Michelle Vernal Box Set

by Michelle Vernal

  Well almost; her face felt red and sweaty from exertion and a quick check in the mirror proved that this was indeed the case. She needed a moment to calm herself, but unwilling to attempt deep breathing exercises within the confines of a glorified port-a-loo, she opted instead to whisper her mantra of “cool, calm, and confident.” Wasn’t there a deodorant ad that had used that as their jingle? Yes, that’s right; she remembered it now. It had featured some gorgeous young thing skipping down the street as a shipload of sailors raced after her. Rebecca was pretty sure she needn’t worry about the same thing happening to her because she was unsure whether she could walk, let alone skip in her snug scuba gear. With the onset of claustrophobia, she reiterated to herself that while she may be unable to inhale or exhale for fear of busting a seam, she was, nevertheless cool, calm, and confident.

  Unlocking the door and peering out, she was pleased to see that Giovanni and Monica were still milking their near-death experience for all it was worth, so nobody would notice her shuffling gait. No one would have either if it weren’t for Tina. She had asked in what would have been a sympathetic manner had she not still been leaning into the microphone, “Would you like me to dig you out a larger size, Rebecca?”

  All eyes swivelled towards her.

  “Nobody told me we were whale watching too.” Giovanni guffawed while the rest of the cabin tittered, and Rebecca felt a suffusion of heat make its way up her neck and over her face. She felt a hand on her elbow. It was Tina, her eyes round with concern as her petite frame bobbed around anxiously in embarrassment. “I’m sorry about the microphone; it was so stupid of me.” She lowered her voice until it was barely audible. “Would you like me to get you the next size up?”

  “No thank you, Tina; you guessed right with the ten,” Rebecca hissed, wishing the tour guide would take her tiny frame and bog off. With a supreme effort on her part, Rebecca managed to lighten her tone and add, “Besides, water makes you weightless, doesn’t it?”

  Tina looked even more anxious, unsure whether she was supposed to laugh or not. “Yes, but you don’t look...”

  Giving her a glare that would have silenced a classroom full of hormonal teenagers, Rebecca scraped together her last remnants of dignity and went to sit down, ever so carefully, by David.

  “Alright?” He grinned.

  She tried to inject an enthusiasm into her voice that she did not feel. “Yeah great, thanks.”

  David’s grin melted into a look of concern. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  At that moment, however, a shriek went up, and David was distracted by his fellow passengers stampeding like wildebeest over one another to peer out the catamaran’s windows: the first group of Hectors and thankfully nothing else had been spotted.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  AS THOUGH AWARE OF their audience, two dainty Hectors appeared on the left-hand side of the boat, providing an escort, much to the delighted laughter of everyone on board. Even Rebecca managed to put aside her misery and allow herself to be captivated.

  “You know, I see this nearly every day and I never get sick of it,” Tina confided, kneeling on the cushioned seat next to Rebecca’s to watch the unfolding show.

  “I don’t blame you; they’re beautiful.”

  “Magical is the only way to describe it. They’re such special creatures.”

  Rebecca surveyed Tina out of the corner of her eye, seeing the girl’s passion for her work written all over her pretty features. She turned her blue eyes on Rebecca and dropped her voice to a whisper. “I’m sorry about opening my big mouth before. I just didn’t think.” Smoothing her blonde hair back and twisting it into a ponytail, Tina secured it with the band she had around her wrist before winking at Rebecca conspiratorially. “Besides, men much prefer a woman with a bit of meat on her bones. I mean, who’d want that low-fat Subway roll over there?” She shot daggers in Monica’s direction, and Rebecca found herself laughing out loud. The wetsuit incident was well and truly behind them.

  A moment later, as Steve turned the catamaran’s engine off, there was an anticipatory hush among the passengers. The only sound was that of the water lapping all around them as the boat rocked vigorously back and forth. Men weren’t the only species who preferred a bit of meat on their prey’s bones, Rebecca thought, darting a nervous glance at the expanse of dark-blue water surrounding the boat from every angle. The silence was broken when Tina, smiling broadly, opened the door to the deck and the noisy exodus to meet the dolphins began. Rebecca dawdled, figuring if there were any great whites lurking around out there it was only fair they should get Monica and Giovanni first since they’d shoved their way to the front of the queue.

