by Joanna Neil
‘We should start back,’ Jake said. His face was devoid of expression, as though he was getting by on automatic reflexes. ‘Rob will be wondering what’s happening, and I imagine your sister will be on her way to see you.’
‘Yes.’ Lacey went aboard the boat with him once more, and they watched as the divers set off for Key Largo. ‘Perhaps we should take a few minutes to relax first, though,’ she murmured. ‘Come into the cabin and I’ll make some tea. Having a hot drink might make you feel better.’
He didn’t argue with her, and she guessed that was a measure of how low he was feeling. He seemed uptight, pacing up and down the small cabin like a caged animal, until she said quietly, ‘Jake, you need to sit down… Take a seat and try to drink your tea while it’s hot.’
He gazed at her blankly, then as she placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pressured him towards the bench, he gave in and did as she suggested. He rubbed a hand over his forehead.
‘I’m sorry if I worried you,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t really prepared for what happened today and it threw me for a while. I’ve been out to accidents before, but not to a case of decompression sickness…not in the last year, anyway.’
She was puzzled. ‘I thought you handled everything perfectly.’ She studied him carefully, taking in his braced, upright stance. He looked as though he was struggling to hold everything together.
She slid into the seat beside him. ‘What more could you have done? As it is, he’ll probably be back to full fitness within a couple of weeks, and that’s all thanks to your swift actions.’
She frowned. ‘You’re a good doctor, Jake. I’ve seen it for myself, and I’ve heard other people say the same. I just don’t understand how you could doubt yourself or turn your back on the profession you trained for.’ She ran a hand over his arm, gently persuading him to look at her. ‘What happened, Jake? Can you tell me? Is there something about this particular accident that bothers you?’
He sighed heavily and then nodded. ‘My cousin had the same illness—decompression sickness. He was diving at one of our wreck sites, about eighteen months ago, and he must have stayed down there too long. When his fellow divers realised he was in difficulty, they hurried to bring him out of the water as soon as possible, but he was already unconscious. They tried everything they could to resuscitate him, but it was no use. He died.’
She made a soft gasp. ‘Oh, Jake, I’m so sorry. That must have been awful for you.’ She reached for him, putting her arms around him as his shoulders slumped. ‘Were you there when it happened?’
He shook his head. ‘I was at work, at the hospital, but as soon as I heard he was in trouble I took the boat out to the wreck site. They were still working on him when I arrived there, but I could see it was too late. His heart had stopped and the doctors tried everything they could to revive him, but it was impossible. There was nothing anyone could do.’
She wrapped her arms more firmly around him, drawing him close, so that his cheek was next to hers and the warmth of her body would comfort him. She felt the heavy thud of his heartbeat next to hers, and for just a few minutes they stayed like that, locked together in each other’s arms.
‘You must have been very close to him,’ she said softly. ‘Did you ever go on dives with him?’
He nodded. ‘We were practically inseparable as youngsters, and that carried on into adulthood. He loved diving, and he always felt that he was contributing to the family’s fortunes by unearthing artefacts from the wrecks.’ He made a brief smile. ‘Once he found a beautiful gold cross, encrusted with emeralds… There was some talk of selling it, but we didn’t…we’d already made millions, and it wasn’t necessary… So now it’s part of our collection, and I’m just thankful that we have it as a physical memento of the work he put in at the wrecks.’
‘Did you dive on a regular basis?’
‘Only when I wasn’t working at the hospital. I made a number of finds, and they were added to the collection, but I value them more for their history than anything else. This whole area is steeped in history…the era of sailing ships, their crews, and pirates. My grandfather was excited by all that, and his enthusiasm was infectious. It was passed down through our family.’ His mouth flattened. ‘I shared his feelings to begin with, and I have a lot to be grateful for, but now I simply want to preserve his legacy. I want to make sure that the company he set up thrives, so that my cousin’s death won’t have been in vain.’
He frowned. ‘I was never wholly involved in the venture. I moved away from the family business and went into medicine.’
‘And yet you gave that up.’
