by Cindy Bell
“What if she gets mad?” He sighed. “I’ve gotten myself into some problems lately. I’ve had to borrow money from my dad, and he’s not happy about it.”
“What’s really going on, Ben?” She looked into his eyes. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
“It’s nothing. I just need to get my head on straight. Thanks, Aunt Suzie.”
“Ben, make sure you talk to your mother about this, all right? I promise, she’s the most compassionate and understanding person I know. She only wants you to be happy.”
“I will, I’ll talk to her.”
As Ben joined the others in the living room Suzie stared after him. Ben had always been the more sensitive of the two children. Suzie often thought he bore the brunt of his parents’ failing relationship. Cathy seemed to understand and accept when things got hard, but Ben seemed angry and confused. She hoped he hadn’t gotten himself into the kind of trouble that he couldn’t get out of. Once lunch was prepared, Hal and Trish appeared long enough to fill their plates, then disappeared back to their room. Suzie thought it was a little odd, but knew that sometimes guests preferred to have privacy.
Chapter 2
After Suzie cleaned up from lunch she stepped out through the back door to check on a few things in the shed. Then she walked around the side of the house towards the front porch. It was a project that had been on her mind for a long time. She loved decorating and she’d been planning to stain some of the furniture and add some pieces that she and Mary picked up at estate sales. With the good weather she guessed it would be a good time to start on it. As she began to climb the stairs she was startled by a man seated in one of the rocking chairs on the porch. She didn’t recognize him, and wasn’t expecting any new guests to arrive. He stood up as she reached the top of the steps.
“Hi, I’m Jim.” He thrust his hand towards her. She took it in a firm shake and looked into his eyes.
“I’m Suzie. We weren’t expecting any guests. Are you looking for a room?”
“Actually, I’m looking for a friend of mine. Curtis Malcolm. He’s supposed to be staying here.”
“Oh yes, Curtis is staying here. Right now he’s out on a dive I think. You’re welcome to come in and wait for him.”
“No, that’s all right. I’ll stay out here if that’s okay. I like the view.”
“Well, it’s even better on the other side.” She smiled at him and pointed around the corner of the deck. “There are some lounge chairs out there. Feel free to relax and enjoy.”
“Thanks so much.” He tipped his hat to her then walked around the corner of the house. As she watched him go she noted that he was a fit man, perhaps in his late twenties. She was glad that Curtis had a friend visiting, as so far it didn’t seem he’d made many connections with the locals, aside from perhaps Louis, the librarian.
When Suzie stepped back inside Dune House she began to get the items out she needed to prepare dinner for the guests. Mary usually did most of the cooking, but while her children were visiting Suzie wanted her to be as free as possible to enjoy them. She could hear some laughter from the living room and knew that they were already well into a good experience. It filled her heart with warmth to think that Mary was getting the reunion she had hoped for. Even though she was a fantastic mother, she knew that Mary still worried about whether the kids would hold the divorce against her, or with time forget how much she loved them. To Suzie, it seemed impossible, but she wasn’t looking at it through a mother’s eyes. As she finished preparing the vegetables for dinner she heard the sound of the back door of Dune House swing open, then close.
“I can’t believe you came all of this way.” She recognized Curtis’ voice as it drifted through the entrance way.
“Why not? I can’t let you have all of the fun,” Jim replied. “It looks like you have a nice setup here.”
“It is nice. I’m planning to rent a place in town, but nothing is available until the end of the month. So I’ve been staying here.”
“Gorgeous house.”
“Yes, it is. And the two ladies that run it are very kind.”
“I noticed. So you’ll have to take me down to your favorite dive spot around here.”
“Sure, of course I will. Tomorrow maybe?”
“That sounds great. Do you mind if I crash here, too? It seems they might have some rooms available.”
“Absolutely, I’ll talk to Suzie about it for you. I’m sure she’s got something open.” As the pair walked into the kitchen Suzie turned away from the stove and smiled at them both.
“Curtis, I see you found your friend.”
“Yes, I did, thanks for making him so comfortable. Jim needs a place to stay tonight. Do you have anything?”
“Just one night?” She met Jim’s eyes.
“Maybe longer.” Jim shrugged.
“Let’s just start with one night. I’ll even cover it for you, Jim. You can add it to my bill, Suzie.”
“You don’t need to do that, Curtis.” Jim frowned. “I can cover my own.”
“I insist. You’ve come all of this way just to see me. It’s the least I could do.”
“All right, thank you.” Jim nodded.
“If you need to stay for longer, just let me know when you know.” Suzie smiled. “I’ll get a room ready for you right after dinner. You’re welcome to join us.”
“Thanks so much,” Jim said.
“We’ll be eating in about two hours.”
“That’s long enough for me to show you the beach. You’re not going to believe how clear the water is here.” Curtis smiled.
“Great, let’s go have a look.”
“Oh Jim, do you have any luggage?” Suzie called out before the two men could reach the door.
“Just this bag.” He pointed to the small bag on the floor. “I travel light.”
