The Reef Roamer (The Roamer Series Book 1) (8 page)

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jayme rinsed her dive gear in the fresh water tank and turned to find Daniel close behind.

“I’m glad you made the afternoon dive this time, Jayme,” Daniel said. “How did you like that wall?”

“It was wonderful, and I was impressed with our two new divers, they handled the deeper depth really well. I remember my first deep dive, an eighty foot wall in Cozumel. I drifted down to ninety-five feet before someone caught me,” Jayme laughed. “It’s so easy to lose track of a few feet when the water is so clear. Three-hundred-foot visibility can be misleading.”

Daniel nodded in acknowledgement. “What was your most memorable part of that dive?”

“In Cozumel? It was something further out that caught my attention. We were hanging above an abyss. There was no bottom within view. I looked out into the vastness of the ocean, away from the wall, and saw something go by. All I could see was the displacement of the water, ripples as it passed. I knew it had to be very large to do that and be so far out that I couldn’t see it. It was humbling.” She paused, thinking back to that day and the feelings that washed over her.

“What about night dives? Anything special about those?” he asked cautiously.

“All night dives are special,” she laughed. “I do remember one in particular in Grand Cayman. At first I was disappointed that the dive was inside the reef and would only be thirty feet, however, what I saw made up for it all. Our dive master had suggested that we settle to the bottom and shut our lights off, letting our eyes adjust to the dark, and then swish our hands in the water. There is a kind of plankton that illuminates when disturbed, and it looked like sparklers. It was delightful! The most memorable sight, though, was looking up and seeing the distant lightning of a passing storm. The way the thirty feet of water blurred the flashes was eerie.”

“I don’t know if I can compete with that, but how would you like to do a night dive tonight?” Daniel offered.

“I was hoping we could do one!” Jayme exclaimed.

“It will be only the four of us on the dive, so it should be good. Be at the dock by seven o’clock. I need to tell Carl and Megan it’s a go. I wouldn’t take them unless you agreed to go too. We both know that night dives are different, and anything can happen.”

Daniel left Jayme to finish rinsing her gear and to seek out the two other divers.

***

The boat slowed as the sun was setting. Daniel had selected a near-shore coral reef in forty feet of water for the night excursion. It was a popular day dive site and the boat captain got them close enough to the marker buoy for Daniel to snag it and tie them on. The buoys served several purposes, the first being an easy identification of the site, plus attaching to markers preserved the corals from repeated anchor damage.

“Okay, listen up. This is a shallow dive, thirty to forty feet. We will stay as a group, although it will be easy to spot each other because of the lights we all have. Make sure your light is tethered to you, either around your wrist or on a longer lanyard to your BC.” Daniel activated glow-sticks and attached them to all the air tanks. “Carl, you will buddy with me, and Megan, you’re with Jayme.”

“I’m so excited!” Megan said to Jayme. “We heard all about how beautiful night dives are during our classes. This is our first.”

“Our lights are bright enough that John will watch us from up here. We will be making a circle around the anchor line, which will also have a string of glow sticks attached. Pay attention to where you are and always know where the line is. In case of a problem, get to the anchor line and come up to the fifteen-foot bar.” Daniel looked at his three charges. Carl looked a little nervous, Megan looked excited, and Jayme, well, Jayme looked confident and content, as usual. He noticed the camera in Jayme’s grip. “Ready for some good shots, Jayme?”

“Oh, yeah.” She grinned back at Daniel.

***

Jayme was the first into the water and let her flashlight dangle from her wrist so the two first-timers could see her. Once they were in the water with their lights on, she went back to the boat ladder where Daniel handed down her camera and the light bar. When she was back with the other two, Daniel stepped off the platform to join them. As one, the four descended into the dark water.

The reef was alive with night creatures: urchins making their way from one place to the next; a lobster poked its antenna out, curious when Daniel shined his light into its hiding place; and tiny moray eels snaked their bodies upward from their sandy holes trying to look ferocious. Daniel had to stop Carl from reaching toward an eel. The eel was small, but all eels had a nasty bite with reverse fangs, and the only way to dislodge a bite was to cut off the head, killing the animal.