‘Yes.’ He straightened and Lacey let her arms fall to her sides. She felt bereft for a moment, feeling the loss of his warmth, of his strong male body next to hers.
He took her hand in his. ‘I know you’ll find this hard to understand…but after my cousin died everything seemed pointless. You work hard, you do your best for your family, for other people, and yet life can be plucked away from you in a second. Why put in all that effort if it’s not going to do any good? We might as well enjoy life while we can, because you never know what’s around the corner.’
‘I do understand.’ She looked up at him, her gaze troubled as she studied his bleak expression. ‘It’s just that I think life is all about helping one another, and if you have a skill that can make someone else’s life better, then it doesn’t seem right not to use it.’
He leaned towards her and kissed her gently on the mouth. ‘You’re very sweet. I’m glad that you came to live next door.’ His glance moved over her, lingering on the soft fullness of her lips, and it was just as though he had kissed her again. Lacey felt the lasting impression of that kiss as though he had seared her with his touch.
‘I’ll take you home,’ he said. ‘It’ll be good for you to have your family with you…and it’ll keep Rob from making any untoward moves in your direction.’ His eyes glinted in the soft light of the cabin.
She stared at him, her mouth dropping open a little. ‘You men,’ she said in protest. ‘You’re unbelievable. All this sniping at one another, when I’ve made it quite clear I’ve no intention of dating any man right now. You should take a break, the pair of you.’
He laughed softly. ‘I’m fine with that. Because I’m sure that eventually I’ll be able to persuade you to change your mind.’
She shook her head and stood up, sliding out from the bench and going to take the air outside on deck. It was impossible to deal with him. Just a few minutes ago he had shown her another side to him, the part of him that could be hurt, the part that grieved for what he could not bring back, and yet now he was teasing her, making a play for her as if nothing had happened.
She didn’t know what to make of him. Was it bravado, a reckless attempt to gloss over the worries that lay beneath the surface? Was his laid-back style, his live-for-the-moment attitude, just a front?
They set off, heading back over the water for the secluded dock that was shared by both properties. Jake secured the boat and then saw her to her door, saying lightly, ‘Thanks for helping me out with Martin. You’d make a good first-on-the-scene doctor if you ever consider a career change.’
She smiled. ‘Thanks, but I’m happy as I am.’
He left her, and she let herself into the house, going to find Rob to tell him about the incident. ‘I think he’ll be all right,’ she said. ‘We were there in minutes, so he had the best treatment available.’
Rob nodded. ‘I suppose I have to hand it to Jake. He hasn’t entirely stopped practising medicine, and from what you told me about the reef accident the other day, he seems to be well up on his skills.’
‘I never thought the day would come when you and he were behaving in a reasonable manner towards one another. Wonders will never cease.’ She smiled. ‘Still, I imagine it must be good news for you with this film project he has in mind?’
‘It is. It came completely out of the blue…I wasn’t expecting that. I’ve been working on ideas all af
ternoon…there are just a few details I need to think about.’
‘I’ll leave you to it, then. I’m expecting Grace and the children to arrive within the next couple of hours, and I want to have supper ready for them.’
She went into the kitchen to start preparations. The sun was setting as she laid the table, out on the deck, lighting up the sky with a huge golden orb. Grace arrived just in time to see it, and the children ran excitedly into the garden to take it all in. Their dog, a black border collie, followed them, barking in ecstasy at his new surroundings and wagging his tail to signal that everything in his world was great.
‘Everything’s red and gold,’ Cassie said. ‘It’s beautiful, Lacey.’
‘I think the sky’s on fire,’ Tom decided. ‘The sun’s caught the trees and it’s ’sploded all over the place.’
‘It certainly looks that way, doesn’t it?’ Lacey put an arm around her nephew and together they looked up at the sky.
Grace laughed. ‘I don’t think we need call the fire service just yet,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you children go and explore the garden for a bit while Lacey and I talk? Don’t go too far, mind…the orange grove will be far enough. And your supper’s ready, so don’t be long.’
