Turtle Soup

by Danielle Thorne

  Footsteps sounded on the pier, and he glanced up expecting to see someone he knew. A little girl with shorts and sneakers had a ball cap pulled low over her face. Her resolute beeline towards his boat made him pause. He flung the mop down and hopped down to greet her.

  The long bill lifted and Carly peered up, full of mischief. "There you are," she said.

  "Well blow me down. What are you doing here?"

  Laughing, Carly looked over her shoulder and motioned toward two women making their way down the boardwalk. "We came to visit you."

  "We?" Jack shivered in spite of himself.

  "Me and my mom. And Sara." Carly crooked her neck once more to gauge his reaction.

  His head and every thought in it began to spin. Sara had come to see him? Hope, once spent, wriggled into his chest. She still thought he was a pompous jerk. She didn't know she'd changed touched something inside of him. He'd quit taking chances after Holly died. Not risks with his life, but risks with his heart. He'd worked himself close to death, and certainly into loneliness. Now could be the chance to tell her.

  "We thought we'd come watch you save turtles. Real ones."

  Jack gave Carly a much deserved smile. "I'm running short on man power, I could use some volunteers."

  "That's what we're here for." Her adamancy touched him.

  Vibrations beneath his feet made him look again. Sara and her sister walked arm and arm. Ellen occasionally peered over the pier into the clear water but Sara kept marching as if on a mission. Her legs were pale but shapely. The wind pressed her shirt against her body, outlining every hill and valley. Like the first moment he had laid eyes on her, his breath caught and he had to clear his throat to keep from coughing.

  They stopped in front of him, one smiling, and the other looking carefully over the horizon. He struggled to say something coherent. Ellen saved him.

  "You looked surprised."

  "I am." He stuck out his hand and she shook it. "Sara?"

  Sara's eyes met his. Red splotches riddled her cheeks. "We thought we'd come down and see what all the fuss is about." She wore a straw hat that turned up at the edges.

  "That so," he managed. "Carly said you came down to work."

  "I owe you."

  "We won't be baking bread."

  "I think I can handle it."

  She smiled a little and his heart skipped. Jack motioned toward the boat and helped them aboard. "Have a look around," he offered.

  Carly made a face. "It's not going to take that long."

  "It's a boat. Haven't you ever been on one?"

  "Does a bass boat count?"

  "No."

  "Then I'm deprived."

  "Here." Jack picked up the squeegee and pointed at the remaining puddle on the deck. "You can start with that."

  "We just got here," Carly complained. The twitch in her mouth told him otherwise.

  He turned to Ellen. "You have a place to stay?"

  "Yes. It's not too far of a ride."

  "I can set you up some place around here if you want."

  "Don't worry." She looked to Sara for approval. "We're fine."

  Sara nodded. "Actually we just wanted to come down for a few days to see the island and what we could do for the Foundation."

  "That's nice of you." Jack glanced down modestly although his pulse raced with anticipation. He couldn't believe she was here, standing beside him on his boat, looking over his sea. "We'd love to have you hang out for awhile."

  "We?"

  "Everyone's taken off for the day. We're early risers." He motioned up the hill to Macaw's. "We're meeting up there for dinner if you'd like to join us."

  "Sure," Sara said quickly then she lapsed once more into silence.

  Ellen asked Jack if she could look around. While she explored, Jack took Sara into the cabin to show her the research equipment.

  "You don't have much of a kitchen," she said, looking past his work station.

  "I'm not much of a cook."

  "Guess they call it a galley for a reason."

  "You're welcome to take over the post if you want it."

  She grinned. "If you want, but I'm kind of on a break."

  "How's the soup kitchen going?" he asked earnestly.

  "We're just getting started."

  "You're doing a good thing, Sara. I'm sorry if I made you feel bad about it."

  She didn't seem to believe him. Her eyes were elsewhere, searching. "Not everyone gets to bankrupt a business and roll it into a charity."

  "You turned up lemons and made lemon pie."