  Steve’s voice boomed from behind her. “All set, guys?”

  David swung around at the sound of his friend’s voice. “You going in, mate?”

  Here we go again. Rebecca rolled her eyes and shuffled forward to watch as Giovanni jumped in with a loud plop.

  “Nah, Tina’s in the water today, mate; I drew the short straw for lifeguard duty.” Both men were silent as Monica’s shapely form wiggled and jiggled as she psyched herself up to join her partner. Their conversation resumed once Monica had disappeared over the side of the boat, and David pointed to the ten or so black rounded dorsal fins circling the boat curiously. “Good turnout, mate.”

  “Yeah, the pod’s out in force today; you guys timed it well.”

  David placed his hand on the small of Rebecca’s back to steer her forward, and she nearly ruptured a seam at the electric shock that bolted through her. So much for rubber acting as earth, she thought. Her excitement was quelled, though, by the stocky Welsh girl in front of her. She jumped in, leaving the way clear for her. Rebecca stood watching for a moment, hypnotised by the Welsh girl’s flippers. They were flapping wildly as she doggy paddled her way over to the nearest fin.

  “Rebecca, are you ready?” Tina was standing to one side of the ladder that dropped down into the water, holding a scuba mask out. Rebecca didn’t move to take it. Tina leaned in close, out of David’s earshot. “If I thought there was the slightest chance of a shark being in there, I wouldn’t be going in myself, now would I? You’ll be fine,” she whispered, and Rebecca flashed her a grateful smile. She took the proffered mask and pulled it down. Then, swinging her leg out behind her to feel for the first rung, she chanted silently, “Ready, steady, on the count of three, go!”

  As her body spiralled down under the cold, dark water, she took back every curse she had uttered about her wetsuit. Instead, she felt immensely grateful for the warmth its snugness afforded. Her head bobbed up out of the water. Now slightly disorientated, she treaded water as she swivelled around, looking for the boat. Ah, there it was, and what perfect timing. She was treated to a quick glimpse of David’s taut rear view just before it was submerged. She spied Tina waving over at her mouthing, “Way to go, girl!”

  Rebecca gave her a thumbs-up before kicking confidently away from the boat towards the Hector she’d already nicknamed Horatio.

  So this was true love then, she thought a moment later as they danced around each other in the water. Horatio appeared to look her straight in the eye. Deciding he liked her, he butted her with his snout, looking for all the world as though he were smiling at her. Her hand stretched out tentatively to touch him, and he floated patiently beside her, allowing her to stroke his sleek grey body before flicking his tail up and racing a short distance away from her. Realising he wanted to play, she swam towards him. He circled the same spot until she’d nearly caught up to him. He then doubled back the way he’d come, as though he didn’t want to lead her too far from the safety of the boat. Their game of cat-and-mouse carried on for a few more minutes until he disappeared beneath the water. Before she had a chance to miss him, he leaped out of the sea a short distance away from her, startling her into swallowing a mouthful of salty water. She didn’t mind, though, because the acrobatic display he proceeded to put on for her benefit was one worthy of the Cirque du Soleil.


  A conscious feeling of calm descended over her for the first time in forever as she watched Horatio perform. It was a sensation like nothing else she’d ever felt before, marred only slightly by the twinge of guilt she felt remembering all the Flipper jokes she’d made. Horatio nuzzled her, and all the background noise seemed to fade away, leaving the two of them alone to bond in their special way. Just then, something tugged at her leg, and she went under with her arms flailing.

  Horatio swam off as David popped out of the water next to her, laughing and taking up where Monica had left off by humming the tune from Jaws. For the first time since she’d laid eyes on David Seagar, Rebecca felt annoyance with him and wished he’d piss off over to where Giovanni and Monica were frolicking. His childish antics had ruined what had been a precious moment.

