career goal she set herself by age twenty, but has also met the love of her life and is planning the Hollywood wedding of the decade, the pressure is on.”
“That’s pretty unusual though, to find ‘the one’, so early, right? Your sister sounds like she’s very lucky, but you have your whole life stretched out in front of you. I wouldn’t rush it if I were you.”
Autumn focuses her eyes on mine, pausing mid-thought. “You are so sweet, Aurelia. For someone so young yourself, you have a very mature head on your shoulders.”
“I guess I had to grow up quickly.” I smile and look down the front of the boat. Beyond Isaac, I can see Nate waiting on the deck in the distance. I’d asked him to join us but he’s afraid of the water, and actually, it’s been nice to have some space from him especially after that night in the casino. The last few days have been a little claustrophobic. He has no idea what to do with himself, even though there’s so much here on the Key, and has spent most of his time hanging around the villa, and around me. It’s been nice to get some breathing space. Especially as the atmosphere with Isaac around too feels like an unexploded device. One spark is all it will take to blow up this superficial sense of calmness I’ve managed to surround myself with.
