As Deep As the Ocean

by Cindy Nichols

  “Ah, but you know how magic it is, right? Nothing like it.”

  She nodded in agreement, and they carried everything out to the patio. Alex paused for a moment, inhaling deeply of the crisp, salty air and watched as Cassie went out to the cliff and stretched, her hair flowing in the breeze. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d been so content, so calm.

  “We ran into a blip,” Taylor said as she poked her head out the door. “We’ll be a little longer, and then I’m on margaritas.”

  Alex nodded, and said, “We can barbecue all this and it’ll be ready when they’re done. The sun will be down soon, so I hope they’ll make it with the lights in time.”

  “They will. It may be Baja time, but they’ll make it,” Cassie said, and for the first time Alex knew exactly what she meant.

  As they cooked, several people who’d helped them over the past few days came by and Alex was happy to serve them a plate of the delicious meat, and beans, rice and tortillas to go with it. Every single person raved about the corn, and he knew his grandmother would be proud.

  It was a lively group, and Alex had had more fun than he had in years doing this project. Raul popped his head out the door and said, “I think we’re ready.”

  A hush fell over the group of friends and neighbors and Alex reached for Cassie’s hand. Applause and whistles erupted as the lights strung along the pillars lit the patio.

  “You did it,” Cassie said as she rushed to hug Raul and Taylor as they came around, their faces beaming.

  “We all did it,” Raul said, shaking Alex’s hand and patting him on the back.

  The visitors slowly dwindled. The four friends rested and ate, and as the sun set and dusk fell over the sea, Cassie said, “I can’t believe we all pulled this off. My mother will be thrilled, and I’m pretty impressed with us.”

  They laughed and toasted to each other. Alex looked from the house to the sea, and up the beach to where the dunes rose—which would soon be tennis courts, with lights that would blot out the stars. He crossed over to the cliff, getting in one last look at the ocean before the darkness fell.

  He felt Cassie’s hand on his shoulder. “What is it, Alex?”

  He knew he should tell her, but he just couldn’t. She was beautiful, charming—and he knew if he told her, she’d likely never speak to him. He was the enemy, and he wanted this to last a while longer, no matter how selfish.

  “Just enjoying the beauty I see all around me, Cassie.”

  She nodded. “It’s overwhelming, isn’t it,” she said innocently.

  “Yes. Yes, it is.”

  They returned to the house, lights fully ablaze.

  “Wow, we’ve never had this much light. Ever,” Taylor said.

  “Well done, you two. Cassie and I may have wielded hammers with minimal injury, but you two put this together. I could never have figured that out.”

  “Speaking of that, I’d love to take us all out to dinner tomorrow night. Taylor and I need to clean up around here, but dinner at the Rancho tomorrow? On me? I can’t thank you all enough, but I can do that.”

  Alex and Raul both bowed slightly in her direction. “We have some work to catch up on, but tomorrow evening would be lovely. Thank you,” Alex said. “Want us to stay and help with the dishes?”

  Cassie laughed. “I can’t cook, I can’t do calculations, but I can do dishes,” she said as she pushed them both toward the door. “Thank you for everything, and we’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  Chapter 10

  The next afternoon, Cassie took every item of clothing she’d brought for the trip, glanced at it and threw it on the bed.

  “I’ve got to find something decent to wear,” Cassie said, eyeing herself in the mirror. “He’s only seen me in work mode, or when I looked like a drowned rat. Hoping to do better than that for tonight.”

  “I don’t know why. I normally pack like I’m camping, but I threw a couple of extra things in knowing your head wasn’t exactly screwed on right at the time for packing.”

  She was right. When Cassie had found out about the demise of the vaquita sanctuary and made plans to head down south, all she’d considered was what she’d be wearing to the news conference. The rest was an afterthought.

  “Let’s pick the best one. You need to look your best tonight, my friend.”

  Cassie looked at her friend in the mirror and frowned. “It’s just a thank-you dinner. Nothing special.”

