In Deep Waters

“Anytime.” She glanced around the bow at the various chairs and loungers. “Nice little pool area.”

Madison splashed water onto the deck. “It’s my beach.”

“We call it the beach,” Ben said. “There’s a cooler with drinks if you get thirsty and the bathroom is right over there.”

Kayla nudged a beach ball to Madison. “Thanks.”

Zach jogged up the stairs, grabbed a soda from the cooler and downed a swig. He let out a loud burp.

“Excuse you, Uncle Zach,” Madison said.

His gaze fell on Kayla, and Zach blushed.

“Manners are important.” Madison emphasized each word with a pointed finger. Three going on thirty. “Isn’t that right, Kayla?”

Her smile had enough wattage to light a cruise ship. “That’s right.”

Zach muttered an apology and took the stairs two at a time.

Ben laughed. At least Kayla helped with the crew’s lack of etiquette. Better manners were needed around here, but sometimes he had trouble remembering that himself.

“How did it go last night?” he asked.

Kayla rubbed water on her legs. “We didn’t see anything.”

She sounded nonchalant, but Ben heard a twinge of disappointment. “Nothing at all?”

“Not unless you want to count mud.”

Frustration filled her voice. Bingo. He knew it wouldn’t take long, but this was better than he’d hoped for. He bit back a smile.

Madison splashed him. “Can we play in the mud, Daddy?”

“Not today, princess.”

She pursed her lips, but before a full-blown pout formed, she reached for her buckets and filled them with water from the pool.

Time to tighten the screws. “The Izzy is out there, Kayla. It’s difficult when we have such a large area to search. An overdose of mud is one of the hazards.”

“I know, but…” She shifted her weight between her feet.

This was it. She was going to give up after her first shift.

“Daddy, I have to go potty,” Madison answered instead.

He helped her out of the pool. “Do you need help?”

“No, I’m a big girl.” She ran into the head, located ten feet away, and closed the door.

“Sometimes she runs through the entire ship so she can tell me she has to go. Kids.” He studied Kayla, trying to figure out what was going on inside her pretty head. “What were you going to say before?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this…”

“No need to hold back now.”

“I suppose. It’s just…I’ve only been here twenty-four hours, yet it seems longer.”

“I know.” Remain cool. As soon as she said the word, he would radio Pappy to come back and get her. “What’s on your mind?”

Kayla squared her shoulders. “We’re wasting time and money with this current grid. I’ve spoken with the crew about your findings so far. None of the targets have panned out. Nothing confirms the Isabella went down in this vicinity. It’s time we moved on.”

Yes, especially if the “we” meant only her.

He didn’t like Kayla speaking with his crew, who were already on edge. Everyone believed the Izzy was out there, but Ben had heard rumblings of discontent about another wasted season. “We have no idea how big the debris field is scattered.”

“Granted, but we’re not going to find anything here.” She rubbed her right foot on her left calf, and Ben forced himself to look away. This was not the time to be distracted. “We can always come back later.”

“Later? Losing confidence in your research?”

“I’m still confident.” She tilted her chin. At this moment, she looked like a real princess, not a pretend one. No wonder Madison had mimicked the action. “We’ll find the Isabella if we follow my research, so it’s easy to say we can come back later.”

Ben appreciated Kayla’s honesty. “But if we don’t, we won’t be able to come back if our funding is pulled.”

“I could…put in a good word.”

How much pull could a historian have at the museum? Unless she was sleeping with the boss. No, he realized, she didn’t seem the type. He glanced at the closed door to the head. Another minute and he’d have to check on Madison. “You think that will help?”

She rubbed her foot again. “It couldn’t hurt. We all want the same thing.”

“I want to find the Izzy.”

“So do I.” The determination in her voice surprised him. “But I can’t find the Isabella without your ship and crew. And you can’t find her without my research.”

She’d been honest with him; she deserved the same. Kayla still hadn’t offered to show him any real proof to back up her search coordinates. “I’m withholding judgment about your research.”

“Whatever. You’ll see I’m right.”

He respected her confidence. Not that he believed her any more than he had yesterday. He might be on a treasure hunt, but he was relying on historical research and a scientific process to find it. Not intuition or feeling or psychics. Those three things his father would have trusted without a moment’s hesitation in order to make one of his dreams come true.

“What matters is locating the ship.” She circled the pool, kicking her feet as she walked. Her healthy tan suggested she spent time outdoors. The color was too natural-looking to be from a tanning booth or a bottle. “Who cares what research we use as long as we find her?”

This had to be a setup. Kayla sounded sincere, but he’d been mistaken about a person’s sincerity before and wouldn’t fall into that trap again. Still, he couldn’t figure her out. She was either full of principle or stubborn, determined to get her way no matter what. Or maybe, he realized, a little of both.

“We need to work together.”

Ben wasn’t about to commit to anything except wanting her off his ship. “You want to work with me?”

“And the crew.” Her eager smile made her look younger. “We’re in this together.”