  "Lemonade," she smiled. She studied his face and they both fell quiet until she swallowed loudly. "I know what you did for me, Jack. You gave up promoting the Foundation to bring Dobbs in."

  He nodded, flattered he'd been discovered and ecstatic she was pleased. "I just wanted to help."

  Her smile deepened. "Good. Because I haven't just come to help here, I've come with a problem."

  "What's that?"

  "I need a dive instructor."

  Jack pulled back in surprise.

  "I can't pass the certification test," she grinned sheepishly. "I need you."

  For a moment, he almost took her in his arms but caught himself. "Okay," he said with as much caution as he could pretend.

  "And I'm not going to make a big donation to your charity." She gave him a teasing stare. "I'm not looking to network or exchange favors. I'm asking you because you are my," she hesitated then finished quietly with, "at the very least, my friend."

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sara, Ellen, and Carly met Jack for dinner at a small tavern with an outdoor bar. Macaw's flashy paint job made it easy to see from the beach. It was nestled on a small hill overlooking the marina, low enough to be within comfortable walking distance but high enough to catch a breeze.

  A lone guitarist sat in the corner and strummed a few chords. Conner whistled to catch their attention but Jack was already on his feet. "Girls," he said cheerfully. He led them to a wooden booth. Party lanterns were scattered around the room; one dangling precariously over the table. "You hungry?"

  "Starving," Sara smiled.

  "They have great snapper."

  "I love any kind of seafood, except oysters."

  Jack grinned, "They have those, too."

  Ellen raised a hand. "I'll take a dozen."

  "Gross," muttered Carly.

  "At least you don't have to cook," Jack teased.

  They ate and made plans for the next afternoon. Jack told them stories about Conner and Conner returned the favor. Sara's sides ached from laughing, and her body tingled with happiness. Jack genuinely seemed happy she'd come to see him. When they were finished, he took her by the hand and she followed him outside. "Would you like to give it a shot tomorrow?"

  "Diving?"

  He nodded.

  Sara took a slow deep breath and plucked a loose thread on the hem of her shorts. "I don't think I'm ready to certify yet. I need practice."

  "I know what you need," Jack reassured her. Sara found herself mesmerized in the dark. In the moonlight his eyes gleamed as he studied her face, searching.

  Ellen swept out the door with Carly in tow. "We better go now." She smiled at Jack, and took Sara from his hand.

  "What time do you want to meet tomorrow?"

  "Sunrise."

  "I'll see you then," Sara promised him. "I'll be ready." He held onto her fingers until she pulled away. The tenderness of it left a lump in her throat.

  There was an unwritten rule for diving; you had to do it for yourself, not for anyone else. She knew she couldn't bear to disappoint Jack, but she also knew that going into the water was something she had to want. If she didn't, she would never conquer the fear. On the taxi ride back to the hotel, palms shuffled in the darkness. Sara watched them nodding, admonishing her that the decision had to be her own.

  After a restless night, she made good on her promise, taking the steps to the pier two at a time as the sun flowered across the sky. Her mind
was fatigued but a stream of excitement began to rise. She waved when she saw him rise from Calliope's deck and look her direction. As torturous as the night had been there was something about the smell of the air, the taste of salt on the breeze, and the open sea that made all of the fears creep into the furthest recesses of her mind.

  The beautiful turquoise water did not seem like a mysterious hazard but an exotic invitation. Surprised, she realized she couldn't wait to get in and have a look around Jack Brandon's world.

  Ellen and Carly lagged behind arguing about swimsuits. "Come on," Sara called after them. She skipped past the tidy row of private boats in their various shapes and sizes and up the gangway. "You ready for me?"

  Jack jumped over the rail and took her into his arms. He kissed her nose. "Been ready." He led her aboard, took her into the cabin and handed her a book. "Read through the manual and refresh your memory."

  "I've been refreshing all night." Sara took the book and flipped it open to the first lesson. "Are you going to let Carly try?"

  Jack should his head. "Conner is going to take them snorkeling. It'll be just you and me."

