Her stomach dropped a little, but she masked her disappointment by asking if he needed help in the shop. “I am your employee, after all,” she said. “And this is a lot of people.”
“It’s all right. I asked Jessie to run the register for me, and I’ll be making sure things stay stocked. Tomorrow, you and I will do the hard stuff.” And then Caleb surprised her by taking her hand and pulling her to a stop next to one of the tiki torches. He didn’t even look embarrassed by the show of affection. The sun was just barely visible over the horizon, and a few stars were beginning to show. His gaze didn’t stray from her as he said, “Tonight is about you.”
“What did I do to deserve this honor?” she asked, her lips tilting up into a smile.
Caleb pulled her in closer, not seeming to worry about the hundreds of people who surrounded them. “You showed up in Starlight Ridge. Isn’t that reason enough?”
“It wasn’t too difficult,” she said. “My GPS did most of the work.”
“Yes, but it isn’t your GPS that I want to spend all of my time with,” Caleb said. “Since you’ve come to town, I smile more. I actually look forward to each day, knowing that you’ll be in it. And…” He paused and leaned in so his lips hovered just above hers. “Let’s be honest, I don’t know what I would do without your kisses.”
As if to prove his point, Caleb pulled her in the rest of the way, his arms tightening around her. And he gave her the most amazing kiss she’d ever experienced. It held all the feelings that neither of them could say. It was both timid and determined, and it left Bree breathless.
Even after Caleb pulled away, she couldn’t bring herself to let go. With her arms still around his waist, she leaned her head against his chest. “That. Was. Epic.”
His body bounced as he silently laughed. “I’m glad you approve.”
A loud voice from beside them broke through their intimate moment. “Caleb, it’s about time.” Bree turned just enough to see Erwin. He held his trumpet case in one hand, and his expression was scrunched up in obvious disapproval. “We’ve been taking bets, and you two took so long to get together that I lost twenty bucks.”
Jules walked past at that moment. “You’re not the only one who’s out twenty dollars. I had bet they’d never get together.”
They moved on, arguing about who should be the one to tell Adeline; she had apparently won the bet. Adeline had probably been the one to start the bet in the first place, and Bree laughed, mostly at the rest of the town, who hadn’t thought twice before deciding to bet against her best friend.
But Caleb wasn’t laughing. He seemed more concerned, and Bree’s smile faded. “Regretting kissing me in front of everyone?” she asked, not wanting to know the answer but tired of hiding her feelings.
Caleb closed his eyes and rested his head on hers. “I know I’ve been weird about showing affection in front of people and all that. But I came here this evening determined to be better. To not worry so much what others think. That’s a difficult thing to do in a small town—escape the gossip and rumors. Everyone has an opinion about everything. I wanted to spare you that—spare us.”
“I can handle rumors,” Bree said, pulling back just enough to see into his eyes. “But having to tiptoe around our feelings for each other? That I can’t take for much longer.”
Caleb studied her for a moment. “All right.”
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “What do you mean by ‘all right’?”
He kissed her again.
Bree grinned and nestled back into Caleb’s chest. “Well, I guess that settles that.” She paused. “How much money do you think Adeline made off of us?”
Caleb pulled away and took her hand before leading her further down the beach. “Enough to take us out to dinner.”
“At least,” she said. “I’ll see what else we can get out of her; it’s only fair, considering we’re the reason she won the bet in the first place.”
“See how many boxes of chocolates she’s willing to throw in,” Caleb said with a bright grin. “In the meantime, though, I have to get back to the store to check on Jessie. I’ve never been away this long.”
Bree checked her phone. “It’s only been an hour.”
“Exactly,” Caleb said, his smile morphing into concern. “It could be a pile of ashes by now.”
“We would have seen the flames. And smoke. And people screaming.”
“True. Carbon monoxide poisoning, then.” Caleb paused. “You going to be okay if I leave you to explore on your own?”
She smiled. “I’ll be fine. Looks like the band is about to start up again, and I haven’t had the chance to stop by and say hi to Adeline.”
Caleb gave Bree a quick kiss on the forehead and released her hand as he turned quickly toward his store. Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “Remember, tonight is about you enjoying yourself and relaxing.” And then he disappeared into the crowd.
That wasn’t going to be a problem. Everywhere she went, there was a friendly face who beamed, happy to see her. There were some she recognized, though she had never personally spoken to them, but that didn’t seem to make a difference. They greeted her and offered her fresh fish from the fire.
Just as Caleb had said, Adeline was selling her chocolates up on the boardwalk, and when Bree passed by, Isaac was eating half of the sample tray. Erwin gave her a hurried hello as he speed-walked back toward the stage, still looking disgruntled that she and Caleb hadn’t gone public with their relationship sooner. A few minutes later, the band started up again at the end of the beach, and she found herself lost in the rhythm.
Caleb had been right about one thing. She needed this. The beach. The ocean. The energy of all these people enjoying what one little town had to offer.
But most of all, she needed him.
