“Is it just him she’s against marrying?”
“No. She doesn’t want the life he has planned out for her in any way that I can see. She’s happy enough to give it all up right now and walk away.”
“Is she strong enough to do that?”
“I don’t know. She says she is, but I don’t know her well enough to be sure yet.”
“She looks mighty young. I can see exactly why you feel protective of her.”
“Yeah, but she’s not as young as she looks.”
“I know. It’s all in here.” He handed her a large manila envelope. “There’s very little about her in here. It’s like she doesn’t exist in a lot of ways. Almost like he doesn’t know she exists. Maybe he’ll just let it go.”
“I don’t think so. From what she’s told me, his pride won’t let him if nothing else.”
“That’s what I thought too. Do you think he’ll try to hurt her? Physically, I mean.”
“Not sure. Mentally? Definitely. Financially? Absolutely. I’m not sure he’ll go so far as to hurt her physically.” Oz glanced back at Finn, noticing the way the sun fell across her hair and highlighted the different shades in it.
“Do you know about her mother?”
“She told me her mother died when she was a child.”
“Did she tell you the circumstances?”
“No.”
“Very suspicious circumstances. Never found a body.” He pointed to the envelope she was holding. “The report is in there. Along with some newspaper clippings and a police report I managed to get hold of. A lot of it she may not even know, so you may want to be careful about what you say to her. Oz, this guy is a real piece of work. And I mean that in the worst way. He’s got a lot of legitimate businesses, but there are more rumors of underground illegal stuff than I can shake a stick at. I had to go through some serious channels to get some of that stuff for you. And there was more than one government agency calling my office this morning when I did, asking why I was snooping around.”
“CIA?”
“Throw in Interpol, MI6, and the NSA.”
“Wow, full house. I’m gonna really hate this bastard, aren’t I, Uncle Charlie?”
“Yes, baby. You really are.” He handed her a card with a number penned on the back while she fought back her own revulsion. “That’s my sat phone number. Any time, Oz. You need anything. And I mean anything. You call me on that number. You understand?”
“Yes, sir.” She threw her arms around him again. “Thank you, Uncle Charlie.”
“You still have a weapon?”
“Yes, sir, I have a few.”
“You keep ’em ready, you hear?”
“Yes, sir. Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
“Thanks, but no. I gotta get back to the base. It’s Thanksgiving next month. Why don’t you invite her over?”
It’s only the second of October, Uncle Charlie!”
“That makes Thanksgiving next month. She’s still going to be here, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“Where is she staying?”
“She’s at the Ocean Key Resort at the moment, but she’ll be moving pretty soon. I was thinking about Mrs. Richmond—”
“Old lady Richmond?”
“Yup.”
“You spoken to her yet?”
“No, I was going to give her a call in a little while.”
“Tell her we’ll all be at her pool party on Sunday.”
“Sure.”
“I think that’s a good idea, having her with Mrs. R. She’s got more guns than I do!”
Oz chuckled, knowing it was probably true. “It will make her harder to trace and easier to protect. She’s only a few doors down from me then, and Mrs. Richmond is always looking out those curtains at what’s going on.”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with her?”
“Only met her two days ago, but I took her out to dinner last night.”
“Dinner? Like a date?”
“No, like an apology.” Oz chuckled. “I was an asshole to her yesterday and invited her to dinner to say sorry.”
“Right.”
“I don’t know what it is, Uncle Charlie, but whenever I’m around her, I just want to protect her, and I fly off the deep end with it.” Oz ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “I say things without thinking, and then I try and find something to say to her just to stop her from looking sad or being mad at me. Or better yet, to make her smile. Or laugh. She has this wonderful laugh. It’s like music or something.”
“Right.”
“Anyway. Thanks for the info, and the help.”
“No problem, Ladyfish.” He gave her a tight hug and gave her a long, searching look before kissing her forehead and striding off, flipping open his cell phone as he walked away.
