I slide off the rock and land in the water next to Milo without incident. “You know what I mean.”
“I know, and I promise by the time you leave, I’ll find someone to lend me another set of gear so we can go on a real dive.”
His fingers adjust the straps on my vest thing while my eyes dart to his face. “I just told you I’m not leaving.”
“We’ll see.” He doesn’t meet my eyes, so I pull off my mask.
“Milo, I can’t pass up this chance to get my foot in the door.” I’ll do whatever it takes.
He sighs and takes a step back in the water. “So you’re gonna convince your parents to what? Emancipate you? You’re gonna drop out of high school to become an actress? How are you going to support yourself?”
“I don’t know!” I throw my arms out in frustration. “Why can’t you just be happy for me for one minute?”
“I am happy for you. I’m also being practical. It’s possible to do two things at once, you know.”
“I know there are things to work out, but this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and you’re the only person I can tell. Don’t burst my balloon.”
Milo squints up at the sun for a few seconds and then brings his eyes back to me. “Fine. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up only to have them crushed later.”
I turn and face the area where the cove opens up to the ocean, spreading my arms wide. “But I want to get my hopes up. Don’t you see?” I glance back over my shoulder with a smile. “That’s the only way to make things happen.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.” I pivot back to him. “You’ll see. It’s like I said, if you want something badly enough, you can make it happen.”
He doesn’t look convinced. “Maybe for some people.” I know he’s thinking about the line between the haves and the have-nots, but he needs to forget about that or he’ll always resign himself to one future.
My toes grip the sand beneath the water as I step closer until I can see beads of seawater suspended on Milo’s eyelashes. He has the most amazing eyes, and I nearly forget what I was going to say. “For anybody.”
He blinks a couple times and then he gives me the most romantic moment of my life to this point when he lifts a hand from the water and traces his fingertip down my cheek, from the apple to the spot where my jaw slopes to my neck. Water drips off my jaw, and I shiver and close my eyes, hoping to God and Buddha and Oprah that he’s going to kiss me. The butterflies in my belly work themselves into a frenzy, and I’m sure he can see my pulse racing at my neck.
His voice comes from mere inches away. “Sunshine, I’ll promise to be happy for you and do what I can to help.”
My heart soars, and I lean in another inch to close the distance, sure he’ll meet me halfway and give me the best kiss of my life. But his lips have other plans. “But you’ve got to know, at some point in your life, you’ll have to learn to live with disappointment.”
I believe an actual whine comes from my body at that point, and the next thing I know, Milo is shoving the mask back on my face and all the romance in the vicinity has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. I’m too mad to be embarrassed. I use the anger to swim away from him, letting my flippers increase the distance between us.
He thinks he’s so clever. If I thought he’d listen, I’d tell him he’s wrong. That there’s always something more you can do—one more avenue to try—to get what you want. But he’ll see. And now there are two things I’m determined to get: this acting gig and a kiss from Milo.
My legs pump through the water until something brilliant occurs to me. Milo will never be convinced by me getting what I want any more than he is by my words. He has to get something he wants. So not only am I going to figure out a way to get this acting job and that kiss, I’ll hatch a plan to get him started on his diving business too. Then he’ll see that dreams do come true—and not just for the few.
Milo calls out, and I realize I’ve gone farther than I thought, so I turn around and head back his way while I work out a strategy for his dream my head.
Step one will be to get him to tell me everything there is to know about the diving scene around this place. This won’t be hard since he loves talking about diving, especially now that he’s back in the water.
I’m not sure what step two is yet, but I’ll figure it out. And in the meantime, I’ve got SCUBA to learn, a family to keep in the dark, a job to secure, and the best kiss of my life to steal. I’ve totally got this.
“So, tell me more about what a diving charter does.” It’s a couple days later, and I’m joining Milo for his daily walk, only this time we’re headed from my condo to Wake N Bake for doughnuts. He has yet to invite me to his house, but I get the feeling it has more to do with his dad than anything. It’s pretty clear they don’t have the best relationship and, I don’t know, maybe he’s not allowed to have people over. I asked the other day why he doesn’t live with his Mom since I know she’s somewhere nearby, but he dodged the question, and I haven’t circled back since.
I don’t have to ask twice for Milo to launch into a monologue on the kind of business he wants and what the competition is like. It sounds simple enough to me. The company provides gear for tourists to rent if they don’t have their own, and then a couple guides take them out on a boat to one of the established local diving sites. As far as I can gather, the most expensive parts would be the boat, the equipment, and renting out a space to operate out of. I’m sure there are more costs I don’t know about to run a business—I’m not stupid—but even I know raising the money is the hardest part.
“And what if people don’t know how to dive—like me?”
“People without certification would need to go to a local dive school. There are a few around here to choose from.” We stop at an intersection and wait for the light to switch.
“Like the one you worked at?” I ask without thinking. But Milo doesn’t act fazed by it, so I wait for him to resume talking.
“Yeah. Coastal Adventures Dive School. They do lessons and arrange charter dives. They also sell gear in addition to renting.”
“But you don’t want to do that?”
The road clears, and we resume walking. “Naw. I mean, teaching is okay, but I’d rather take people on open-water dives all day. Wait ‘til you try it—you’ll be hooked.” The excitement in his voice is clear, and it makes me grin over at him.
“Can’t wait.” Someone in a passing car whistles, and Milo flips him off. “What was that for?”
“It’s rude to whistle at women.” His face twists into a scowl.
I laugh at his expression. “How do you know they weren’t whistling at you?”
His scowl deepens, which makes me laugh even harder and continue teasing him for the next block. When I decide he’s had enough, I return to the topic at hand. “So, what’s your favorite dive you’ve ever guided?”
A quiet joy settles over his features, telling me I asked the right question. “There was this one group we took out to the Dredge Wreck—it’s one of the man-made reefs just off the coast. You see, they purposely sink retired vessels and turn them into a home for sea life. You can find all sorts of things down there. They’ve got a bunch in the area, and you take different groups to different ones depending on their skill level and the time of year.” He’s talking with his hands, which he only does when he’s really excited.