Alex was afraid that David would either demur—this was pretty tame stuff for him—or do something spectacular. God knew what he might whisper to a dolphin, and what a well-trained, social animal might do in response. But David was well-behaved, looking as smooth and sleek as the creatures themselves as he came out of the water. The only irritating thing was that he and John Seymore seemed to find a tremendous amount to talk about whenever she was busy with the others. Then, during the circle swim, David disappeared beneath the surface for so long that the two parents in the group began to worry that he had drowned.
“Are you sure he’s all right?” Ally Conroy, Zach’s mother, asked Alex.
“I know him,” Alex told the woman, forcing another of those plastic smiles that threatened to break her face. “He can hold his breath almost as long as the dolphins.”
David surfaced at last. Macy, the staff photographer, just shrugged at Alex. They made a lot of their research funding by selling people photos of their dolphin experiences, but Alex and Macy both knew David didn’t need to buy any photos.
At that point, David and John began talking quietly in the background, as Alex got the others going on their chance for dolphin hugs and smooches. She couldn’t hear what the two men were saying, but she was annoyed, and became more so when Hank Adamson joined the conversation. She found them distracting, but had a feeling she’d look foolish if she was to freak out and yell at the lot of them to shut up. It looked like a little testosterone party going. They were probably chatting about diving—in a manly way, of course.
Why did it bother her so much? David was out of her life. No, David would never be out of her life.
The thought was galling. She had been able to see that the relationship wasn’t working, that time wasn’t going to change the facts about him, her or the situation. And they had split. She didn’t regret the decision.
It’s just that he was here again now, when she had a lovely minor flirtation going on, the most exciting thing she’d experienced since the divorce. And just because the object of her current affections seemed to be getting on with David as if they were long-lost friends…
“Hey,” Zach whispered to her, his eyes alight, “Those guys aren’t paying any attention. The girls and I could sneak in and take their hugs, huh?”
She would have loved to agree. But no matter what it looked like Hank Adamson was doing, he was a reporter. One whose writing could influence the fate of Moon Bay. She had to play fair.
“I’d love to give them to you and the girls, but it wouldn’t be right.”
“Zach, you can take my place.”
She hadn’t known that David had broken away from his conversation.
She stared at him. “The girls would want an equal opportunity.”
“Hey, I’ll give up my time.” That, amazingly, came from Hank Adamson. He grinned at Alex. “It’s cool watching the kids have fun. Don’t worry—you’re getting a good write-up.”
“I’ll give up my hug, too,” John Seymore told her, shrugging, a dimple going deep.
“Another round for the youngest members of the group, then,” she said.
Finally the time was up. Alex went through her spiel about returning flippers, masks, and snorkels, telling the group where they could rinse off the brine and find further information on dolphins before heading off for whatever their next adventure might be.
John gave her a special smile as he stopped to thank her. “I was figuring I’d do it again, maybe check out a time when the groups weren’t full. I don’t have a thing in the world against hugs. Even from a dolphin.”
She smiled in return, nodding.
“I think I have an in with the dolphin keeper,” he added softly.
“You do,” she assured him.
He turned, walking off. David had been right behind him. He’d undoubtedly heard every word. Now his dark blue eyes were on her enigmatically. She wished he wasn’t even more appealing soaking wet, that thatch of impossibly dark hair over his forehead, bronzed shoulders gleaming. She wished there wasn’t such an irresistibly subtle, too familiar scent about him. Soap, cologne, his natural essence, mingled with the sea and salty air.
“Nice program you’ve got going,” he said. “Thanks.”
Then he walked away. He didn’t even shake her hand, as the others had. He didn’t touch her.
She felt burned.
“Thanks,” she returned, though he was already too far away to hear her
“You okay?”
Alex whirled. Laurie was watching her worriedly.
“So hunky-dory I could spit,” Alex assured her, causing Laurie to smile.
Then her friend cocked her head, set her hands on her hips and sighed. “Poor baby. Two of the most attractive men I’ve seen in a long time angling for your attention, and you look as if you’ve been caught in a bees’ nest.”
“Trust me, David is not angling for my attention.”
“You should have seen the way he was looking at you.”
“You were reading it wrong, I guarantee you.”
Laurie frowned. “I thought the divorce went smoothly.”
“Very smoothly. I don’t think he even noticed,” Alex told her ruefully. She lifted a hand in vague explanation. “He was in the Caribbean on a boat somewhere when I filed the papers. He didn’t call, didn’t protest…just sent his attorney with the clear message to let me do whatever I wanted, have whatever I wanted…I was married, then I wasn’t, and it was all so fast, my head was spinning.”
“Well, that certainly didn’t mean he hated you.”
“I never said he hated me.”
“Well…want my advice?”
“No.”
Laurie grinned. “That’s because you’ve never been to a place like Date Tournament.”
“What?”
“I told you I was going the other day,” Laurie said impatiently. “It’s that new club in Key Largo. They’ve been doing it all over the country. You go, and you keep changing tables, chatting with different people for about ten minutes each. The idea isn’t bad. I mean, there are nice guys out there, not just jerks. Some are heart-broken—like me. And some are just looking. Imagine, the perfect person for me could walk by me in a mall, but we’d never talk. We never see someone and just walk up and say, ‘Hey, you’re good-looking, the right age, are you straight? Attached? Do you have kids? Do you like the water? We wouldn’t last a day if you didn’t.’ So at Date Tournament, you at least get to meet people who are looking for people. Sexual preference and marital status are all straightened out before you start. You’re not stuck believing some jerk in a bar who says he’s single, gets more out of the night than a girl set out to give, then apologizes because he has to get home before his wife catches him.”
Alex stared at her blankly for a minute. Laurie was beautiful, a natural platinum blonde with a gorgeous smile, charm and spontaneity. It had never really occurred to Alex that her friend had the least difficulty dating. Living at Moon Bay seemed perfect for Alex. She had her own small but atmospheric little cottage, surrounded by subtropical growth—and daily maid service. There was the Tiki Hut off the lagoons for laid-back evenings, buffets in the main house for every meal, a small but well-run bookstore and every cable channel known to man. She thought ruefully that just because she had been nursing a wounded heart all this time, she’d had no reason to think the others were all as happy with celibacy as she was.
She arched an eyebrow, wishing she hadn’t spent so much time being nearly oblivious