AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When I walked to the back of the car, Aiden popped open the trunk and took out our gear bags. “Hey, is that the latest batwing BCD?” I said, noticing he had bought his own gear since the last time we dove together. My hand brushed over the fabric as I admired the streamlined design of the buoyancy control device.
“Yes. After diving both in the sea and cenote, I decided to buy a wing style rather than a jacket BCD.” He proudly lifted it up so I could inspect it closer before putting it in his bag.
“That’s smart!” I admired Aiden’s thought process. Looking at his lightweight BCD made me wish that I didn’t have such a bulky one.
With our mesh gear bag in hand, we walked toward the group of divers hanging around a gray-haired older man. Judging by the way his gut protruded from his wetsuit, he enjoyed a few beers after the dives. Heck, he probably had one before he went on a dive, too. I let out a snort thinking about the time when one of the dive masters I dove with in Florida told me he combatted sea sickness by drinking a can of beer.
“Hey, Sully!” We greeted the head dive master. He was surrounded by four other diving pairs. Annisa was standing with the group, but I couldn’t tell who her partner was. I prayed silently it wouldn’t be Aiden and me.
“Good morning, Claire. What’s up, Aiden? I got your wetsuits over there.” Sully grinned broadly, showing off his chipped front teeth. Sully told Aiden he damaged his front teeth doing something that was top secret when he was in the Canadian Navy.
“Thanks,” I said and rushed to a bin with folded wetsuits. When I held up the first suit, I let out a small squeak.
“What’s wrong?” Aiden asked, coming next to me and letting out a similar noise as he took in the condition of the suit. “I think it’s seen better days,” he whispered as his eyes traveled from the top of the neck down to the frayed leg opening.
I picked another suit and grimaced when I inhaled the musty smell. “This one must be yours,” I said, noting it was larger than the first wetsuit.
“Are there any other suits?” Aiden asked hopefully, but when I shook my head slowly, he gave a resigned sigh. “It’s just one dive, and we’ll only be in the water for about thirty minutes. Then he stiffened his spine and, trying to feign optimism, said resolutely, “I can handle it.”
I gave him a doubtful look but decided that if I wanted to go diving today, I had to put on the well-worn wetsuit.
The dive master noticed us and said, “What are you guys waiting for? Let’s get our stuff on so we can go diving.” He gave us a big toothy grin before turning back to the other divers.
I let out a low chuckle because Sully bore a strong resemblance to a pirate with his bushy beard, and he must have reminded Aiden of a pirate, too, because he leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Argh.”
I burst out laughing, but I put my hand over my mouth to muffle the noise.
Fortunately, Sully didn’t hear us goofing around. He clapped his hands to get the group’s attention. “We’re about to go over the dive briefing soon, so get with your dive buddy and make sure you have your gear ready to go.”
Everyone nodded except for Annisa. Her face was flushed, and she said, “Um…I don’t have a partner.”
Sully nodded and replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get one, or you can buddy up with Trevor.” He jerked his head back toward another diver. The man was tall, and unlike the lead dive master, his stomach didn’t look like it consumed too many alcoholic beverages. When he heard his name, he lifted his head to smile at Annisa, but to my surprise, Annisa didn’t give him her usual perky smile. Instead, she ignored him and said, “I need help with my stuff.”
My eyes widened in surprise. It wasn’t like Annisa to ignore the attention from a good-looking guy.
“Everyone needs to put their gear together, but your partner can check it for you.” Sully didn’t direct his statement to Annisa, but she got the point because she pouted.
“Well, can someone at least help me carry my stuff from my car?” Annisa asked.
I stifled a groan and mumbled to Aiden, “Great, she’s going to take forever.”
He returned a sympathetic look. “I can help her when I’m done setting up my stuff.”
I smiled at Aiden’s offer to help. “That’s so sweet, but she’s Julia’s friend. I’ll do it. And if I help her, she won’t delay the dive.”
“Let me finish tightening the air hose to my BCD, and then I’ll help you. Why don’t you go ahead to the car? I’ll find you,” I said to Annisa and gestured to the parking lot.
“Thanks, Claire! You’re so nice.” Annisa flashed a genuine smile. At that moment, I could see why Julia was friends with her.
But just like that, the warm, cozy feeling went away when she lamented, “I can’t believe you need so much stuff to go diving.” She let out a dramatic sigh, irritating the divers nearest to her.
One of the guys was an older man who was with his son. He looked at Annisa with a stern expression and said, “All that stuff is meant to keep us safe underwater.”
Annisa blushed and pinched her lips together, biting back a retort.
I watched the exchange with a bemused smile and thought, What in the world possessed her to get an open water scuba diving certification in the first place? Shaking my head, I hoped she wouldn’t endanger the rest of us.
Chapter Four