  "She'll be disappointed," Sara warned.

  "Who'll be disappointed?" Ellen clambered into the small space.

  "I'm going to have Conner take you and Carly snorkeling."

  "That's fine."

  Carly's head dropped over the hatch, upside-down like a lantern. "I want to dive."

  "You're not certified and your mother said no," Jack said firmly.

  "I can do most of it. Certify me."

  "Not this time."

  She stuck her lip out and looked at her mother. "You got to him."

  Ellen shook her head. "He's completely right."

  "She's not too young," Jack waffled.

  "When she learns to listen to me, I'll consider it."

  Carly's head disappeared.

  Jack turned back to Sara. "Go over the manual and we'll practice on deck."

  "You're going to certify me?"

  "Let's do a run through then we'll see how far you're comfortable going once we're in the water."

  "How deep?" Sara tried to disguise her consternation.

  "We'll put the anchor down in about twenty feet. Then we'll snorkel in toward the cay and give it a shot in about, say ten?"

  Sara nodded. "I can do ten feet."

  He gave her a squeeze, smiled at Ellen, then hurried out.

  "You going to be okay?"

  Sara looked over the top of her book. "I really feel like I can do it. I don't know if it's him or because you're here, but I want to conquer this."

  "Just remember," said Ellen, "no matter what, breathe from the mouth. Pretend there's something smelly out there."

  "That's not going to be easy since I use my smeller every day."

  "Let the things you've learned be right here. Nothing more." Ellen tapped her forehead. "Once you pass off these skills, it's over. You'll be able to swim around and relax, plus you'll know what to do if something ever happens. It's all in the preparation."

  Sara smiled at her sister. "I'll do my best."

  Jack said that it was three miles out but to Sara the ride ended too soon. They set down anchor outside a strip of rocky beach with ivory sand and squatty palms. Just where the water began to change from indigo to a lighter greenish hue, Jack cut off the rattling engine. "How's this look?"

  Carly dangled over the side, nearly overturning herself. "I can see the bottom!" she cried in excitement. Conner, loaded down with gear, grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her back into the boat.

  "You're not going in without one of these." He dangled a snorkeling vest in front of her nose and she screwed her face into a knot.

  "I don't need a life jacket."

  "It's not a lifejacket, it's a snorkeling vest."

  It took twenty minutes to get them into the water and on their way. Sara watched them hurry off, a small school of happy swimmers. She felt Jack come up behind her, his warm legs up against the back of hers.

  "You look good in that."

  Sara glanced down at her new green bikini. "Makes my caboose look big."

  "Oh no, it doesn't," Jack crooned. "Are you ready?"

  Grinning, she nodded. Ellen had loaned her the shorty and she zipped it up over her suit. He handed the BC over and watched her struggle into it. He'd already strapped the tank in. "Try sitting on the bench."

  She sat and wiggled into the heavy vest. "Weights?" She stood and he wrapped a belt around her with eight pounds on either side.

  "If this doesn't feel right, we'll try something heavier." The wind was whipping his hair around and she brushed it out of his face.

  "You need a haircut."

  He laughed. "No thanks." He pulled on her braid to make sure it was secure. "You shouldn't have any trouble with your mask with your hair tied back. One or two strands can still break the seal and let water find its way in."

  "We don't want that to happen." Sara pressed her lips together. She tried to feel brave.

  "Just relax. Air in. Air out."

  Sara nodded. "I won't panic. I had a taste of what that can do in class. Guffin made me realize the seriousness of it, that and my head spinning once I broke the surface too fast."

  "You stay calm and you breathe," Jack reassured. His gaze drifted off momentarily and Sara sensed he was thinking about Holly.

  She bent down and pulled on one of her fins. "My parents would have wanted me to live my life to the fullest. They would have wanted me to open Turtle Soup." She chuckled. "They would have been right there with me, even though it didn't turn out how I hoped, they would have wanted me to give it a go." Jack remained silent, squatting to help her get her other foot in place. "That's what it's all about. That's why I'm here right now. I'm giving it a go."

