Barry’s face fell.“I don’t like surprises.”
“This is a good one, trust me.Meet me at my house around six tonight.”
“Alright.”Barry still didn’t look convinced about this surprise, but at least he agreed.
“Good, now I have to go.”She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.“I’ll see you tonight.”She walked away quickly, only waving at him over her shoulder until she passed the storage shed next to the pier.The same storage he had been leaning against when she’d arrived last night.
She ducked behind the wall and peeked around the corner to see if he was still there.Barry stood there for a moment before leaving, probably headed for his hotel.She slid along the side of the wall, getting a few strange looks from a few local fishermen.She opened the storage door and grabbed her scuba gear, then walked back along the path to Jacques.He would have a small boat that could get her to the southeastern coast.
Several of the locals looked at her curiously.It was odd to see her walking down the lane with a scuba tank when they knew her boat was docked behind her, but no one stopped her.Most people kept to themselves here.Except Elsie.
Mac spotted her shop up ahead.She was lifting the front lid above her shack to provide shade from the scorching sun.If anyone would stop her, it would be Elsie.
Mac darted into the thick brush before the woman turned and saw her.The bottom of the tank caught on thick roots and vegetation, making lugging it around even harder.Sweat started to dot her forehead, and her arm felt the strain from carrying it through the jungle.
Normally it didn’t bother her to take it from the storage shed to the boat, but when having to lug it around for half a mile, it was a pain.
Finally, she made it through a clearing and stood in front of Jacques’ dock.He sat in a rocking chair next to his makeshift shack to advertise his services.He had an array of speed boats with tubes or jet skis to pull behind and fishing charter boats.
Inside the shack, he had fishing tackle and scuba gear.She could have saved herself the arm strain and gotten it from him, but she didn’t want to pay Jacques’ fees for using what she already had available to herself.
Jacques was leaning back in his chair with a white bucket under his feet to keep him propped up.His straw hat that was more black than tan and had frayed edges was tipped over his face as he napped under the already hot sun.
Mac set down the tank next to Jacques’ side.He nearly jumped out of his seat, his hat falling onto the ground.He looked around for the source of his fright until his glare landed on her.
“Morning, Jacques.”Mac smiled sweetly.
“Gosh dang it, Mac.”He bent forward and picked up his hat, dusting it off before putting it back on his head.
The man had dark tanned skin from being out in the sun all day for years.He had been running this business since she had been on the island and probably years before that.Jacques didn’t talk much about himself, so she didn’t know his backstory.But one thing she did know was that he hated being startled.
“What are you doing waking a man from a good nap like that?”
“I apologize, Jacques.It was getting so heavy, and it just sort of slipped from my grip.”
“What are you doing with your tank down here anyway?”
“I need to rent one of your boats.”Mac knew he wouldn’t ask too many questions, only enough to appease his curiosity.
“What’s wrong with Burt’s boat?”
“Nothing.They have the day off, and I want to do some exploring on my own.I found a really pretty coral area I want to explore.”
Jacques stood up.They were of equal height.“I thought you only did sharks?”he asked, giving her a critical eye.
“I research and study sharks, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like exploring the island.”Jacques continued to stare at her.“Besides, I need a smaller boat to get near the inlet where it’s at.”
“Which area?”he continued, giving her a questioning look.The downside to a small island: everyone was curious about everyone and suspicious when you did things out of the ordinary.
“Since when do you care where your guests go so long as they bring the boat back?”she snapped.Since when did he get so inquisitive?If she didn’t know better, he had spoken to Burt, and the two of them were suspicious of her.It really was too small of an island sometimes.
“Alright, no reason to get testy.I was only curious.”He held his hands up in surrender.“How long do you need it for?”
“A couple hours.”
“Do you need air for the tank?”
“No, it was filled last night.”