  “Right. I see how you two look at each other like nothing’s special. Sure.”

  “Okay, so I like him. A lot,” Cassie said as she flipped through the dresses Taylor had brought. She actually liked Alex more than a lot, but she wasn’t ready to say it out loud. They barely knew each other. She hadn’t even told him about the vaquita. “And what about you and Raul?”

  Taylor shook her head. “He’s very nice and funny and obviously brilliant. But we’re math buddies. That was one of the most fun projects I’ve ever done, but no spark. Which is fine. Fun to have a friend that’s a guy. And a smart guy at that.”

  Cassie nodded with understanding. She turned her attention to the subject of her attire, and borrowed a white dress that drifted over her legs and wouldn’t rub her sting, which was still a little tender. Swiping some gloss over her lips, she caught herself in the mirror. Not too bad, she thought.

  “That’s a lot of dressing up for you, Cass.” Taylor threw a pair of pink sandals at her friend. “Finishing touch.”

  They arrived at Rancho Del Sol right on time, and Alex was outside the restaurant waiting for them. Both girls let out a little gasp when they spotted him, outside under the palapa dressed in a cotton shirt and khaki pants. He was every bit the handsome Latin gentleman, down to the embroidery on his shirt.

  “Wow, he’s easy on the eyes,” Taylor said, with a wink to her friend. “You’re going to have fun tonight, I hope.”

  “What do you mean me? You and Raul are eating with us.”

  Taylor stayed in the driver’s seat as Alex came around to open the door for Cassie, but winked at her friend. “No, I’m meeting him over by the palapas in the bar on the beach, so I’ll just drive down there. I don’t think I’ll be here long. Can you get her home?” she asked, Alex within earshot.

  “Of course,” he said, nodding at Taylor while holding his hand out for Cassie. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw her. “You look lovely.”

  Cassie smiled and tried not to wince as she eased her tired leg out of the Jeep. She wasn’t successful, and Alex’s arm shot behind her waist to help her. She felt comfortable, almost familiar with him and was grateful to him for looking out for her. He helped her over to the door, and she turned and waved at Taylor as she drove off toward the beach bar.

  “Looks as if you’re still a little unsteady. Does it hurt much anymore?” he asked as he held her arm and pulled out her chair. She sat down and gaped at the beautiful view out the tall glass windows from the best table in the restaurant, one she knew was for reservations only.

  “Only when I get tired,” Cassie said with a wry smile. “Gets better all the time, though. I really appreciate you looking after me.”

  “I couldn’t take my eyes off of you from the moment I saw you, so it was easy,” he said with a comfortable grin.

  “Is this something you do frequently?”

  “Have dinner with beautiful women?” His eyes darkened, and he looked away. “I do not have time for such things, and should probably not be doing it now.”

  Cassie wanted to know more about why such a handsome and skilled man wouldn’t, but his frown discouraged further questions along those lines. She wanted to change his mood, and said, “No, saving people from drowning is what I meant. And helping them get the lights back on.”

  He started, as if coming back to the present. “Oh, I misunderstood. No, I don’t do that much either.”

  “It’s not something that happens much for you in the Navy?”

  He gazed at his plate, picking up his fork, absently moving
it from one side of his plate to the other. “I am no longer in the Navy. It was a brief period for me, something required before I entered the family business.”

  He grew quiet, and the twinge in her belly told Cassie she should step back. She hoped there would be time for her to delve deeper into this subject later, but for now, she kept it light, grateful when the waiter came and let them know what the specials of the evening were.

  “So, when was the last time you had the famous Sea of Cortez blue shrimp?”

  Alex smiled, seeming relieved at the change of subject. “Ah, my favorite. May I order for us both?” he asked, checking first to make sure she wasn’t allergic to any particular foods, and to gauge her heat tolerance. Food in Mexico could be very hot, with jalapeno peppers almost a revered national vegetable.

  “I can handle it as hot as they can make it,” she laughed, and she knew she had made the right decision when she was greeted again with his warm, wide smile.

