Dot clenched her hands as her walls went up.“It was all over the news.”She exhaled, relaxing.“And I wanted to know how you were doing.”Couldn’t quite manage the disinterest she wanted to feel.Was close to obsessed with finding out whether the expedition had been worth leaving her, but when she’d read the reports, she’d realised she couldn’t possibly compete with buried treasure and pirates.
He would know what they needed to do about the treasure the Stokes found, and maybe the Stokes could keep some small part of their find.“What did you do next?”
“We spent about a year cataloguing everything.A private investor was fascinated by the find and was willing to pay to have the whole thing properly catalogued.”
It sounded like the dream situation.At university, Oliver had often ranted about the lack of money given to archaeology.
“The whole expedition garnered so much attention that the team was asked to do other expeditions around the world and a TV studio came on board.We went to Indonesia, the Mediterranean, South Africa and the Caribbean, before I decided to come home.”
She couldn’t compete with jet-setting around the world.Dot frowned.“You or the whole team?”
“Me.They’re currently working on a wreck off the Thai coast.”
“Why did you leave?”
He was silent for a long time.“The entire experience had lost its shine.So many people were involved in the dives that I never got the chance to do any of the research.I always loved the stories behind the wrecks, but we were handed dossiers and told to dive.”He shrugged.“First world problems, I know.There are hundreds of people who would want the opportunities I had.”
“It makes sense to me.You used to stay up all night researching, and then use coffee to get through your day.”
He smiled.“You used to bring me my first cup.”
Her heart squeezed.The memories were still so clear.At first she’d tried to stay up with him, help with his research, but she hadn’t had the stamina, or maybe the interest, to last all night.She’d wait for him in bed before falling asleep.Initially she’d worried he was losing interest in her, but then she’d realised he’d simply lost track of time.It had been an endearing trait, and something she’d loved about him.She cleared her throat.“So, you got a job at the museum?”
He nodded.“Which came with the position at the university.”He hesitated.“Job satisfaction wasn’t the only reason I left.”He tousled his hair.“I was lonely.I love my team, but they all had families to go home to.”
Dot’s heart squeezed.She couldn’t touch that.Not yet.“You must have a lot of stories to tell.”
“I’ve lost count of all my expedition journals.”
“Have you ever thought of publishing them?”
He laughed.“I’ve had an offer, but I’m not sure anyone really wants to read my ramblings.”
“You were always wonderful at expressing yourself.You’d capture everyone’s attention at parties when you spoke of pirates and shipwrecks.”
“Who wouldn’t be interested in pirates?”
He was deflecting, which wasn’t like him.Normally he took praise with grace, but perhaps the idea of writing a book was daunting.“Are you happy?”
He crossed his arms, rubbing them as the temperature turned cool with the sun below the horizon.“I’ve missed the diving.”
Dot shifted and grabbed a spare towel, handing it to him.He wrapped it around his shoulders and sighed.“I need to be honest, Dot.One reason I returned was because of you.”
She sucked in a breath, waiting for him to continue.
“Every woman I’ve dated couldn’t compare to you.I don’t know whether I’d idealised what we had, whether I’m remembering only the good bits, but with you it was… right.”
Her yearning grew stronger.“That time of our lives was special, but we were on the cusp of adulthood, with no real responsibilities except attending classes and paying the rent.We didn’t care about anything except the freedom we finally had.”
He nodded.“But I also remember the excitement of finishing class and seeing you again.Those days when you and Nhiari would come and eat at the Chinese restaurant where I worked and would stay all night just so we could be near each other.”
Dot smiled.“The owners eventually set a table aside for us.”
He grinned.“Mrs Lam was a romantic.”
And Nhiari didn’t mind where they hung out.She hadn’t been interested in clubbing or bars.They’d spent many evenings talking about the future and what they wanted to do in Retribution Bay when they both got jobs there.And Dot had always had the red bean buns for dessert.
The plan to move to Retribution Bay had always been when, not if, even after she’d met Oliver.So many ships had gone down off the coast, and he wanted to discover them.For a small, popular town, with only a few staff, Nhiari and Dot had both been certain they would end up there somehow.