Jayme immediately shut off her light and switched on the LED light bar on the camera, illuminating a large area. She could see the amazement in Megan’s eyes as she absorbed all the colors coming to life, and it pleased her. Jayme motioned for Megan to follow her and showed her a large crevasse in the coral head, and then she brought the camera up so the light shone in, exposing the shy puffer fish. When the light hit them, the fish puffed up to three times their size in an attempt to look menacing. Jayme took several minutes’ footage of the delightful creatures.

The two women caught up to the men, and Jayme motioned for them to get closer together for a group shot. Then Daniel signaled it was time to surface. Back at the buoy anchor, Jayme spotted several pencil fish seemingly dancing on their noses, took some footage, and pointed out the tiny fish to the two novices. Daniel nodded in appreciation.

***

“Oh, my! Oh, my!” Megan paced the boat after rinsing her face from the fresh water bucket. “Carl, did you see those puffer fish?” She jabbered on with Carl interrupting her several times with his own excitement.

“Daniel, Jayme, thank you! That was everything and more that we were told about during classes,” Carl said to them.

“You’re welcome, Carl,” Jayme said, “but it was Daniel’s dive. I’m only a guest, just like you.”

“I think you made the dive special for
me
, Jayme,” Megan said. “Will you both please join us in the lounge for drinks when we get back? I have so many questions!”

“I think I’d like that,” Jayme said as they approached the dock. “It will take a few minutes to rinse gear, that’s always first. Then I know I sure need a shower! I’ll see you in a half hour or so?” All three of them looked toward their dive master. “Are you coming with us, Daniel?”

He grinned. “You bet!”

***

Jayme showered to wash off the ocean salt that was drying on her skin, and after washing her hair had simply tied it in knot on her head and out of the way. Casual yet comfortable, the calf length, one shouldered sarong she put on was now a dress that she had sewn up the side to maintain modesty, yet was free and loose from the mid-thigh down. Done in copper and bright yellow, it highlighted her deepening tan.

She entered the lounge area of the restaurant through one of the side doors that led to the sandy beach and scanned the room looking for Carl and Megan. When she spotted them, she also noticed that at the next table over sat that handsome, dark-haired stranger. As if he could feel her eyes on him, he looked up. His gray eyes locked with her green ones.

When she moved in his direction he grinned, thinking she had finally figured out where they had met and was coming to join him. Jayme smiled pleasantly at him then turned her back and sat with the young couple at another table.

“So glad you could join us, Jayme!” Megan bubbled. Her husband stood to hold Jayme’s chair as she sat.

“A celebration feels right after such a successful night dive,” she said, beaming at the two and wanting desperately to turn around and watch the man behind her.

“Ah, here comes Daniel,” Carl said.

Daniel took the final chair at the table for four. They all ordered drinks and chatted about the recent dive.

“Remember, Carl, those moray eels can be vicious if they feel threatened,” Daniel said.

“Yes, I’ll remember, sorry. Have you seen many morays, Jayme?” Carl asked.

“Actually, I had an interesting experience in Sting Ray City,” she answered.

“What’s Sting Ray City?” Megan questioned.

“It’s in Grand Cayman, or rather just off shore. There are a couple of coves where the rays congregate in relatively shallow water. It’s a snorkeler’s heaven,” Daniel chimed in. “You encountered an eel there, Jayme?”

“I was on an excursion to see the rays, only as a diver not a snorkeler,” she explained. “To draw the rays in, they needed to be fed. The dive master took four of us divers into the twelve-foot deep water, along with a can of chopped-up squid. He showed us how to put the chum on our hand, flat out, and the rays swooped down and sucked it right off our hands! They were gentle and surprisingly soft.”

“So the snorkelers got to see the rays, and you were part of the show?” Daniel laughed.

“I guess you could say that.”

“How does this tie in with seeing a moray eel?” Carl prodded.