They ran off, with the dog, Toby, following them, running round in circles, darting this way and that until he was sure where Tom was headed. Tom went to investigate the undergrowth at the far end of the garden, where tree branches hung down and made a convenient den.
Lacey sat with Grace on the deck. They sipped iced drinks, and shared the food that Lacey had set out on the table. There was melon, corn cakes with a variety of meat and vegetable fillings, southern fried chicken and salad.
‘Isn’t Rob joining us?’ Grace asked, savouring the chicken and washing it down with chilled white wine.
‘I think he’s working on something,’ Lacey told her. ‘When he’s working he gets so absorbed in what he’s doing that everything else falls by the wayside. I took him a tray of food… I doubt we’ll see anything more of him tonight.’
Grace smiled. ‘At least he stopped long enough to say hello.’
‘True.’ Lacey sampled the crispy lettuce and red peppers. ‘We should plan some outings for you now that you’re down here. We could try a trip in a glass-bottomed boat—I expect the children will love that.’
‘Yes, they will, if Tom can stay still long enough and not fall overboard,’ Grace said with a meaningful look in his direction. ‘He’s a terror these days…into everything. I’m having a job keeping a lid on him…he’s so exuberant.’
She said it with vehemence, but Lacey knew she thought the world of her offspring, all the same. Grace had always been serene, much like her name in character, and motherhood hadn’t changed that. She had fair hair and beautiful blue eyes, and her temperament was easygoing, with love of her children shining through.
‘Obviously, he gets that from his father,’ Lacey chuckled. ‘They even share the same colouring, with brown hair and grey eyes. Matt was always a go-getter, wasn’t he? What’s he up to now?’
‘He had to stop off in Miami for business meetings, and then he’s going to Key Largo to set up the new offices. He’s aiming to join us by the end of the week, but he wants me to go over there on Friday to meet up with a few of his colleagues and their wives.’ She frowned. ‘I said I’d try, but it will be a little difficult with the children in tow. I suppose I could arrange for them to go to a supervised play centre for a while.’
‘Or they could stay with me,’ Lacey offered. ‘I’m not working on Friday, so there’s no problem there.’
Grace gave her a hug. “You’re such a good sister to me. I love you to bits.’
Lacey grinned. ‘Of course, I might not be so keen to offer another time, once I’ve spent a few hours on my own with them. They were much younger and easier to manage last time I did that.’
They talked for a while longer, watching the sun sink down below the horizon. The children came back at intervals to help themselves to food, and it was only after their third foray into the garden that Lacey realised the dog was no longer with them.
‘Toby, come back here,’ Grace called. She was frowning. ‘He doesn’t usually stray far from Tom’s side. I hope he hasn’t managed to get himself caught up in the mangroves. Honestly, sometimes that dog is every bit as inquisitive as Tom. He’s always getting into scrapes.’
The children went off in all directions, calling the dog, but even though they waited a while, he didn’t return.
‘I’ll go and look for him,’ Lacey told Grace. ‘Let me have his leash so that I can bring him back. Do you want to stay here with the children? I’m a bit more familiar with the layout of the place. Anyway, he might come back to you while I’m off searching.’
‘Yes, that’s true.’ Grace handed over the leash. ‘The children can go and set things out in their room.’
‘I’m going with you,’ Tom said, looking at Lacey. ‘I want to see Toby. He doesn’t know his way around and he might be frightened.’
Grace nodded. ‘All right. You go with Lacey. I’m sure he’s just enjoying the sights and smells around here. I’ll go and help Cassie unpack.’
Lacey and Tom hurried off in search of the dog. They called him and shone torches into shadowy corners, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Then they heard a faint yelp, followed by a barrage of excited barks.
‘The sound’s coming from over there,’ Lacey said, turning towards the woods. ‘He’s probably found a gecko, or something like that.’
‘Or it might be a baby turtle near the water.’ Tom’s grey eyes lit up. ‘Toby flips them over on their backs so they can’t go away. I think he wants to play with them, but they just wave their legs in the air and I have to turn them over again.’
