“Hey,”—I put a hand on her shoulder—“I’ll see you in a little while.”
“Okay.” She leaned over to give me a quick peck on the cheek, then I watched through the window as she headed into the restaurant.
It was Friday afternoon, so even though my chance of catching someone in the office at the media company I freelanced for was slim, I dialed the number anyway. They had me booked on a dive in Costa Rica the following week, but I wanted to spend more time in Saltery Bay.
My contact answered before the phone even rang. “Kai, thanks for returning my call. I was hoping I’d catch you before you headed back to the States.”
“Hey, Benny. What call? I’ve been out of touch for the past twenty-four hours.”
“Shit, man. I figured you’d listened to my message. We had a last-minute cancellation by one of our regular guys out of Seattle. I need someone to fill in ASAP for a shoot for Underwater Adventurer. The job is tomorrow, so I’d need you there tonight to be ready to dive. What do you say?”
This could be my big break. I’d been trying to get in with that magazine for over a year. My thoughts immediately went to Mariella. She was planning on taking me out to visit the Emerald Princess later this afternoon. It sounded like she might even be ready to get back in the water. I couldn’t bail on her now.
“Kai? Can we count on you?”
My future flashed before me. If I came through for Benny and got in with the magazine, I’d be set. I’d be able to pick and choose my assignments instead of scraping together a living from the leftovers the big names didn’t want. If I wanted to secure a future for the two of us, I didn’t really have a choice. “Yeah, man. Let me set a few things straight here, and I’ll head that way.”
“Take the ferry across the bay, and I’ll send a seaplane to pick you up there.”
With a heart already full of regret, I hung up the phone.