Oz watched him go and contemplated her next move. She didn’t want to scare Finn off by letting her know she was digging into her family life. But she also felt like Finn had a right to know Oz was snooping. She looked at Finn, still signing paperwork, the sun making her skin glow. Her stomach flipped and she pressed a hand to it.
Shit
.
Finn was still working her way through the forms when Oz took her seat again. She shuffled the manila envelope to the bottom of the stack and started looking over the information in front of her, though she didn’t really see any of it, absorbed as she was with the turn her life had taken.
“Oz?”
“Hmm?”
“Is everything okay?”
“What?”
“With your uncle? Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s fine. I asked him to get some information for me, and we haven’t seen each other for a while, so he decided to pop down and see me.” She turned back to her papers.
“Oz? What’s a ladyfish?”
“It’s a fish.”
Finn snorted. “I guessed that much. Why did your uncle call you ladyfish?”
“It’s just a stupid nickname. It’s renowned to be a particularly difficult fish to catch, has a tendency to take the bait from the hook, and when it is caught, it’s supposed to be more difficult to land than a barracuda or a shark.”
“Ah, okay. I can see that, I guess. So, Ladyfish. No long-term girlfriend?”
Oz stared at her before slowly shaking her head.
“Ever?”
“Never.” Oz looked back down at the papers in front of her and didn’t notice Finn move until she felt a hand resting gently on her shoulder.
“It’ll be a lucky girl who finally finds the right bait, Ladyfish.” She squeezed her shoulder gently and then made her way toward the bathroom. Oz sighed as she watched Finn saunter away from her.
Shit, shit, shit.
She couldn’t drag her eyes away from the sight of the loose-fitting black board shorts and forest green tank top that hung loosely on Finn’s small frame. Her long auburn hair hung down her back, almost to her waist, the sun catching highlights of red and gold. A gentle smile curved her lips, but it was her laughing eyes that made Oz shiver. She had eyes that shone like emeralds in the sun, and Oz wondered what they would look like in a moment of passion. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice Finn come back.
“I finished with those papers you gave me, so what’s next?”
“Swim test.”
“I did one back in the UK. They said they sent the results to you with the other paperwork.”
“I think there may have been a mistake with the times so we have to repeat the tests. Sorry.”
“What did they put down?”
“Twenty-six point two one.”
“For the fifty? That’s about right.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No. I told you I swam when I was younger.”
“Not in the Olympics, you didn’t.”
“Not quite. I couldn’t break twenty-six seconds. I needed a few more inches in height, really. Don’t say it.” She wagged a finger in Oz’s direction.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said as she smothered her laughter.
“So do we still need to do the swim test again? I really want to start getting into this, and I know there’s a lot to learn.”
“I’ll let it go. Here.” She pushed a book in front of Finn. “This is what you need to start studying. We’ll go over it tomorrow with the rest of the class, but if you can prepare ahead with the material you can also be looking at the presentation for teaching styles and techniques too. That will help you later on when you have to teach the course you’re going to attend tomorrow.”
“Okay. Is there somewhere I should go out of the way or am I okay to hang out here?”
“You can hang out here or there’s a training room empty today, so feel free. If you want to go back to the hotel, that’s cool too. We can always meet later so I can show you the house if you like?”
“No, I’ll hang around here.”
“We also need to get your equipment. Wet suit, dry suit, your buoyancy control device or BCD, fins, mask, et cetera. I would recommend a dive computer too, but you don’t have to do this all at once. For now, you can borrow stuff from the dive center and then buy when you have the money.” Oz looked away, suddenly aware that she might be intruding on Finn’s personal space and unsure why she felt the need to take control. She let all her other students and divers make their own purchases.
“Oz, I have the money I need for the equipment. I take it everything I need I can get here?”
“Yeah. And I’ll make sure you get a good deal. I have some time before I have to be out on the boats, so I’ll take you through, if you want?” Oz knew she was burying herself deeper every minute she spent with Finn, but she wanted to spend time with her, even if she didn’t want to know why.