  She didn’t stay in the water much longer after that, unwilling to take second best after her awesome one-on-one experience with Horatio. While the rest of the group admired the main pod, it paled in comparison. Clambering back on board the boat, she waved at Steve, who was cheering Monica on. She was doing, what looked to Rebecca, very much like a constipated otter impersonation but was more likely supposed to be a dolphin. Steve grinned. “She’s great, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah, terrific,” Rebecca lied. Horatio would find Monica’s behaviour positively insulting. Then, leaving a trail of water behind her, she went to warm up inside the cabin.

  From her cosy, cushioned vantage point inside, she saw David emerge by the side of the boat some fifteen minutes later. Watching him take his time climbing back on board, she smirked and found herself silently mouthing, “Bond, James Bond.” Just like the undercover agent, he did rather fancy himself. The way he shook his head vigorously showered a spray of droplets over Steve, who reflexively dodged them. How come she’d only just noticed that particular trait?

  “Sorry, mate.” David grinned in a way that said he wasn’t sorry at all. “That was totally awesome, mate. You can book me in with Ben next time.”

  “No worries, mate; I’ve always got room for the little fella. How is he?”

  David answered with a vague wave of his hand. “You know what kids are like.”

  Steve offered a knowing wide-eyed nod. “Sure do, mate. Jess is five going on fifteen.”

  David smiled, and then glanced back over his shoulder at the water. “I couldn’t see Rebecca out there.”

  “That’s because she came back on board awhile ago; cold, I think.” Steve gestured towards the cabin, but the late morning shadows hid her from sight. Steve shrugged. “Maybe she’s on the loo.” Then, mumbling something about Jennifer, he shot a furtive look back at the cabin.

  As words shot back and forth, the conversation that played out between the two men was obviously heated. David’s pissed-off expression and stance gave that much away, but Rebecca’s strained ears failed to discern anything specific.

  “What did you think? Out of this world, isn’t it?” David asked her a few minutes later as he stepped into the warmth of the cabin, looking unruffled by whatever had just transpired outside.

  “Yeah, it was.” Her reply was curt, but he didn’t appear to notice as he pulled a towel out from his holdall and began rubbing his hair dry with gusto. Sitting there watching him, Rebecca found herself fluctuating between annoyance over his stupid shenanigans in the water and curiosity as to why he and Steve should be discussing her sister in such an obviously intense manner.

  Curiosity won out. “What were you and Steve talking about outside just now?”

  David paused before answering smoothly, “I was telling him how much Ben would love to do this. Hey, we should tee it up with Jack, too. What do you think?”

  Rebecca wasn’t going to be deterred. “It’s just that I thought I heard you mention Jennifer.”

  He turned away to shove the damp towel back in his holdall and, not meeting her eyes, his voice was adamant.

  “Nope. You must have water in your ears; Jennifer’s name didn’t come up at all.”

  This time it was Rebecca who couldn’t meet his gaze as she sat there wondering why on earth he’d just lied to her.

  An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them. She was relieved when Monica and Giovanni made their noisy entrance, both eager to outdo each other with their adventures. Rebecca sat for a moment, letting their broken English banter wash over her. There was a nauseous, gnawing sensation in the base of her stomach. This bloody wetsuit, she swore to herself; it was so tight it was making her feel sick. Now was as good a time as any to get changed out of it, so she snatched up her backpack. David barely looked up from his lively exchange with Monica over the mating habits of the Hector as she excused herself and made her way across the cabin.

  Locking the toilet door behind her, she flipped the toilet’s lid down and sat on it, willing the sick sensation away. She knew full well it was nothing to do with the snug fit of the wetsuit, though casting a rueful glance down at her tummy, she decided that it was indeed tight. She couldn’t even pass the feeling off as seasickness seeing as the boat was hardly moving. Something was wrong, though, and if David’s blatant lying before was anything to go by, she wasn’t likely to find out what it was in a hurry either.