  They worked their way through shrimp cocktail, Mexican style, with avocados, tomatoes, jalapenos and lime and moved on to locally caught fish with tortillas, rice and beans.

  She refrained as best she could from prying questions about his background, but Alex wanted to know all about Cassie’s experiences here in the Baja. They’d already spent hours in the past few days talking about their mutual love of sand and sea, but she’d purposefully avoided talking about the vaquita. She looked out at the crashing waves and thought it was time he should know. She felt a twinge of regret that she hadn’t told him already about something so near and dear to her heart—to her life.

  “We’ve talked a lot about things around Baja, but I haven’t mentioned my favorite. The vaquita.”

  Alex frowned and leaned back in his chair. “You mean the little dolphin that live around here?”

  Exasperated—although she shouldn’t be as it happened almost every time—Cassie said, “Not dolphin. They’re porpoises. Not the same thing.”

  Alex smiled and said, “That’s a difference probably only a marine biologist would know. I’m not that.”

  She smiled and reached up to her necklace. “Well, I am. It’s Dr. Cassie Lewis, marine biologist, and the vaquita have been my research project for almost five years. It’s my aim to save them.”

  Alex actually gulped loud enough for Cassie to hear it, and she stopped, puzzled. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine,” he said, wiping his forehead with a napkin. “Please, continue.”

  Words tumbled out. Her enthusiasm got the better of her as it always did. Involved in her story, Cassie didn’t notice as the napkin Alex was holding turned into smaller and smaller pieces on the table. He grew quiet as she touched on her concern for the vaquita and their imminent extinction. Somewhere during the evening, he reached for her hand with compassion as she gave a heartfelt description of the ravages of the fishing nets and seeing their carnage on the beach.

  “Your concern for the vaquita is quite touching.” Alex sat back in his chair and piled the napkin shreds. “Have you considered how it is necessary that Mexican people must earn a living? The desert is harsh and fishing is the only way to feed their families.”

  Cassie’s eyes flashed as she leaned forward, her cheeks flushed. “Feeding a family, and keeping only that, or selling what you can in a small store is entirely different from large-scale commercial fishing, Alex. With the gill nets, they scoop for everything and anything in their path, and toss back the species that are not big sellers. Vaquita, sea turtles, all kinds of things. It’s the gill nets that are the problem—the vaquita get caught too and can’t untangle themselves. They can’t surface for air and they drown. We found dead ones washed up on the shore decades ago, and it’s only gotten worse. These are not people feeding their families who are killing the vaquita.”

  She leaned forward, hoping her tears wouldn’t scare him off. “Let me show you what I’m talking about. Come out on a panga with me tomorrow. I have an extra day before I meet with the developers.”

  He stared at her for a moment, his face blank but his eyes cloudy. It was as if he was trying to decide something, and she hoped he’d decide to come with her.

  He nodded slowly. “I have everything ready for work the day after. I would love to see the water through your beautiful eyes,” he said, reaching for her hand.

  She lowered her eyes, an odd sensation enveloping her. She felt almost shy, something she wasn’t accustomed to feeling, about sharing her vaquita with him. It wasn’t something she often did, as she was so protective of them. “Great. Meet me on the beach at nine a.m. I’ll pack a lunch.”

  “I’ve been jabbering forever about all this, Alex.” The bottle of wine they shared had long been empty, and their coffee was now cold. “Tell me why you’re here. You mentioned work. I thought you were here for vacation.”

  Alex looked down into his coffee. He picked up his spoon, stirred his coffee and looked up at her, his eyes blank. “It’s very complicated, Cassie. I am here to work, to do a job for my family company. It’s not one I’m happy about doing.”

  Cassie had been looking out the window toward the sea. She gasped, and he turned to see what had gotten her attention. The moon, orange and shimmering, rose majestically from the water. He grabbed her hand, easing her out of her chair and they laughed as they walked out into the cool air toward the beach. His arm slipped around her waist, spreading warmth with his touch. She still hobbled, and her thigh throbbed with every step, but he helped guide her down to the water, helping her sit on the sand.