“Anything you might need you can borrow from me. You know what’s mine is yours.” Curtis grinned.
“Sure, I know that.” Jim nodded.
“You can leave it in my room if you want,” Curtis offered.
“It’s okay, I’ll take it with me.” Jim smiled. “It has my swimming stuff in it.”
“I still have those ropes I borrowed from you.”
The two disappeared through the front door. Suzie glanced at her watch. She now needed to get two rooms ready and make sure that dinner was on the table. She was just about to go to the linen closet when Mary stepped out of the living room and caught her arm.
“What are you up to?”
“I was going to make up a room for Ben, and our new guest.”
“A new guest?”
“Yes, Jim, a friend of Curtis’.”
“Well, just make up one, okay? I’d rather Ben stay with Rick. It’ll keep things, well you know, separated.”
“By things do you mean your adult daughter and her boyfriend?” Suzie raised an eyebrow.
“I just mean, things.” Mary grimaced. “I might not be as modern as I like to think I am.”
“Okay, no problem. I’m sure Ben won’t mind. Have you had a chance to talk to him alone?”
“No, not really. Why? Is something wrong?”
“I just think that you should talk to him. Don’t tell him I said anything, but I think it’s important.”
“Okay, I will. Thanks for the heads up, Suzie.”
“Always. Now get back in there and enjoy your kids.”
“We’re all going to go for a walk on the beach. I want them to soak up as much of this beauty as they can.”
“Good idea.”
“I’ll be back in time to help with dinner.”
“Don’t you dare, I’ve got it. As far as I’m concerned, you’re on vacation.”
“Suzie, now we have almost a full house, you can’t handle that alone.”
“If I need you, I will let you know, I promise.”
“All right.” Mary hugged her, then joined the others as they walked towards the door. “I still haven’t heard from the locksmith!”
She made her way up to the third floor because it had the best views. It had three bedrooms and an additional bathroom. She opened the door to the first room and stepped inside. It hadn’t been cleaned that long ago so the floors were still nice. She made the bed with fresh sheets and pillowcases. That was enough to work up a sweat. She opened the window to let some fresh air into the room. For a moment she paused and gazed out over the ocean. The green-blue surface stretched out so far that she grew dizzy at the sight of it. Somewhere out there, Paul was on his boat, maybe thinking about her. She smiled at the thought. When she spotted Curtis and Jim on the beach she was reminded that she had a lot to get done.
Suzie focused her attention on the rest of the room and made sure there wasn’t a speck of dust left. Once she was sure that everything was ready she stepped out of the room and locked it behind her. When she reached the ground floor she headed straight to the kitchen and started preparing dinner. While Mary had a knack for cooking it took her quite a bit of concentration to keep things from boiling over or burning. As the kitchen began to fill with the aroma of the food she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Hal and Trish reached the bottom and paused near the kitchen.
“Hi. How are you two doing? Do you need anything for the room?” Suzie asked.
“No, everything’s fine.” Hal frowned.
“Are you joining us for dinner?” Suzie smiled at Hal.
“No.” He narrowed his eyes. “I think we’ll have dinner in town tonight.”
“Oh why? It smells delicious!” Trish exclaimed.
“You know why. Let’s go.” He gripped her arm rather firmly and steered her away from the kitchen.
Suzie bit into her bottom lip as she heard the two biting back and forth at each other. As much as she didn’t like to witness the fight, there was nothing that was too harsh said between them. She hoped that it stayed that way or improved.
Chapter 3
Suzie set the table with the dishes and silverware. Then she checked on the food in the oven again. As she closed the oven door, she heard the front door swing open and voices travel through the entrance.
“I’m telling you right now, there’s money to be made in it. If you would consider investing, you and I could both be rich.”
“I don’t know, Jim. I’m not looking to make any big investments right now. I just got the dive shack opened up, and I haven’t even turned a profit yet.”
“But it’ll be worth it.” Jim clapped him on the shoulder as they walked into the dining room. “Just think about it, that’s all I’m asking.”
“All right, I will. Suzie, that smells amazing.” Curtis grinned at her as he pulled out a chair. “I’m starving.”
“Good, because there is plenty, and I expect you to have seconds at least.”
“Seconds, guaranteed.” Curtis chuckled.
“Me too!” Jim rubbed his stomach as he sat down beside Curtis.
The front door swung open again and Mary, along with her children, and Rick, stepped inside. While Mary introduced them to Curtis and Jim, Suzie brought the food out to the table. Soon they were all enjoying her attempt at pasta with a creamy chicken sauce.
“This is delicious, Suzie.” Mary smiled.
“Thanks Mary.” Suzie smiled back at her, though she doubted her friend was being completely honest about the taste. “Cathy, Ben, have you asked Curtis about diving lessons?”
“Oh, are you interested?” Curtis looked up as he swiped a piece of bread across his plate.
“Yes, absolutely.” Cathy grinned.
“I’d like to check it out.” Ben nodded.
