Page 60 of A Foolish Work Flirtation

An hour later, we swim off a chartered boat into a protected area and head out wearing fins and masks to an area designated for snorkeling.

I take her through a channel in the reef and point out healthy elkhorn coral. After several minutes, I gesture to a moray eel and then a sea turtle. I swim near her and observe many colorful fish, including several French angelfish, a Spanish hogfish, and a blue tang.

We take our time, and when we finally resurface near the boat, I notice she is slightly out of breath. “Are you okay?”

She removes her mask. “I can’t believe what I’ve seen. The sea turtle was magnificent.”

I smile. “Let’s get on the boat. We can have a snack and then head out to try paddleboarding.”

The driver gets up and helps us hand over our fins. He says, “Once you dry off, you can head to the galley for lunch.”

I unzip my wetsuit and tug it off the top.

Imogen puts her hair in a ponytail. “I can’t get mine off easily. Maybe I can leave it on?”

“Give me a minute. I’ll help you.”

She unzips and waits for me. I tug the material over her shoulders and down her body. “It’s not that hard, Immy.”

“You make it look easy.”

When I get it over her hips, I have her sit down and tug it free from her legs. She is wearing a skimpy orange bikini.

“Isn’t that better?” I reach behind her and grab a towel, drying off my chest and then legs.

“Thank you.” She gets a towel and wraps it around herself.

An assistant in the galley calls out that lunch is served, and we walk down the few steps. The table contains various dishes, including grilled fish, olives, cheese, and mango.

Imogen smiles at the young deckhand. “This looks lovely. Thank you.”

We both fill plates with food and head outside to sit down.

I take a bite of grilled fish. “Belize has some of the best snorkeling in the world.”

Imogen turns slightly away from the sun. “I loved every second and can’t wait to go again. You were right about the wetsuit. I didn’t get cold.”

The captain and deckhand go below to eat, and we enjoy the delicious food.

“I don’t know how you leave this place to go to London or anywhere else.”

“I enjoy it here. But the water sports are fully established, and I’m needed more in other places.”

She meets my gaze. “So, if I work for you, I might not see you often?”

“We do an annual meeting in Bermuda.”

“Are you going to let me go?”

My stomach tightens. I’m not ready to let her go, but eventually, our relationship will end. “We didn’t make this a long-term plan, Immy. But I don't see an issue if you want to stay on as a tour guide. You have the athletic ability. The skills will come.”

She gives me a pensive smile. Instead of saying anything, she glances out over the water.

“Let’s enjoy our time together. We might find a solution that works for both of us.”

She stands and picks up both of our plates. “The issue is we want different things.”

I watch her walk down into the galley.

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