glass of lemonade.
“An exciting day,” she commented.
“Yeah. You don’t get many like this.”
“No. Twenty years ago today I thought this is the happiest I can ever be.” She sat on a deck chair, tilted her sun hat to shade her eyes. “But over the years I’ve had a lot of happy moments. Tate’s been a joy to her father and me right from the first. She’s bright, eager, generous.”
“And you want me to keep my distance,” Matthew concluded.
“I’m not sure.” Marla sighed, tapped her finger against her own glass. “I’m not blind, Matthew. I’ve seen the signs between the two of you. It’s natural enough. You’re healthy, attractive people, working and living in close quarters.”
He took off the cross, ran a thumb over the glint of grass-green stones. Like Tate’s eyes, he thought, and set the chain aside. “Nothing’s happened.”
“I appreciate your telling me that. But you see, if I haven’t given Tate the foundation to know how to make her own decisions, then I’ve failed as a parent. I don’t believe I have.” She smiled a little. “That doesn’t stop me from worrying. She has so much ahead of her. I can’t help wanting her to have all of it, and at the right time. I suppose what I’m asking you to do is be careful with her. If she’s in love with you—”
“We haven’t talked about that,” Matthew said quickly.
Under other circumstances, Marla might have smiled at the panic in his voice. “If she’s in love with you,” Marla repeated, “it will block everything else. Tate thinks with her heart. Oh, she thinks she’s practical, sensible. And she is. Until her emotions are stirred. So be careful with her.”
Now she did smile, and rose. “I’m going to fix you some lunch.” Laying a hand on his arm, she lifted to her toes and kissed his cheek. “Sit in the sun, honey, and enjoy your moment of triumph.”
C HAPTER 6
I N A MATTER of days, the seabed was riddled with holes. The Santa Marguerite gave up her stores generously. Between the airlift, and the simple tools of coal shovel and bare hands the team mined both the spectacular and the ordinary. A wooden worm-eaten bowl, a dazzling gold chain, pipe bowls and spoons, a sumptuous cross crusted with pearls. All were lifted from the sandy vault where they had rested for centuries, and hauled into the light in buckets.
Now and again a pleasure boat would cruise by and hail the Adventure. If Tate was onboard, she would lean on the rail and chat. There was no disguising the murky cloud from the airlift that stained the surface. Word of the underwater excavation was spreading. They were careful to downplay their progress. But each day, they worked harder and faster as the prospect of rival treasure hunters arriving increased.
“A legal claim don’t mean squat to some of these pirates,” Buck told her. He zipped his thick torso into his wet suit. “You gotta be alert, and you gotta be tough.” He winked at her as he passed her his glasses. “And cagey. We’ll dig out that mother lode, Tate, and we’ll play her out.”
“I know we will.” She handed him his face mask. “We’ve already found more than I ever imagined.”
“You start imagining bigger.” He grinned, spat into his mask. “It’s good having a couple of young ones like you and Matthew along. Figure you could work twenty hours out of twenty-four if you had to. You’re a good diver, girl. And a good hunter.”
“Thanks, Buck.”
“Don’t know many females who can handle it.”
Her brow shot up as he rinsed out his mask. “Really?”
“Now don’t go shooting that equal stuff at me. Just stating a fact. Plenty of girls like to dive all right, but when it comes to pulling their weight on a dig, they ain’t got what it takes. You do.”
She thought it through, then smiled at him. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Should. Best damn team I ever worked with.” He settled into position, slapped a hand on Ray’s shoulder.
“An exciting day,” she commented.
“Yeah. You don’t get many like this.”
“No. Twenty years ago today I thought this is the happiest I can ever be.” She sat on a deck chair, tilted her sun hat to shade her eyes. “But over the years I’ve had a lot of happy moments. Tate’s been a joy to her father and me right from the first. She’s bright, eager, generous.”
“And you want me to keep my distance,” Matthew concluded.
“I’m not sure.” Marla sighed, tapped her finger against her own glass. “I’m not blind, Matthew. I’ve seen the signs between the two of you. It’s natural enough. You’re healthy, attractive people, working and living in close quarters.”
He took off the cross, ran a thumb over the glint of grass-green stones. Like Tate’s eyes, he thought, and set the chain aside. “Nothing’s happened.”
“I appreciate your telling me that. But you see, if I haven’t given Tate the foundation to know how to make her own decisions, then I’ve failed as a parent. I don’t believe I have.” She smiled a little. “That doesn’t stop me from worrying. She has so much ahead of her. I can’t help wanting her to have all of it, and at the right time. I suppose what I’m asking you to do is be careful with her. If she’s in love with you—”
“We haven’t talked about that,” Matthew said quickly.
Under other circumstances, Marla might have smiled at the panic in his voice. “If she’s in love with you,” Marla repeated, “it will block everything else. Tate thinks with her heart. Oh, she thinks she’s practical, sensible. And she is. Until her emotions are stirred. So be careful with her.”
Now she did smile, and rose. “I’m going to fix you some lunch.” Laying a hand on his arm, she lifted to her toes and kissed his cheek. “Sit in the sun, honey, and enjoy your moment of triumph.”
C HAPTER 6
I N A MATTER of days, the seabed was riddled with holes. The Santa Marguerite gave up her stores generously. Between the airlift, and the simple tools of coal shovel and bare hands the team mined both the spectacular and the ordinary. A wooden worm-eaten bowl, a dazzling gold chain, pipe bowls and spoons, a sumptuous cross crusted with pearls. All were lifted from the sandy vault where they had rested for centuries, and hauled into the light in buckets.
Now and again a pleasure boat would cruise by and hail the Adventure. If Tate was onboard, she would lean on the rail and chat. There was no disguising the murky cloud from the airlift that stained the surface. Word of the underwater excavation was spreading. They were careful to downplay their progress. But each day, they worked harder and faster as the prospect of rival treasure hunters arriving increased.
“A legal claim don’t mean squat to some of these pirates,” Buck told her. He zipped his thick torso into his wet suit. “You gotta be alert, and you gotta be tough.” He winked at her as he passed her his glasses. “And cagey. We’ll dig out that mother lode, Tate, and we’ll play her out.”
“I know we will.” She handed him his face mask. “We’ve already found more than I ever imagined.”
“You start imagining bigger.” He grinned, spat into his mask. “It’s good having a couple of young ones like you and Matthew along. Figure you could work twenty hours out of twenty-four if you had to. You’re a good diver, girl. And a good hunter.”
“Thanks, Buck.”
“Don’t know many females who can handle it.”
Her brow shot up as he rinsed out his mask. “Really?”
“Now don’t go shooting that equal stuff at me. Just stating a fact. Plenty of girls like to dive all right, but when it comes to pulling their weight on a dig, they ain’t got what it takes. You do.”
She thought it through, then smiled at him. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Should. Best damn team I ever worked with.” He settled into position, slapped a hand on Ray’s shoulder.
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