24. Cole

CHAPTER 24

COLE

I f Bella ever let him meet her friends, Cole would definitely be buying them a round of drinks, and he also owed the airline a five-star review for seating them together.

Writing obituaries must have taken its toll because Bella was exhausted. He hadn’t been sure she’d rest when he suggested it, but she’d eaten a late lunch and then fallen asleep again, her head on his shoulder and her hand on his thigh as her silk scarf tickled his cheek. It was as if the past three days hadn’t happened. As if they’d never gone to the Sunrise Diner together and left alone. She’d slept through most of the flight to San Galli too.

“I’m sure going to miss flying business class,” he said as they disembarked on Ilha Grande. Bella’s bag was slung over his shoulder, but she insisted on using her crutches to walk to immigration, even when the airport staff offered to take her in a golf cart. “Did you get an upgrade too?”

“I think they saw the crutches.”

Alvaro Brown International Airport—named after the prime minister who’d spearheaded the project—was tiny compared to the other airports they’d travelled through today. Just one terminal, and clearing customs and immigration was still a manual process. Cole caught sight of Bella’s passport as she handed it over. Her full name was Anabella Jersey Knight, and her birthday was November twenty-third. She’d been born in Maryland. Had she lived there for long? She’d never once mentioned it.

“I have two bags,” she said when they reached the baggage conveyor. “A suitcase plus my scuba gear.”

“You dive?” She hadn’t mentioned that either.

“I did a PADI course on vacation four or five years ago. A friend said he’d buddy up with me in Miami, but it turned out he was in on the conspiracy.”

“He? Marcel?” She’d been jealous earlier when Cole mentioned Frankie—he was sure he hadn’t imagined that—and the irony wasn’t lost on him that the tables had turned.

“Chase. Also gay.”

Thank the heavens above.

“If you want to dive, I can buddy with you. No pressure though.”

“Maybe.”

It wasn’t an outright “no.” He had to take hope from that.

“Cole!”

Frankie was waiting in the arrivals hall, coffee in hand, and she ran to crush him in a hug.

“Hey.”

“How was your flight? You look so freaking pale. What’s happening with the hotel? Wait, wait, ohmigosh, you brought a girlfriend with you?” She smacked him on the shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Frankie turned her attention to Bella and threw her arms around her too. “Hi, hi, I’m Frankie.”

Bella wasn’t a hugger, Cole had worked out that much, but she looked shocked rather than angry.

“Bella.”

“Oh, that’s such a pretty name. How long have you been seeing Cole? He’s such a sweetheart, isn’t he? I can’t believe he didn’t tell me you were coming. I booked a table at the Sandbar Supper Club, but I can tell them we’ll be four rather than three. What happened to your leg?”

Maybe he should have warned Bella that Frankie never stopped talking, but if he had, she would have stayed in Miami for sure.

“Frankie…” He made a “tone it down” motion with one hand. “It’s been a long trip.”

“Sorry, sorry.” And to Bella, “He says I talk too much.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

“Oh, you’re so funny. We’ll drop your stuff off at my place, and I guess you’ll want to freshen up. Then we can collect Toni and hit the town.”

“Toni is Frankie’s girlfriend,” Cole explained. “Antonia.”

“She’s bi?” Bella whispered, but Frankie heard her.

“Totally. Why limit myself to one gender when I can have both? How about you?”

Bella’s eyes widened. “Am I bi?”

“Are you?”

“No, not really.”

“Not really? What does that mean?”

Bella glanced at Cole and sucked in a breath. Let it out again. “It means I’ve experimented enough with women to know that I prefer men.”

This whole time, he’d been tiptoeing around her, nervous of scaring her off, and she’d left anyway. Who knew that Frankie’s approach of bombarding her with questions might actually work?

“I mean, if you’re not sure, that’s a great approach. I guess I’m just indecisive. It’s the same in restaurants—I can never decide what I want to eat, so either someone has to order for me, or I end up with six different dishes I can only eat half of. I love your necklace, by the way.”

