ROMANCE: CLEAN ROMANCE: Summer Splash! (Sweet Inspirational Contemporary Romance) (New Adult Clean Fantasy Short Stories) (3 page)

Zach held both his hands out. “That’s sixty dollars now. Mommy told me ass is a forbidden word.”

~

Dillon’s sneakers squeaked on the tennis court. He shifted his weight in order to quickly change his direction to meet the volley of his middle aged opponent. His backhanded return caught the top of the net causing his opponent to be wrong footed. “That’s game, set and match.” He punched the air with his fist as if he had just won a grand slam title. Wearing a smile he met his defeated foe at the net and shook his hand. “Good game, sir... good game.”

With his tennis bag slung over his arm Dillon approached Sophie and Zach who were sitting on a courtside bench. He stepped up to Zach who was eating from a small bag of chopped fruits. “Hi little fella. How are you?”

“Nanny says your name is Dillon.”

“That’s right. Good to see nanny has taught you how to eat healthy. Getting you five a-day.”

“I like to sing.” Zach kicked his feet with excitement. “Do you want to hear me sing?”

Sophie placed a slice of apple in front of Zach’s mouth. “Why don’t you finish eating first? Your singing has cost me enough young man.”

“Nanny, please. You’ll like it this one promise... It won’t get you into trouble with mommy.”

Dillon raised his eyebrows while he scratched the back of his scalp. “Go on, Sophie, let him sing.”

“No, no he’s Ok.”

“So.” Dillon placed his tennis bag by his sneakers. “What are you two doing with the rest of your day?”

“A stroll on the beach.”

“I’ll come with you. It’s study day for me.” Dillon sat beside Sophie. “But I have few hours to spare, especially if I can spend them with you.”

“That’s sweet... but you sure?”

“Yeah... I’ll show you and Zach some cool rock pools. I’ll enjoy explaining the different little critters to him.” Dillon lightly barged Sophie with his shoulder. “Come on. I’ll be like the Steve Irwin... but alive.” He cringed. “Obviously.”

~

Perched on top of a rocky outcrop, Dillon knelt beside Sophie. He watched as Zach sat on his haunches while peering into a rock pool crammed with tiny tropical fish. “He’s a cute little guy.”

“Handful, but I love him. Even if he does have me wrapped around his little finger. “

“Love him, sounds like you couldn’t imagine being without him.”

“I wouldn’t go as far to say that.” Sophie ran her fingers through Zach hair. “But I do see him as a brother.”

“That’s nice.”

“Not surprising though, I spend all my time with him. But it’s more than that... I was mostly alone growing up. So I grown attached not just to him, but his family.”

“Alone? Like an only child?”

Sophie winced as she realised she had given away more information than she wished to. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“But you...”

“Please.”

“OK.” Dillon could feel the change in atmosphere. “So, you want children of your own one day?”

“Of course. Doesn’t every girl?”

“You look like you’re already set up to be a mother.” Dillon stood from the rock. He wiped off the grit which clung to his tennis shorts. “Right, Zach. You wanna know what those fish are called?”

~

Cynthia groaned at the site of the bedroom. She raised her voice while she busied about Zach’s bedroom tidying up his toys. “Just because you’re on holiday doesn’t mean you don’t have to pick up after yourself, Zach Levy.”

“I can’t hear you because I’m on the toilet, Mommy.”

“Never mind.” Cynthia picked up an ambulance then froze as a roll of bank notes dropped out its back doors.  “What the..?”

“Zach?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s nanny?”

~

Cynthia marched through the restaurant where breakfast was being served. She darted among the sleepy eyed diners until she found Sophie reading her text book over a cup of coffee. “There you are.”

“Good Morning Mrs. Levy.”

“I have a question.”

Sophie sighed as she closed her book. “What about?”

“I found... I don’t know how to say this.”

“What?”

