“Excuse me?” asked Eve, turning around. “Did you say swim?”
Charlie leaned forward on the bar and grinned. “Here she goes. Judith, you’re a piece of work.”
Judith narrowed her eyes. “Ever go diving?”
“Like, off a diving board?” Eve asked, confused.
“No, not high diving,” said Judith. “Scuba diving.” “Cut it out, Judith,” Charlie said. “You’re nuts.”
Judith’s heavily lined eyes were bright with inspiration. “It’s destiny, Charlie!” She slapped her hand on the bar. “Eve needs a job. Sam needs a tender.” “Hey, wait a second—” said the man in the ball
cap.
“I’ve done a little bartending,” said Eve with a smile.
“No, no, no. Not bartending.” Judith downed her drink and grabbed Eve’s hand. She pulled Eve out of the door of the bar and pointed to the long dock jutting out into the harbor. A pickup truck was parked by one of the three cranes on the dock.
“Look to the left of the wharf,” said Judith. “See the boat in the third slip from the end?”
In the third space was a small boat marked with red lettering. Piled with green nets and orange floats, it was clean but looked like it had seen better days.
“The gray one?” asked Eve, squinting in the fading sunlight.
“That’s it. The Bravado is Sam’s boat. He’s a sea urchin diver. His other diver is out of commission. You could go out with Sam tomorrow and see how you like it. Then maybe you could be his new tender.”
“Tender? What’s that?”
“His deckhand. You’d watch over the boat while he’s down in the water then help him load the catch onto the deck.” Judith appraised Eve once more, looking her up and down. She nodded in approval. “There aren’t many girl tenders. But I think you’d do a fine job. What do you think?”
“I think you’re nuts, Judith.”
The tall man came out of the bar to stand next to them. He was wearing jeans, work boots, and a faded blue T-shirt that showed off the muscles in his chest. Then he adjusted the bill of his torn-up ball cap and the fading sunlight hit his eyes.
Holy…crap.
He was deadly handsome, square jawed with full lips and the most unusual eyes she’d ever seen—one sky blue and the other dark brown. The asymmetry mesmerized her. Checking herself, Eve forced herself to look back at the boat.
“But I’m not asking what you think, Sam,” said Judith. “I’m asking Eve.”
****
Delicate was the first word that came to Sam when he looked at the young woman. Gorgeous was the second. Completely unsuitable for the job were the next five.
Dressed in a black hoodie, faded jeans, and sneakers, she carried an enormous black backpack that made her look even smaller than she already was. Though she had Asian features, her eyes were a startling shade of bottle green. She wore her long black hair in a braid that hung over her shoulder. The breeze stirred loose tendrils from it; one momentarily lodged itself between her pink lips and she brushed it away. Sam’s mouth went dry.
Charlie joined them outside as Judith continued to make her case. “Sam will work you like a dog, but he’s fair. The job is never boring. You’ll like it.”
“It’s not about her liking it,” said Charlie. “It’s about whether or not she can do it.” He turned to Eve. “You say you can swim, right?”
Eve cleared her throat. “Yes.”
“And how much can you lift?” asked Charlie.
“I’m stronger than I look,” she said. “At my last job, I hauled twenty, thirty pound boxes all morning.”
“She’s stronger than you were when I hired you as my tender,” said Charlie.
Sam scowled at him.
“See?” said Judith, clearly pleased with herself. She pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit up. “This girl is perfect. I should charge you a finder’s fee.”
“Do you get seasick?” asked Charlie.
“No, I don’t…hey, wait a second.” Eve looked up at Sam. “Are you really considering me for this job?”
“No,” said Sam, “not really.”
“What?” asked Judith, the cigarette dangling from her lips. “She’s everything you’re looking for and she’s available to work right away. She could start tomorrow.”
“You did say you were eager to get back out there, Sam,” said Charlie.
“Now, hang on,” said Sam. “Before you two get all gung-ho about doing my hiring for me, let me ask a couple questions of my own.”
Eve looked right at him and smiled. Smiled—as if she already had the job in the bag. He went on high alert. This girl was used to getting what she wanted.
Not on my boat.