‘I can see Toby’s a dog to be reckoned with,’ Lacey murmured. Two of a kind, wasn’t that how Grace had put it?
‘Let’s go and see what he’s up to, shall we?’ They walked quickly in the direction of the noise, but Lacey was dismayed to find that Toby had followed a trail that led unswervingly onto Jake’s land. There was a break in the fence where he must have slipped through, and as they approached the border between the two properties, the barking became louder.
Then Lacey heard Jake’s voice. ‘Stay there,’ he said in a sharp tone, and for a moment she thought he was talking to her, until she realised that he couldn’t possibly see her through the greenery.
‘Leave it, I said. Stay.’ Jake was beginning to sound exasperated. ‘Don’t you know any commands at all? Sit.’
Lacey ventured through the gap in the fence, lifting the wire so that Tom could follow. They walked along a winding path until they came upon a small copse, and beyond that was a cultivated area, filled with flowering shrubs whose fragrance floated on the air.
Hibiscus petals lay all around among the trampled debris of several shrubs and Jake was standing on a crazy-paving path, glowering at the dog. Toby, though, appeared to be completely nonchalant about the situation. He was far more interested in a green iguana, about two feet long, which was facing him. There was clearly a stand-off between the two animals.
Feeling cornered, the iguana extended and displayed the dewlap under its neck. It stiffened and puffed up its body, hissed and began to bob its head.
Toby took a step nearer, and Jake said briskly, ‘I said, Stay.’
Toby looked uncertain for a moment, panting excitedly, his attention clearly divided between Jake and the iguana. The iguana won. The dog moved towards it once more, and the iguana, backed into a corner by a nearby outcrop of rocks, lashed its tail and bared its teeth. The hissing became more and more aggressive and Toby began to bark loud enough to wake the people in the next county.
Annoyed now, Jake moved swiftly and grabbed his collar. ‘You’re an idiot dog,’ he said tersely, dragging him away from the enemy and putting a healthy distance between them. ‘Carry on like that and you’ll end up at the vet’s surgery with teeth marks all over you
r foolish hide.’
‘He’s not an idiot!’ Tom exclaimed in an indignant tone. ‘You’re nasty. I don’t like you.’
‘Really?’ Jake’s gaze focussed on the boy. ‘I take it this is your dog?’
‘Yes, he is. You’re a bad man. You shouted at my dog. He doesn’t like being shouted at.’
‘And I don’t like my shrubs being trampled and eaten and my fences broken down,’ Jake answered briskly.
Lacey watched the new stand-off between man and boy. The iguana, she noticed, had slipped away into the night once the danger was over.
‘Tom,’ she said quietly, as she clipped the leash to the dog’s collar, ‘I think Toby might have been hurt if Jake hadn’t stopped him.’
‘I still don’t like him,’ Tom answered, his face screwed up into a belligerent scowl.
Jake looked at Lacey, frustration showing in his taut features. She made a faint grimace.
‘He was trying to keep Toby away from the iguana,’ she tried again, looking at Tom. ‘Iguanas are fine unless they’re cornered, but if they feel threatened they might attack.’
‘I don’t care about that,’ Tom said in a fierce tone. ‘He said Toby’s an idiot and he said he doesn’t know anything.’ He stabbed a finger in the air towards Jake. ‘He’s the one who doesn’t know anything. Toby doesn’t eat flowers. Iguanas eat flowers.’
‘Do they?’ Lacey frowned.
‘Duh!’ Now Tom was exasperated, and Lacey tried to hide a smile. She turned away slightly but Jake caught her expression and a glimmer of amusement showed in his eyes. He began to relax and his shoulders lost their stiffness.
‘I’m sorry about this,’ Lacey told him. ‘We’ll keep Toby under control from now on, I promise, and I’ll fix the broken fence.’ She hesitated. ‘I’d better get back. They’ll be wondering what’s happening.’
He nodded. ‘Okay.’
She turned and started to walk away.
‘I don’t like him,’ Tom muttered, giving his dog a hug. ‘I love Toby and he’s a bad man.’