“After a half hour or so, the snorkelers had had enough and were getting back on the boat,” Jayme went on. “The dive master motioned for us to follow him. About fifty yards away, he had us kneel down in the sand maybe fifteen feet away from a brain coral. Somehow he signaled the animal, and this six-foot moray eel came out from the coral. You can imagine our surprise when the eel rubbed up against him like a pet cat. He held out the can of squid, and the eel stuck its head in and grabbed a mouthful, then circled the coral and came back. It did this three times; each time the dive master ran his hand down the eel’s back, like he was petting it!”

“Wow,” both Carl and Megan said together.

“I know, it was amazing to watch. How the guy ever trained that animal I never found out.”

“I thought sting rays were dangerous. I remember hearing stories about them attacking people and cutting their feet and legs,” Megan said.

“That’s not true, Megan,” Daniel stated. “Any animal will defend themselves when they feel threatened. The most common injury to people come from them
stepping
on the rays. The rays like to sleep in shallow water, buried below the sand. People can’t see them and step on those bodies. The rays are frightened and try to leave, and end up cutting the person’s foot with the defensive spike on their tail. The rays don’t attack, they flee.”

“I didn’t know that…” Megan murmured.

“Will you be on tomorrow’s dive?” Jayme asked the couple.

“Unfortunately, we will be leaving tomorrow,” Megan said, squeezing her husband’s hand. “It’s been a wonderful trip.”

***

Mark Steele found it frustrating to stare at the back of the green-eyed woman. He listened intently to the conversation around the table. Jayme, her name was Jayme.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Five days of diving added a sparkle to Jayme’s already enhanced complexion. She was having a grand time in spite of the few bouts of melancholy. The diving was fabulous, the people she’d met were for the most part very pleasant, and there were no complaints from anyone she’d talked to about their accommodations or the way they were serviced. This would reflect in her final video. She had noticed a while back, or was it Katherine who first noticed, that the videos were better when she’d had an exceptionally good time. Was it her attitude that made the place look better? Or was it the place that made her attitude better? She wasn’t quite sure.

***

“Jayme! Won’t you join us?” Marge Thomas called out while Jayme was still in the breakfast line.

Jayme had found Marge and Jim Thomas, from Anchorage, Alaska, to be an absolutely delightful couple. They had joined the dive boat as snorkelers on the second day. Jim was protective of his wife and made a great effort to keep her from doing too much. Marge appeared to be a bit on the frail side to Jayme; however, since the couple were in their seventies, that was to be expected.

“Thanks,” Jayme answered, making her way to their table. “How are you feeling today, Marge?”

“I wish everyone would quit asking me that,” Marge stated adamantly. “Truth be told, I’m a little bored. The snorkeling is fun and I love being on the water; however, I want to do some shopping, and there aren’t any decent shops here.” She had lowered her voice to a whisper so low Jayme had to strain to hear her.

“It certainly isn’t Marsh Harbor, that’s for sure,” Jayme agreed. “I’ve got an idea, Marge. Instead of diving today, why don’t we hop the ferry and go over to the big island? Let’s make it a girl’s day!” She looked at Jim and raised her eyebrows for his thoughts.

“I think that is a splendid idea, Marge,” Jim said, smiling at his wife. “You and Jayme should go do something other than swim all day. Honestly, I could use a break myself. I think I’ll find an empty hammock and read that book I brought along.”

Marge looked from Jayme to Jim back to Jayme. “Oh, my! Yes, I would love to go to Marsh Harbor!”

***

“Can you get me two seats on the ferry over to Marsh Harbor?” Jamie asked the front desk attendant.

“Absolutely, Ms. Haller,” the desk clerk said. “It makes a regular stop here at 10:30 every morning. I’ll be sure to relay your request.” He hesitated. “May I ask if everything is okay? I mean with your room and the services?”

“Oh, yes, everything is wonderful,” she glanced at his name tag, “John. Marge Thomas and I are just going to get in some shopping.”

The young man behind the counter looked relieved. “Be at the dock by 10:15. The ferry is always either late or early.”

***

“This is so exciting!” Marge exclaimed. The ocean air whipped at the ends of the scarf that held her straw hat in place, and the salt spray dampened her light jacket. She looked jubilant.

“Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?” Jayme asked. For their excursion, she had changed from her usual bathing suit and t-shirt to a pair of dark tan shorts, matching striped top, and comfortable sneakers. Her long chestnut hair was now in a single braid, lying casually on her shoulder. She had packed her oversized flowery straw purse with sunscreen, a light jacket, her land camera, lip balm, and sunglasses, which she promptly put on, along with a wide palm tree braided sun hat she picked up during the island tour. Her wallet and ID were secured in the fanny-pack purse she wore.

“Looking for?” Marge snorted. “Honestly, Jayme, I just wanted to get away from Jim’s hovering for a few hours!”

“I have noticed he’s rather protective,” Jayme said cautiously.

Marge gave Jayme a long look, then moved beside her so she wouldn’t be overheard. “Protective is only the tip of it. I’ve been sick. I’m in remission now, but the cancer could come back at any time,” she confessed. “I want to pack as much living as I can into the time I have left. And I’m not doing that sitting around all day watching the waves!”

Remission?
Jayme thought. Her heart clenched at the thought of Marge having cancer. “Got it. I can keep up a pretty good pace when I get into shopping mode,” Jayme said with a grin, “so if at any time you need a break just say so, okay?” Marge nodded. “Oh, and I already spent a week in Marsh Harbor, so I know a few of the cutest shops off the main drag.” Jayme continued to tell Marge about some of the things they should see and places to visit. “And then there is this cab driver, Caye, who is a great tour guide. I hope we can find him because there is no way I could find this little hole in the wall place we went to for lunch that had the most incredible conch chowder.”

***

“Aren’t these cute?” Marge said an hour after they had docked.

“Are those fish scales?” Jayme peered at the colorfully painted mobiles hanging from a display.

“Sure are, and that must have been a whopper of a fish!” Marge giggled.

They wandered from shop to shop, up one gravel street and down another dirt one, until they found an open-air dress shop.

“Oh, my,” Marge breathed. “These are beautiful.” She fingered the delicate silk and let the softness slip over her hand.

“Try it on, Marge. I bet Jim would be delighted to have you in that at dinner tonight!”

“Only if you try one on too.”

Jayme looked through the dresses until one caught her eye. The long, thin-strapped dress was a display of blues and greens swirled together and were accented with a muted, striking purple. She slipped behind the curtain and let the silk slide over her head and caress her curves. Even if she didn’t wear it to dinner, she had to have that dress.

***

They sat in heavy wrought-iron bistro chairs at an outdoor café near the water, sipping iced coffee, when Jayme stood abruptly.

“I’ll be right back!” she said, darting across the busy street. “Caye!” she called out to the familiar cab driver.

“Missy Haller, how good to see you again.” His gentle brown face split into a sincere grin. “And so soon!”

“I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. Can you join us for coffee?” she asked.

***

“Marge, this is Caye Crockett, the taxi driver I told you about,” Jayme made the introductions. “Caye, I’m so glad I spotted you. I’ve been telling Marge about that little place that served the conch chowder, and I’m hoping you can take us there for some lunch and maybe other, new places?”

“For you, Missy Haller, my afternoon is now yours.” He bowed in her direction, remembering her tip to him last time was extremely generous in spite of his obviously inflated fee.

***

“Oh, Jim, we had the most marvelous time! Jayme and I shopped and bought some new clothes, and then she found a taxi driver she knows and he drove us all over the place! Did you know there are horses on the island? And they even have their own blacksmith!” Marge chatted on animatedly, accenting the tales of certain sights with a wave of her shaky hands.

Jim gently took one of her hands. “Did you remember to take your pills?”

Marge stopped talking. “No, I forgot. I was too busy enjoying myself!” She reached into her oversized straw handbag and pulled out the flat container that held her daily medications, and put several in her mouth, washing them down with a sweet drink.

“I’m sorry, Jim. If I had known, I would have made sure she took them,” Jayme said, facing Marge, shaking her finger.

That evening, Marge wore her new silk dress to dinner. Jayme did not.