Protector, Lover...Husband?. Heather Graham
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but I want to get away from here first,” Alex said. She could see across the lagoon, and the Tiki Hut was beginning to fill up for cocktail hour. Fishing parties returning, those who’d been out on scuba and snorkeling trips coming in, and those who had lazed the day away at the beach or the pool. She could see that Hank Adamson was talking to her boss, Jay Galway, head of operations at Moon Bay, and he was pointing toward the dolphin lagoons.
She didn’t want to smile anymore, or suck up to Adamson—or defend herself. They were also standing with a man named Seth Granger, a frequent visitor, a very rich retired businessman who had decided he wanted to become a salvage expert. He signed up for dives and swims, then complained that they weren’t adventurous enough. Alex had wished for a very long time that she could tell him not to go on the dives when he didn’t enjoy the beauty of the reefs. Their dives were planned to show off the incredible color and beauty to be found on the only continental reef in the United States, not for a possible clash with modern-day pirates. Nor were they seeking treasure.
Well, if he wanted to talk about salvage or adventure, he could pin David down one night. They deserved each other.
Jay Galway seemed to be trying to get her attention. She pretended she didn’t notice.
“Let’s go to the beach on the other side of the island, huh? Then you can tell me all about dating hell,” she said to Laurie.
“Mr. Galway is waving at you,” Laurie said, running to catch up as Alex took off down the beach. “I think he wants you.”
“Then move faster,” Alex told her.
She turned, pretended she thought that James was just waving, waved back and took off at a walk so brisk it was nearly a run.
The dolphin lagoons were just around the bend, putting them on the westward side of the island rather than on the strip that faced the Atlantic. There were no roads out here from what wasn’t even really the mainland, since they sat eastward of the Middle Keys. A motorboat regularly made the trip from the island to several of the Keys in about twenty minutes, and a small ferry traveled between several of the Keys, then stopped at the island, five times a day. Moon Bay had only existed for a few years; before it’s purchase by a large German-American firm, it had been nothing more than a small strip of sand and trees where locals had come to picnic and find solitude.
The western side was still magnificently barren. White-sand beaches were edged by unbelievably clear water on one side, and palms and foliage on the other. Alex loved to escape the actual lodge area, especially at night. While their visitors were certainly free to roam in this direction, mercifully, not many did once it turned to the later portion of the afternoon. Sunbathers loved the area, but by now they were baked, red and in pain.
It was close to six, but the sun was still bright and warm. Nothing like the earlier hours, but nowhere near darkness. The water was calm and lazy; little nothing waves were creating a delicate foam against the shoreline that disappeared in seconds. The palms rustled behind them as they walked, and the delightful sea breeze kept the heat at bay.
Alex glanced up at the sky. It was a beautiful day, glorious. All kinds of tempests might be brewing out in the Atlantic or down in the Gulf somewhere, but here, all was calm and perfect. The sky was a rich, powdery blue, barely touched by the clouds, with that little bit of breeze deflecting the ninety-degree temperature that had slowly begun to drop.
Alex came to a halt and sat down on the wet sand. Laurie followed suit. The identical tank tops they wore—the words Moon Bay etched across black polyester in a soft off-white were light enough that Alex almost shivered when the breeze touched her damp arms. She had little concern for her matching shorts—they were made to take the sand, sun and heat with ease. It was comfortable clothing, perfect for the job, and not suggestive in the least. This was a family establishment.
A great place to run after a bad marriage, with everything she needed: a good job doing what she loved, water, boats, sand, sun, privacy.
Too much privacy.
And now…David was here. Damn him. She wasn’t going to change a thing. She was going to do exactly what she had planned. Shower, dress nicely, blow-dry her hair, wear makeup…sip piña coladas and dance at the Tiki Hut. Flirt like hell with John Seymore. And ignore the fact that every single woman in the place would be eyeing David.
Over. It was over. They had gone their separate ways…
“Well?” Laurie said.
“I’m sorry. What?”
“Do you want to hear about Date Tournament? Or do you just want to sit here, me quietly at your side, while you damn yourself for divorcing such a hunk?”
“Never,” Alex protested.
“Never as in, you never want to hear about Date Tournament, or never as in…what, exactly? You are divorced, right?”
“Of course. I meant, I’ll never regret what I did. It was necessary.”
“Why?”
Alex was silent. Why? We were going different ways? We didn’t know one another to begin with? It was as simple as…Alicia Farr? No, that was ridiculous. It was complex, as most such matters were. It was his needing adventure at all costs, her needing to be a real trainer. It was…
“Oh my God!” Laurie gasped suddenly, staring at her. “Was he…he was abusive?”
“No! Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Then…?”
“We just went different ways.”
“Hmph.” Laurie toed a little crab back toward the water. “Whatever way he was going, I’d have followed him. But then, I’ve had the experience of Date Tournament, which you haven’t—and which I thought you wanted to hear about.”
“I’m sorry. I’m being a horrible friend. I’m in shock, I think. Having this lovely time with John Seymore, and then…up pops David.”
“So what?”
“It’s uncomfortable.”
“But you and David are divorced, so what are you worried about? Enjoy John Seymore. He’s a hunk, too. Not like anyone I met at Date Tournament.”
“There must have been some nice guys.”
“If there were, I didn’t happen to meet them. Now let’s get back to your love triangle.”
Alex grinned. “There is no love triangle. Let’s get back to you. You’re gorgeous, bright, sweet and intelligent. The right guy is going to come along.”
“Doesn’t seem to be too much wrong with Mr. John Seymore. Did you know he’s an ex-navy SEAL? But there you go. Apparently, when my right guy comes along, he wants to date you.”
Alex arched an eyebrow, surprised. “I hadn’t realized that…that…”
“You hadn’t realized ‘that’ because there was no ‘that’ to realize. I hadn’t even talked to the guy until today. Then there’s your ex-husband.”
“He’s certainly a free agent.”
“He’s your ex. That’s a no-no.”
“I repeat—he’s a free agent.”
“One who sends you into a spiral,” Laurie noted.
“I’m not in a spiral. It’s just that…I was married to him. That makes me…I don’t know what that makes me. Yes, I do. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“You never fell out of love with him.”
“Trust me—I did. It’s just that…”
“All you’ve had for company since your divorce has been a bunch of sea animals?” Laurie suggested, amused.
“Neither one of us has dated in…a very, very long time,” Alex agreed.
Laurie