Cynthia pulled the chair from under the table, then sat. “I want to know how come Zach’s ambulance... the large one he never leaves out of his sight.” She waved away a waiter who offered her fruit juice. “Well, I want to know why it was stuffed with $200.”

“What?”

“I found $200 dollars. It just fell out the ambulance’s back doors.”

“I wish that sort of thing happened to me every time I clean his room.”

Cynthia seemed unimpressed as Sophie giggled. “I’m going to go to David next. But I want to give you the chance to come clean... fall on your sword if you wish.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Zach hasn’t learnt long division yet. So he’s not going to be masterminding a business empire from second grade... Is he? ”

“You’ll be surprised.”

Cynthia linked her fingers together, then rested her chin on her hands. Her eyes locked onto Sophie. “I think it’s more likely that you’re selling something.”

“Excuse me?”

“I know you’re from the bad side of the neighbourhood. Old habits do die hard.”

“Just say it, Cynthia.”

“You either selling drugs or yourself.”

Sophie stood from her chair. “I feel like...”

“Hitting me?”

“I would walk straight out of this hotel, but it’s not exactly a bus ride home... is it?”

Cynthia pulled out her purse from her handbag. She then opened her purse, and pulled out a wad of banknotes. “Take your money and leave.”

“It’s not mine.”

“I scrutinize David’s accounts on a weekly basis.  I see what goes in and goes out. He’s clean. I’m not sure that I can say the same for you.”

Sophie sat back down on her chair. “You don’t like me. You’ve always made that clear.” She leaned across the table and eyeballed Cynthia.  You’ve been trying to build a case against me since day one.”

“I’m not calling you a prostitute... I just want you to explain the money I found in the ambulance... that’s all. Any mother would.”

“Ask your husband.”

Cynthia glared at Sophie, her eyes seeking for a hint of doubt. “Are you a cam model? I watched a documentary on them.”

“If I was I wouldn’t be paid cash... would I?”

“Money just doesn’t appear inside children’s toys. Have you got a sugar daddy... is it... is it David?”

“No I haven’t and no it’s not. Mrs. Levy. I can’t help you, sorry.” Sophie picked up text book. “Ask your husband if he can help you.” She opened the bookmarked page. “Now if you don’t mind, I have an exam to worry about. After all, you don’t want to re-sit my year... do you?”

Dillon watched from the breakfast bar as Cynthia left Sophie’s table. He picked up the pot of coffee and paced over to Sophie. “Morning Madam.”

“Oh... Morning Dillon.”

“Coffee?”

“Please.”

Dillon smiled as she steadily poured the coffee into the cup. “What was that about?”

“Just the wife of my boss.”

“Seemed pretty darn angry.”

Sophie sighed as she placed a spoon of sugar into the cup. “She doesn’t like me.”

“Why?”

“I’m not going there.”

“I’m no detective, but...” Dillon glanced in both directions, then whispered, “You’re not in love with her husband, are you?”

“I have no time for Chinese whispers. I have an exam at the end of the month... please.”

“I’m off from five. Meet me.”

“I just told you, I’m busy.”

“Please. I want to spend quality time with you.”

Sophie could hear the desperation in Dillon’s voice. “Quality time?”

“I want to show you my town. Take you to some of my favourite places.”

“Ok... that would be a nice way to relax I suppose. What are you doing today... you seem to be everywhere.”

“We’re understaffed at the moment... Straight after breakfast duty, I’m back in the sea, scuba diving.”

~

The late afternoon sun had begun to merge with the horizon while Sophie sat on the beach watching the children playing in the surf. A small motorboat packed with holiday makers and their diving kit hummed onto the wash until it beached. Sophie broke into a smile as notice Dillon at the rudder. He jumped from the boat onto the sand, then began helping the holiday makers out of the boat. Climbing to her feet, Sophie hurried across to speak to Dillon.  “Good trip?”

“It’s always good. I’ve told you before that you should join me.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been a keen swimmer.”