  As she sat there racking her brain for answers, other incidences where she’d thought David’s behaviour with regards to her sister was odd flitted to mind. For someone who was a casual friend, he’d shown an awful lot of interest in Jennifer, she realised. A thought came to her unbidden and, finding it an unpleasant one, she tried to push it away, but it was the only thing that made any sense of the situation. Perhaps he fancied her? Oh, crumbs—was that it? Was she just a ruse to make her sister jealous? It wouldn’t be the first time that had happened. Maybe he’d made his feelings clear to Jen, and she’d known that’s what he was up to when he’d asked her out. It would explain why Jen had been so anti-him every time she had brought his name up.

  A couple of bites on her thumbnail later, Rebecca decided that had to be it. Don’t judge a book by its cover? Rebecca was suddenly very sure that David Seagar was not quite the open book he appeared to be. She hadn’t been able to, or perhaps hadn’t wanted to, get past his handsome outer covering to discover the real story within, whatever that may be.

  So what was she going to do about it? She gloomily rested her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in her hand because even as she asked herself the question, she knew the answer. Nothing, that’s what. She’d sit the rest of the boat ride out, thank him for a lovely day, and then she’d get in her car and drive away. David Seagar could carry on his campaign to win Jennifer’s affections without her unwitting help.

  Rebecca forced herself to stand up, catching sight of herself in the mirror as she did so. There were slight smudges under her eyes from her so-called waterproof mascara; licking her little finger, she tried unsuccessfully to rub them away. Producing a brush from her bag, she dragged it through her bedraggled locks. She could hear Tarquin’s voice: “Only being caught up in a tsunami would be a good enough excuse for the state of that do, chéri.” It made her smile, almost.

  Thank goodness she brought her makeup with her! Her hands automatically pulled her trusty floral purse out of her bag and wrestled with the zipper that always managed to jam due to the amount of damage control products she had stuffed inside it. Next time she was in a chemist shop, she’d definitely treat herself to a new one. Her lipstick was halfway to her mouth when the thought struck her: for whose benefit was she doing this? Right at this moment in time she didn’t think it was for David, Ciaran would be long gone, and Horatio had already buggered off into the deep blue yonder.

  The feeling when she managed to peel the black rubber suit away from her goosy flesh was one that should be bottled and sold. She had never been so grateful to de-clothe in all her life. Standing naked in the tiny cubical, she was unwilling to feel constricted again by any form of clothing until, realising she was bloody freezing, she clambered quickly back into her jeans and jersey.<
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  The cabin had filled up in her absence, and the windows were steaming up due to the damp bodies and warm breath as everybody gabbled excitedly amongst themselves. Tina spotted Rebecca emerging, and she grinned over from her pew behind the microphone, tapping it before she spoke to make sure it was switched off this time. “For someone who wasn’t overly keen on diving in, I see you made a special friend out there.”

  Rebecca’s smile was sheepish. “Yeah, I did. His name was Horatio. We clicked right away, but he wasn’t in it for the long haul. The story of my life, unfortunately.”

  Tina giggled before replying. “Oh well, it could have been worse.” Rebecca looked at her curiously. “You could have met a shark.” She missed the girl’s wink, for her eyes had flicked across to where David was sitting, still in animated conversation with Giovanni and Monica.

  “I’m starting to wonder if that’s exactly what I have met, Tina,” she answered cryptically before moving quietly back to her seat.

  Tina completed the head count amidst some jesting about making sure nobody was left behind. Satisfied everybody was back on board, she popped her head in to tell Steve and a minute later the catamaran’s engine roared back to life.

  “Did you catch Open Water?” David asked; it was the first time he’d spoken to her since she’d sat back down.

  “No, I missed that one. What was it about?” She didn’t care, but anything was better than sitting in stony silence.

  “It was pretty unnerving considering it was based on a true story. This American couple is on a beach holiday, and they decide to take a dive trip out to sea, only the boat leaves them behind.”