They made their way through the store, picking up the various items Finn would need. Oz walked behind her and held a jacket open for her to put her arms through. She lifted it onto Finn’s shoulders and turned her to begin fastening the straps and buckles, tightening each as she went, trying to ignore the swell of Finn’s breasts under her hands and the subtle scent of Finn’s sun-warmed skin. “How does it feel?”
“Like wearing a rucksack for a hike.”
Oz smiled. “Wait till you feel it with a full tank attached. It looks pretty good. There are different colors, so if you wanted a pink one, it could be arranged.”
“Pink? Do I look like a pink girl to you?”
“Maybe green, then? It would bring out your eyes.” Heat rushed to Oz’s cheeks as she realized she had actually spoken the words out loud. “I mean—you know. It would look good on you.”
Finn was smiling at her again. “Thank you.” She unbuckled the BCD and slid it from her shoulders. “You’re cute when you blush. So what’s next?”
Grateful Finn didn’t continue to tease her, Oz ran with it.
“Wet suit. There are loads of different makes and models out there. Shorties, two-piece sets that have a jacket you can leave off. Different thicknesses. Men’s, women’s, unisex. Even children’s if we need to.” Oz ruffled through a rack of wet suits. “Do you have a preference?”
“I leave myself in your expert hands, Oz.”
So many possible double entendres ran through Oz’s head she felt dizzy, but she managed to stifle them. “Okay, so I like SCUBAPRO suits. They have a really good shape for ladies. Generous in the right places without allowing too much space for extra water. Are you looking for a thick wet suit?”
“What difference does it make?”
“Well, the thicker the wet suit, the more buoyant it makes you in the water. It means you have to carry a little more weight to descend.”
They worked out what would work best for Finn based on her body weight and height, with only a bit of teasing about the small size of the wet suit they decided on. Oz did her best to keep her hands to herself, but couldn’t seem to resist pressing the various options against Finn’s body to feel the soft curves beneath the neoprene. She headed into the dressing room with the best option to make sure it fit.
Oz continued picking out the required items. Boots, fins, regulator, gloves, and a snorkel. She pulled several masks from the shelves and put them together with the pile for Finn to try on.
“Any chance you can zip me up?”
“Sure.” Oz turned to her and felt her breath catch in her throat as Finn stepped out of the changing room in the wet suit, turning as she did so.
Jesus.
She eased the zipper up while Finn held her hair out of the way.
“Thanks. So does it fit right?” Finn did a catwalk style turn.
“Definitely.” Oz’s mouth went dry.
Focus, Zuckerman. Jesus, you’re acting like a teenage boy!
She turned away and rambled, desperately trying to get her body under control.
“I pulled out some other stuff here for you. The fins I recommend are boot fins. That way, if you’re walking into the water or anything, you have the boots to protect your feet and you don’t have to walk in barefoot. I’ve been using the Mares ocean fins for the last couple of years. I like ’em. Plus they have lots of colors. It makes it harder for people to pick yours up by accident, and you can coordinate with your wet suit.”
That’s better, Zuckerman. Keep it professional.
“So what else do I need now?”
“Mask and computer. I pulled these masks out because I think they may work, but we’ll have to try them on you for fit. What you need to do is fit it to your face and pull your breath in. If you can make the seal, then the mask fits. If it falls off easily, then it will leak.” She handed one to Finn. “Go ahead. Give it a try.”
Finn placed the tempered glass mask over her eyes and nose and sucked her breath in. She let her hands down from her face and raised her head only to have the mask slip before she was standing straight.
“The technique was right. It’s the fit that isn’t. Here, try this on.” They went through the process with six masks before Oz walked back to the shelves.
“I think my face is shaped wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your face.”
Believe me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your face. It’s perfect.
“Give this one a try.” Finn repeated the process only to find that this time the mask stayed attached to her face however much she shook her head around. “Perfect fit. So what’s different about this one?”
Oz inclined her head toward the shelf where she had retrieved the mask. “It’s from the children’s section.” Her laughter brought a look of outrage to Finn’s face. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. Look.”
Finn laughed and shrugged. “Oh well, at least I didn’t have to get a children’s wet suit.”