  “I never get used to this sight. It’s breathtaking,” Cassie said, as the round moon beamed down. She took off her shoes and wriggled her toes, relishing the luscious feeling of the warm sand. She reached for her hair as it blew in the breeze, and his hand met hers as she pulled it to the nape of her neck. Alex sat down beside her, throwing his shoes behind them as well.

  “I love how the reflection of the full moon looks like a walkway, right up to it. When I was a little girl, I thought I could walk all the way up and then I would be able to see everything. All the vaquita, all the Baja. Then I could make things right.”

  He turned toward her and took her hand. “Cassie, there are things you need to know about me. More than I’ve told you.”

  “I think I know everything I need to know,” she said as she drank in the beautiful evening. The glow of the moon in his amber eyes almost made her feel woozy. Her breath came more quickly, and she reached up to touch the waves of his hair. He was kind, thoughtful, handsome, funny and smart. What more could she need to know?

  Alex reached for her wrist, and pulled her hand to his lips, his pained expression confusing to her. Kissing her palm, he leaned toward her. Her screech pierced the night as his hand came to rest on her thigh. He jumped up in horror as she doubled over, the pain shooting through her leg like lightning. She tried to catch her breath, and all she could see was the stars swirling inside her head.

  “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, I forgot.” He rammed his hands into the pockets of his khakis. “I hurt you.”

  “Yes, thank you. I’m okay. It was just an accident,” Cassie said.

  Cassie laid back and looked up at the stars, catching her breath as the internal flashes of light subsided. As the pain left her, she suddenly heard her own laughter peeling through the night. Here she was with the most handsome, interesting man she’d met in a long while, and she couldn’t even do anything about it. This must be some kind of cosmic joke, she thought.

  Alex stopped pacing and sat back down beside her. Her laughter rippling through the night had captured him as well, and they both laughed together at the absurdity of it all.

  “I’d better take you home, Senorita. I don’t think you can handle much more of this.” His voice was serious, but the twinkle in his eye made Cassie braver than she might otherwise have been.

  “Thank you, kind sir. I think it may be all I’m up to. Could you help me up?”

  Without hesitation, Alex
swooped down, picking Cassie up and turning toward the restaurant, avoiding the bandage on her thigh. “I can do better than that.”

  Cassie noticed all eyes on her as they passed the restaurant toward the car. It was like a bad movie. With that fleeting thought, though, she realized that now, this moment, she felt the most peaceful she had in a very long time. She sank into his embrace and allowed him to get her safely home.

  Chapter 11

  “You’re up early,” Raul said as he shuffled onto the patio, a cup of coffee in his hands.

  “Yes,” Alex replied, not sure even where to begin. He’d come home from dropping Cassie off and confirmed his worst suspicions. He’d dug the report about the vaquita sanctuary out of his briefcase and stared at the cover, and the name of the author, for what had felt like a lifetime. Then he’d read it, cover to cover. Her passion and commitment came through on every page and not only was she brilliant, she was determined. And he and his family were the ones standing in her way. His heart ached. He shook his head and filled in his friend.

  “You mean she’s THE Dr. Lewis, the one who wrote the whole report?” his friend asked at the end of his story, even though he’d confirmed it at the beginning. It definitely was a lot to take in.

  “Yes,” Alex mumbled. “And now I’m really in a bind. I’m going out on a panga with her today to spy for vaquita.”

  Raul whistled slowly. “Wow. I can’t believe she’d take you, knowing who you are.”

  Alex cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. He set the report down on the table between them and sighed.

  “Are you telling me she doesn’t know? You didn’t tell her?” Raul asked, his eyes wide.

  Alex stood and walked to the edge of the patio, looking out over the water. “I couldn’t do it. If I told her, she’d hate me and never speak to me again. I didn’t—I don’t—want that.”

  “Alex—”

  Alex held up his hands to stop his friend. He knew what he would say. And he agreed.