The Sky Beneath Her(54)

The office felt like a lifetime ago. “The ocean is very seductive.”

He drew in a deep breath. “It has my heart.”

That was true. I wasn’t sure if there was anything he’d love more than the water. My mother had been like that.

“Ready to get to the boat?” he asked.

“Super excited.” My dull tone belied my words.

The wind teased his dark hair as he grinned. “It’ll be fun.”

I locked the back door and grabbed my backpack as he took a gulp of coffee. “Keep it,” I said.

“Thanks. Really good coffee.”

I unplugged the percolator. “Ancient brewing method. Great if you’ve got the time.”

“The wait was worth it.”

Outside, I locked the door and pocketed the keys. I tossed my backpack into the back of his truck and climbed into the passenger seat.

How many times had we been in this spot? An early call, headed out to dive a wreck off Greece. Oddly, we’d never dived the Oceanus together.

“Such a full-circle moment,” I said.

“I was thinking the same. If your mom was here, it would be perfect.”

“I’m sure she has a hand in this. I think I can feel her staring at us.”

“She was always watching us.” He pulled out onto the beach road and headed south. “Never fully trusted me.”

“Ha! And you were always a gentleman.”

“Because your mom would have skinned me alive if I wasn’t. All the men on the boats we sailed feared your mom.”

As we drove south, I looked left toward the rising sun over the ocean. How many peaceful moments like this had I missed in the last seven years?

“Did my mom ever talk about living in this area before I was born?” I asked.

“She never said anything to me.”

“I found a picture with Mom and Kaitlin’s parents. It dates to a few years before I was born. Kaitlin doesn’t know anything, and her mother never said a word to me when I lived with them.”

“Why the big secret?”

“I’m not sure why Carol never mentioned it.”

“You ever ask your mother about her family?”

“A few times. She insisted it was just the two of us. Said her father had died a long time ago. I do know he was a merchant marine and sailed out of Norfolk.”

“Really?”

“The ocean had a hook in all of us.”

The truck rumbled through Southern Shores and then to the bypass. “I read the first fifty pages of the manuscript. It really personalizes some of the passengers and crew.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s good. The passengers tend to get forgotten. Keep me posted.”

“For the film?”

“Yeah. And I want to figure what hold that ship had on your mother.”

“She was so determined to see it.”

Silent, he nodded.

After a half hour of driving south on the bypass and chatting about his latest dive spots, we veered west toward the small village of Wanchese and pulled into the parking lot next to a pier with a dozen boat docks.

“How many people are diving today?” I asked.

“Four. All have had some dive experience. The day is perfect and the ocean calm.”

But he didn’t say there was nothing to worry about. That was bad luck. Like any good man who made his living on the waters, he didn’t tempt the ocean’s goodwill.

Four people were gathered near the walkway.

Nathan got out of the van and strode toward them. “This the crew for the Oceanus?”

Everyone nodded. As I walked toward the group, Nathan pulled out a list from his back pocket and called out the names of the people gathered around. He shook hands and checked IDs. The ages of the group ranged from mid-thirties to early sixties. Judging by their suntans (and burns), I guessed this was the last day of vacation for many. This dive would be the finale of their beach getaway.

Mom and I had taken out groups like this. She didn’t have much patience with newbies, but newbies paid the bills. So, she’d left the sweet-talking and smiling to me. She was all technique, while I listened to expectations and fears. Mom’s newbie outings always began with a dive in a local pool, and once she was sure everyone could really operate the equipment, we’d head to the ocean. On land, most didn’t reach out to fifteen-year-old Tula for tech support. But once we’d dropped anchor, I’d field many last-minute queries. By the end of our outings, no one thought twice about asking me questions.

Nathan came up to me. “Help me with the gear. You take the cooler, and I’ll bring the tanks.”

“Sure.”

I grabbed the handle of the white cooler and tipped it onto its back wheels. I pulled, thinking it would be easy, but I quickly realized the weight was far heftier than cleaning supplies and boxes of files. Gritting my teeth, I dragged the cooler over the gravel to the pier gate. Nathan set down two tanks, unlocked the gate padlock, and swung the door open.

“Can you lead the group to the white boat at the end of the dock?” Nathan asked. “It’s the Intrepid.”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” He jogged back to the truck and grabbed two more tanks.

“Everyone, follow me,” I said.