“That’s the thing, it’s not really swimming.” Dillon lifted a large tank from the boat then placed it carefully into the waiting trailer. “Just the two of us. Me and you, it will be like an underwater date.”

“Can’t you take me for a conventional candle lit meal?”

“I like to do things a little differently. I’d rather take you to dive on a wreck. How about that?”

“Like a ship wreck?”

Dillon snorted a laugh. “Of course.”

“Is that not dangerous? I’m a novice remember.”

“No, just an old steamer that lies in the shallows.  I take tourists on it all the time.  It’s less than fifty feet to the seabed.”

Sophie pleaded through her puppy eyes. “It sounds a bit risky to me.”

“Listen, I’ll train you in the pool, build up your confidence before I take you out.”

“Promise that you’ll look after me.”

“I promise.” Dillon placed his hand on the small of her back. He then drew her close. “I’ve done it a million times. Why would this be any different?”

~

Eyes closed, Sophie felt like screaming as she fell backwards off the edge of the boat. The splash of the water and roar of the bubbles welcomed her into the aquatic world. Upon opening her eyes she immediately searched for Dillon, who followed behind.

The wreck was a little more than a crude outline as they began their descent. Dillon glanced over his shoulder to sign if she was OK. She signed back that she was, even if she wanted nothing more than to head back to the surface. Sophie kicked her scuba fins to propel her through the water, desperately wanting to keep Dillon within her sight.

Within a few moments the wreck was visible in all its ghostly glory. Orange rusticles and dark green algae covered every surface of the rusted hulk. It seemed that nature was slowly digesting the wreck, breaking it down to its natural elements.

Sophie’s first impression was that of a maritime graveyard, but it soon became apparent to her that the wreck was teeming with life. She marveled at the schools of brightly coloured fish which weaved in and out of rusted portholes.

Every minute or so Dillon would glance over his shoulder, making sure Sophie remained in touching distance.  He treaded water at the entrance to what was once the wheelhouse. Reaching out he twisted the flashlight on Sophie’s mask, turning on its beam.  He then gestured for her to enter the wreck first.

Sophie nervously swam into the shadowy room where nothing remained of the nautical fittings and navigational instruments.  She jumped as a large eel shot out of the shadows and escaped through the bow window. Turning to see if Dillon was following, she felt reassured that he was directly behind.

Aided by her flashlight, she continued to explore the darkness of the wheelhouse. For a moment the room filled with light as Dillon’s camera captured the sight of a curious crab with its flash.

Feeling a little more confident, Sophie swam towards the doorway at the far side of the wheelhouse. She froze as she spotted the unmistakable silhouette of a distant shark.  The large shadow became darker as it closed in. Peddling backwards, Sophie swam towards Dillon, desperately signaling for his attention. Colliding into him, Sophie pointed towards the door. But a confused Dillon saw nothing but blue. Using her hand she did her best to imitate a shark. Before franticly searching about...  but the shark was nowhere to be seen.

Looking out of the corroded windows of the wheelhouse she gazed over the broken bow of the ship.  There it was. Sophie felt like screaming as a great white menacingly patrolled bow of the wreck. Clinging onto Dillon, they both watched as the beast ghosted above the snapped foremast.  Her heart raced as the beast’s tail batted left to right, pushing itself through the water. Fortunately the shark slowly disappeared into the blue haze. 

~

Sophie collapsed on the deck of the motorboat feeling utter relief to be out of the water. The fact that Dillon couldn’t stop laughing annoyed her immensely. “What the fuck Dillon! I thought you told me it was safe?”

“I’ve been diving that wreck for ten years and I’ve never seen a great white. The odd lemon shark maybe, but never a great white.”

“I could have an arm missing right now... or even be dead. What’s worse, you think it’s fucking funny.”

“What do you mean? It was awesome.” Dillon freed himself of his tank of oxygen. “We had no cage... and were less than twenty feet from JAWS himself.” Dillon did his best to stop smiling. “Nothing happened, that’s the main thing.”