  "You are very wise for a landlubber," he teased. Sara laughed and picked up the rest of her gear.

  The dive platform was a white shelf almost level with the gentle waves. Ignoring the ladder, Sara put one hand to her mask and the other to her mouth and jumped. Water fizzed around her like seltzer. When the bubbles cleared, she gave a kick up to the surface just as Jack joined her in a small splash.

  He had nothing on but a pair of swim shorts, his BC strapped over his bare shoulders. He grinned around the mouthpiece then motioned for her to follow him. They swam several yards away from the boat until Jack pointed down. Sara lifted her release valve. She put the hose straight up into the air and depressed it in short spurts, waiting for her body to sink slowly toward the bottom. She only had to stop once, tugging on her nose and stretching her neck until her ears balanced with a whoosh of cold water.

  Sara gazed around in wonderment. Visibility stretched for what seemed miles, an endless sapphire universe with clean sand and brown stumps of coral on the bottom. A school of silver fish swam past as if she were of no importance. She felt like Alice in Wonderland.

  Jack motioned for her to settle on an uninhabited patch of sand. Sara depressed the rest of her air out of the BC. Relatively stationary, she folded her legs, mindful of her fins and the damage they could do. A nervous flutter tickled her gut but she took another deep breath, closed her eyes, and envisioned a cloud of butterflies soaring away. Jack took her hand and through the glass she found her focus, his brown eyes closely watching hers.

  Like she'd done so many times before, she nodded when he gave her the signal to begin the first skill. He was no longer Jack in the deli, or Jack kissing her on the back patio, but her teacher, and a patient one, waiting for her to pull the regulator from her mouth, float it away then calmly retrieve it. She did so with no problem, allowing a slow confident stream of bubbles to pass between her lips.

  He gave her the okay signal and they moved on. Excitement built in her chest. She began to tremble uncontrollably. The tasks were simple and familiar, and though exhilaration literally made her shake, her mind stayed steady. The time came to flood her mask and drain the water out. He moved closer, locking eyes and gave her an enco
uraging nod.

  Sara took a breath. She mentally commanded herself not to inhale through her nose and without dwelling on the consequences tilted her mask slightly forward until the seal broke. Water flooded over her face, ice cold against the dry comfort. Her eyes slammed shut. She reached for her regulator and touching it for reassurance, made herself draw in through her mouth without sniffling. When her lungs were full, she looked up and blew the air out through her nostrils until it magically pushed all of the water out of the mask. Timidly she opened one eye.

  The mask was empty. The salt in her mouth tasted as strong as if she'd licked a salt block. Satisfied, she looked at Jack and he smiled. He mimed Guffin's clap which made her giggle. It came out a loud strangled puff in her ears but he seemed to understand. He put his hands on either side of her face and put her mask to his. He winked, filling her with warmth, and then motioned for the last skill.

  Sara did not dwell on her parents in the car but she didn't try to push away the thoughts of their last moments as they crowded in. She thought about how proud they would be she was trying new things. Sara removed the mask completely, placed it back on her head, and paused. Breathing in and out through the regulator, she calmly cleared the mask once more. When she could see again, she found to her surprise, Conner and Ellen hovered over her, floating weightlessly in the aquatic air.

  ****

  Conner laid a long plank over the engine cover and took a machete to a whole pineapple. Sara was surprised at her hunger. They'd only been in the water for half of an hour. Jack had taken her to a congregation of rocks and pointed out a few tropical fish. She'd also examined a large conch shell with the long legs of a crab visible from a crevice.

  "Eat this." Jack shoved a slice of fresh pineapple in her mouth. She closed her eyes as the sweet syrup washed over her tongue. "Mmmm." She reached for another, dodging the smack of Carly's hand. "It's not all for you," she threatened. Her niece grinned.

  "How was it?"

  "Awesome." Sara took a bottled water from a cooler and sat back to warm herself in the sun. "Completely different than the pool."