21
Caleb drove the winding coast road, wet and tired from a long day of diving lessons. Tourist season was officially here, and it hadn’t seemed to slow at all since the Swing into Starlight event. He had had more diving lessons in the past two weeks than he usually had in his busiest month. He definitely wasn’t complaining, but for the first time, Caleb had someone he wanted to spend his time with, and lately he’d only managed to see Bree for an hour or two in the evenings. Because of how busy they were, they usually had to grab a late dinner from the diner, then eat it on the beach while watching the sun set.
It was nice, though. Having someone. He hadn’t had that for a long time.
When Caleb walked into the store, heaving a couple of oxygen tanks that he needed to refill, Bree was helping a woman purchase a swimsuit. He placed the tanks in the back, and when he returned, the tourist was just leaving. Bree locked the door behind her and flipped the OPEN sign. She turned to face him, collapsing against the door. “Oh. My. Gosh. I don’t think I sat down once today.”
“Did you at least grab something to eat?” Caleb asked, hurrying over to her. She looked exhausted. He was too, but teaching people to dive was different than helping dozens of people find just what they were looking for, one right after the other.
Bree gave him a guilty smile. “I didn’t have the chance. When you said things picked up during tourist season, I didn’t realize how much. I’d have stocked up on nutrition shakes or granola bars or something.”
“It’s not usually like this,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “Considering the harsh winter a lot of people had, it seems everyone got a bit stir crazy. They couldn’t wait to get out and find some sunshine.”
Bree leaned her head against his shoulder. “I wouldn’t want it to be slower. I know that this is what sets you up for the rest of the year.”
“True, but you still need to be able to take care of yourself.” He pulled back. “I want you to lock up for thirty minutes every day. You need to be able to rest and get some lunch.”
“How am I supposed to do that when there’s always someone here?”
“I’ll post a sign stating that we’ll be closed every day from twelve thirty
to one o’clock. They’ll come back.”
Her lips quirked up, and she wrapped her arms around his waist again. “Thank you.”
Caleb sensed that her hugging him had less to do with affection and more to have someone to lean on, her feet seemingly no longer supporting her. “Well, someone has to make sure you eat,” he said. A pause. “Also, I was thinking—if you’re not too worn out—that maybe I could pick you up from Adeline’s early tomorrow morning.”
Bree stepped back, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “Why, is something wrong?”
He chuckled, loving how expressive she always was. Caleb never had to guess what she was feeling.
“No, no. It’s just that we haven’t been able to fit in your final ocean dives. Now that you’ve passed everything else off, you just need to perform the same techniques you’ve learned, but in the open water. And going out early before the store opens is the only way I figure we’ll be able to do it.”
Bree’s mouth formed a little O. “Ocean dives, huh? Like, with waves and that kind of thing.”
“Not once you’re under the water,” he reminded her. “Down there, it’s calm. Peaceful. It’s no different than what you’ve already been doing.”
She looked like she wanted to believe him, even if she wasn’t quite convinced.
“Tomorrow’s the day, then,” she said. Maybe Bree wasn’t convinced that she was ready, but Caleb could tell she trusted him and that was the only reason she was agreeing to go. And that meant more to Caleb than all the kisses in the world.
Though he liked those too.
Caleb stood on a large rock, looking out over the water. It was as calm as they could hope for, though there were a few rolling waves. He gave Bree a quick side glance. She had all her gear on, but she looked nervous. They’d have to snorkel out to where they would dive.
He took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. They were past reassuring words; those wouldn’t make a difference at this point. But Caleb could remind her that he was there. By her side. Just like he had been every day since she’d arrived in town. “Did you bring your camera?” he asked.
When Bree had started to panic at the shop that morning, he’d calmed her down by reminding her of all the amazing photos she could take—ones that she wouldn’t be able to if she didn’t do the dive. These would be one-of-a-kind shots.
Bree lifted the waterproof camera that hung around her neck, showing it to him. It was smaller than the usual one she lugged around.
“Let’s go, then,” Caleb said. “Follow my lead.” He bit down onto the snorkel’s mouthpiece and slowly slid from the rock into the water. He swam for several yards, then glanced back. Bree was making her way toward him, but something didn’t seem right. Water spurted out the top of the snorkel, where there shouldn’t be any.
Bree’s head snapped up.
He could see her eyes through the mask, wide and frightened. Caleb hurried back over to her side just as she spat the mouthpiece out. The snorkel hung to the side of her face, and her breaths came out as gasps.
“I did just what you said,” she finally got out. “But the waves—the water kept coming through the top of the snorkel. I couldn’t breathe.” Her breaths were still shallow, and Caleb knew she was about to have a panic attack, if she wasn’t already. He needed to calm her down before she got to that point, or she’d never dive again.
“I’m going to have you float for just a minute,” he said, placing a hand on Bree’s back and helping her to lie down, her face toward the sky. “I want you to focus on deep breaths.” He breathed with her, slowly, urging her to match his pace. After a few minutes, he felt her relax. Another couple of minutes later, he said, “I can’t wait to see what kind of shots you get down there.” He paused. “If you want, we can dive from here, so you can use your regulator and won’t need the snorkel.”
“Okay,” she said, though her eyes were moist.
Uh-oh.
