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Maybe that night. A shiver rippled through her that had nothing to do with the chill temperature of the water.
With only a little time left before she had to get out, dry off and be ready to serve the guests, Leilani swam beside Angel, pointing out the different varieties of fish she’d talked about earlier, also sighting a pufferfish, a school of yellow tang, a spotted trunkfish and the long, thin trumpetfish.
Aware of the passage of time, Leilani stayed close to the boat, wanting to be on deck when the first passengers came back aboard.
When Leilani surfaced, Angel came up beside her.
She removed the snorkel from her mouth. “I need to get back to work. You can stay longer if you like.”
He shook his head. “I’m with you.”
They swam back to the boat, removed their fins and tossed them onto deck before they climbed out of the water.
Angel took her gear and stowed it where it belonged.
Leilani stepped behind the bar, where they kept extra towels for the crew to use to dry off. She grabbed two and threw one to Angel.
Within moments, she’d dried her skin and absorbed as much water as she could from her hair and bikini. She had just pulled on her polo shirt and shorts and taken her position behind the bar when the first passenger climbed out of the water.
Josh rounded up the rest of the folks, herding them toward the boat and then assisting them with fin removal prior to their climbing the ladder up into the boat.
Leilani handed out drinks to those who wanted them.
When the last passenger was aboard, Josh secured the boat, and the captain sailed out of Molokini Crater, moving on to their next stop, the Coral Gardens.
The guests talked excitedly about the different fish they’d seen while snorkeling. One couple had seen an octopus. Everyone was happy and ready to do it again.
The Windsong II followed a few minutes behind them, a small spec in the distance.
Leilani couldn’t stop smiling. Not only was the tour going well, but every time she looked at Angel, he was looking back at her. He’d admitted he’d wanted to kiss her the night before and had almost kissed her leaning over the bar today. It was going to happen. Of that, she was convinced.
And she couldn’t wait.
Snorkeling in the Coral Gardens was a hit when three green sea turtles showed up, hanging around for a good twenty minutes before they swam off.
By then, the guests were hungry and ready for lunch. Leilani had arranged trays of deli sandwiches, pasta salad, assorted bags of chips and cookies across the counter.
Guests worked their way through the line, buffet-style, while Leilani, Josh and Angel got them the drinks they wanted.
Most of the adults opted for beer and mixed drinks. The few kids on board drank sodas. Josh turned on the music, playing songs from the ’70s to the present.
By the time lunch was over, the guests were in full party mode, singing along to the lyrics and consuming more alcohol.
Leilani, Josh and Angel gathered the trash and stowed the leftover food while the captain maneuvered the boat out of the bay, heading back to Maalaea Harbor.
Leilani stayed busy keeping up with drink orders. When she glanced up long enough to locate Angel, she found him staring out to sea, his brow furrowed, his body tense.
She looked past him to what appeared to be a long, thin jet boat, the kind people called cigar boats. It was moving fast, skimming across the water as if flying through the air.
Leilani frowned.
It was headed straight for the Windsong I at full speed.
Angel moved quickly toward Josh.“See that boat?”
Josh turned. “What boat?” At that moment, he must have seen the oncoming cigar boat. “Holy shit.” He spun and raced up the ladder to the top deck, where the captain steered the boat full of people.
Angel stared for a moment longer, then spun toward Leilani. Should they trust the speed boat driver to turn? Or brace for impact?