“I’m already certified.” Rick draped his arm along the back of Cathy’s chair. “But I’d love for Cathy to learn so we can dive together.”
“Great. We can get together for a lesson first thing tomorrow, does that sound okay to you?” Curtis asked.
“That would be great.” Cathy nodded.
“About eight.” He agreed. “The water should be warm enough by then.”
“Thanks. It’s not too last minute?” Cathy asked.
“Not at all. My schedule is pretty clear tomorrow.”
“Okay, wonderful. We’ll be there.” Cathy nudged her brother with her elbow. “If he’s brave enough that is.”
“Oh, I’ll be there all right.” Ben shot a glare in her direction. “We’ll see who goes in first.”
“All right, it’s not a competition.” Curtis grinned. “It is best to have a healthy sense of caution. Diving can be dangerous. Am I right, Jim?” He nodded his head at his friend.
“Yes, that’s for sure.” Jim frowned. “Remember Bermuda?”
“That’s just what I was thinking of, actually.”
“What happened in Bermuda?” Suzie leaned closer. “I love a good story.”
“I don’t know if you could say that it was good. It was dangerous, and we were young, and stupid,” Curtis said.
“Well, I was young, you were just stupid.” Jim grinned.
“We both went down there, didn’t we?”
“Yes, we did.” Jim glanced around the table as everyone stared at him. “We were after treasure, how could we resist?”
“Treasure? Real treasure?” Ben’s eyes widened.
“Sure. Left behind in a Spanish shipwreck. The dive was so dangerous that we had to go in secret, otherwise the authorities would have arrested us for trying. But we did it anyway.” Curtis shook his head. “We came this close to running out of oxygen before we hit the surface.” He held his fingers an inch apart. “A few minutes longer, and we would have both been dead.”
“I haven’t forgotten, Curtis, you were the one that pulled me up. Once I spotted the shipwreck, I wasn’t going to turn back. I’m grateful to you every day for that, brother, you saved my life.”
“The important thing is that we both made it out of there, which I can’t say for other people that tried.”
“Wow. But you actually found the shipwreck?” Ben scooted his chair forward. “Did you see the treasure?”
“No.” Jim shrugged. “We didn’t get close enough. The shipwreck was just too deep. It’s impossible to get down there.”
“So, the treasure could still be there? Wow!”
“I think the moral of the story, Ben, is that these two almost lost their lives chasing after that treasure. It wasn’t worth it, was it guys?” Mary looked between Curtis and Jim.
“No, it wasn’t.” Jim frowned. “Was it Curtis?” He locked eyes with him.
“As tempting as it is to think of riches and wealth, the greatest treasure is having your life.”
“Curtis is absolutely right.” Mary smiled. “Which is why I trust him to teach you how to dive tomorrow. But you will be extra careful, right?”
“Absolutely.” Ben smiled and took another bite of his food.
As the discussion continued Suzie thought about Hal and Trish. She hoped they’d had a good dinner and that the issues between them and Curtis didn’t escalate. Luckily Hal and Trish would be leaving in a few days. At least that would prevent any drama from growing. After dinner Mary started clearing the dishes.
“No ma’am, that’s my job.” Suzie plucked the plates right out of her hands.
“Suzie! You have to let me help a little bit.”
“I do not. You know telling me what to do never does any good.”
“That’s a good point, but you must be exhausted from everything today.”
“I’m not really, I’m fine.” She paused. “I am concerned about Hal and Trish though.”
“Why is that?”
“There seems to be
an issue between them and Curtis.”
“Oh.” Mary placed a hand over her lips and nodded.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.” Mary picked up another plate.
Suzie took it from her hand and raised an eyebrow. “Oh no you’re not getting away with that this time. You know something, so spill.”
“Fine, I will, if you spill what Ben told you.”
“He didn’t mention anything?”
“No, he didn’t. I want to know what’s going on with him.”
“Mary, you know I can’t break his confidence. I wouldn’t feel right about it, and if you’re honest with yourself, you wouldn’t feel right about it either.”
“Yes, you’re right I wouldn’t. It’s just driving me crazy not to know.”
“He’ll tell you when he’s ready. If I thought he was in any danger I would tell you right away, you know that.”
“I know.” She sighed. “I’m glad he talked to you.”
“So, are you going to spill?”
“It’s just that I saw something the other night.”
“Saw what?” Suzie gave up on trying to prevent Mary from clearing the table, and allowed her to carry a few glasses to the sink as they talked.
“I don’t like to spread gossip, you know that, and I believe in people’s privacy, but since this issue seems to be growing, I guess I should tell you.”
“Yes, you should.” Suzie raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“I saw Trish on the beach, and I was going to say hello to her, but she walked right up to Curtis. He was fishing, and didn’t notice her at first I guess. She stood there behind him for a moment, then stepped up beside him. She tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned, she kissed him.”
“What? She didn’t say anything to him?”
“Not that I saw.”
“So she just walked up to him and kissed him?”
“That’s what it looked like to me, but I was far away. Maybe I missed something.”