“Uh, thanks? Yours is cute too.”

“It belonged to my grandma, but she passed it to me last year. It’s made from conch pearls.”

“Conchs produce pearls?”

“Yup, queen conchs do, but they’re super rare. The pearls, not the conch, although those are endangered too now. And the pearls don’t just come in pink. You can get blue, yellow, tan… Or at least, you could. Commercial conch fishing has been banned here because the conch population has been decimated. Have you been to San Gallicano before?”

“Once, several years ago.”

“Couldn’t stay away, huh? There’s no way you could see every island in one visit. Which ones did you go to?”

“Only this one.”

“Well, you picked the right man to come with.” Frankie giggled and gave a conspiratorial wink. “Pun intended. Emerald Shores is the prettiest island. Kind of like Bora Bora with the lagoon and everything, except it’s wilder and blessedly free from tourists. Can you swim with that thing on your leg? You didn’t say what happened to it?”

“I fell down some stairs, and yes, I can swim.”

“Oh, yikes. Be careful at Cole’s house—the steps from his deck to the beach are pretty steep. How long until you can take it off?”

“Another two weeks at least, but I need a scan at the hospital first to check everything has healed. I’m hoping to build up my strength by swimming while I’m here. ”

“The lagoon on Emerald Shores is absolutely beautiful for swimming. Do you have a snorkel?”

“Yes.”

“Make sure you wear something on your feet—there are stonefish around. And get Cole to show you the sandy slope with the garden eels.”

“I’m wearing a cast on my foot.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“And Cole will be on his boat.”

“He has a few days before the customers arrive. Right?”

Cole nodded. “Right. We can go snorkelling if Bella wants to.”

“Is Delroy coming on the boat with you again?”

“No other deckhand will work near Skeleton Cay.”

“Skeleton Cay?” Bella asked. “Isn’t it usually pronounced ‘key’?”

“Not in San Gallicano,” Cole said. “One of the local quirks.”

Frankie pulled a face. “If I didn’t have a sailing competition, I’d come with you myself. Delroy’s such a sourpuss. Bella, make sure you take a cover-up. He’ll stare at your boobs otherwise.”

Great, now there was no way Bella would go near the Crosswind . “That’s not helping, Frankie. And Delroy’s strong—it’s good to have him around to carry the scuba tanks and help launch the submersible.”

Plus he was a man of few words, so he got along fine with William Blaylock and his stepson, Clint. Cole had heard on the grapevine that William had filed for divorce from his wife—Clint’s mom—in the past year, so he hadn’t been certain the boy would come, but he was on the manifest Dr. Blaylock had emailed across, along with two of his friends. Clint was following in his stepfather’s footsteps by studying marine biology at the University of Miami, and he’d be carrying out research for his dissertation on this trip. Another reason Cole couldn’t cancel.

“Submersible?” Bella asked.

“Dr. Blaylock developed a problem with one of his eardrums several years ago, so he can’t equalise anymore. That means diving is out. So he brings his own submersible for the deeper work, and usually a student or two to help with the shallower surveys.”

“Sounds pretty committed.”

“Yeah, he is. I heard he funds some of his studies from an inheritance, but he’s also good at landing grants. Look up his name—he must’ve written a hundred papers.” Cole turned to Frankie. “Where’s your car?”

“Right outside.”

As they exited the terminal, Frankie blew a kiss to the security guard who’d let her park where she wasn’t supposed to, and then she helped to load the bags into the trunk. Cole offered Bella the front seat, but she shook her head.

“I’m fine in the back.”

“Sorry about Frankie,” he said, too quietly for Frankie to hear. “She can be a lot.”

“She’s mildly entertaining.” Bella’s lips curved into a cunning smile. “Get her drunk enough, and I’m sure she’ll dish the dirt on you.”