Caleb helped Bree slowly sit up. “We can postpone this,” he began, but she cut him off.
“No, we can’t. It’s been difficult to find any time for my lessons with how busy it’s been. I need to do this now. And I want to do all of the techniques. I want to certify today.”
Caleb admired her courage, but he didn’t want to push her too far. Not on their first ocean dive. “Why don’t we just go for a swim down there? No skills, at first, just admiring the view. Taking some photos. Enjoying ourselves.”
She gave him a weak smile, but it was a smile, nonetheless. “That sounds nice.”
It took some effort for both of them to make it down to the bottom, but the moment they’d made it to the ocean floor, Bree gave him a thumbs up and snatched up her camera from where it floated in front of her, still attached to her neck.
Caleb would have smiled, if he didn’t currently have a regulator in his mouth. The water was clear and the colors vibrant this morning. Fish of every color surrounded them. Some were pink, others striped. Many were orange, and several were currently staring at Bree. At least, he imagined they were, but it was hard to tell with their unblinking eyes. And Bree was capturing them all. She motioned for him to swim over to a large pink, spindly plant that grew from the ocean floor. As he posed, he gave a thumbs up, and she snapped a couple of pictures.
After they had spent several minutes exploring, he had her do most of the basic skills they’d learned in their first diving lessons, though they were so basic, he doubted she even realized she was being tested. Bree nailed all of them. But he was still leery of pushing her. There were a few skills in particular he didn’t want to ask her to do. And most of them had to do with taking her mask off. She’d need to swim for a ways without it on, then replace the mask and clear the water from it so she could see again, all while remaining at the bottom of the ocean. She’d still have her regulator helping her breathe, but it had taken several days before she’d managed to do the skills in the cove, and now he was going to be asking her to do them in open water, and much deeper than she had been.
Today, Bree was enjoying herself so much, he wanted her to have this small amount of success. After another thirty minutes, though, he knew Bree was right and decided it would be best if she completed her certification. He didn’t know when they’d get a chance to come out diving together again. Caleb had her follow him to the floor, and she knelt down across from him, similar to how they’d learned their skills in the cove. He motioned for her to remove her mask.
Bree didn’t move.
Caleb motioned for her to take it off again.
She shook her head.
He moved close enough to take her hand, and squeezed it. He wanted her to know that as long as he was there with her, she’d be safe; he hoped all of that had been communicated through that simple gesture.
It was another moment before she moved to remove her mask. Once it was off, Caleb took her hand again, and they swam the required distance. He led her to a spot where she could kneel down again. And then Bree replaced her mask, clearing it of water in the process so she could see again.
Bree looked shocked, like she couldn’t believe she had just done that. She must have been particularly excited because she took her mask off again, swam in a circle, then put it back on.
Caleb wanted to laugh, but instead held his hand out for the camera. She slipped it off over her neck, and he took a picture of Bree to celebrate the moment. She jumped up from the floor and did a sort of jumping jack, her arms and legs both spread out. Bubbles shot out from her at the same time. It was going to be an awesome picture. He handed the camera back, and she pulled him toward her at the same time. Bree held her arm out in front of them and snapped an underwater selfie.
This had to have been his best dive to date. And now that Bree was going to be certified, there were going to be many more of these types of dives.
Another twenty minutes later, Caleb realized they needed to get to the surface if he was going to be able to open the store on time.
As soon as they got to shore,
Bree immediately tore her mask off. “I can’t believe how amazing that was,” she said, her grin nearly splitting her face in two. “I got the best pictures, and did you see how the fish weren’t scared of me at all? They swam around me as if I were one of them.”
“I did see that,” he said, returning her smile. “I also noticed that you passed off every one of your skills—flawlessly, I might add.”
Bree’s lips parted. “I did?” She gave a bewildered shake of her head. “I knew I had passed off a couple of things, but I hadn’t realized I did them all.” She gave Caleb a small punch on the arm. “You could have warned me that you were going to make me take my mask off down there. That. Was. Terrifying.”
“You said you wanted to do everything,” he said with a small shrug. “To be honest, I wasn’t planning on doing the more advanced techniques this morning, but it seemed to be the right time.”
Bree gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I guess I can forgive you, now that I’ve come out on the other end unscathed. Mostly.”
They gathered up their equipment and drove back to the store, ready to start another busy day.
But not even the tourists seemed to tire Bree out. By the end of the day, all she could do was talk about diving and ask when they could go out again.
That was the first time Caleb started allowing himself to wonder how deep his feelings for Bree went.
And how much deeper he’d allow them to go.
22
Caleb stepped up to Adeline’s front door, not able to wait until the next day to give Bree the good news. He’d hoped she’d be the one to answer the door, but no such luck. Adeline swung it open, wearing a grin.
“Oh, Bree, your boyfriend’s here,” she called over her shoulder, her grin widening.
Bree appeared next to her friend and swatted Adeline on the shoulder. “Stop,” she murmured. “You’re going to scare him away.” Her cheeks were tinged with pink, but she was smiling. She hadn’t stopped smiling since their first date. Neither had he, for that matter.
Diving into Love Page 15