Page 14 of Visions of You

Evan stilled, then slowly turned his head to stare at Dad. “You said it wasn’t that bad.”

“I didn’t want to worry anyone unnecessarily, and it’s not like we’re going to go under at any moment.”

We will if I don’t do something…

Evan shifted his gaze to me. “So what’s the big plan to plug the leak?”

I shrugged uncomfortably. “An immediate hiring freeze, to start. And no unnecessary expenses. You or I will authorize any expenditures over five hundred dollars. I’ll comb over the budget and make cuts where I can.”

“That sounds doable,” Evan said, taking a sip of iced tea.

“I doubt it will be enough,” I said. “But I need to think about the next steps some more.”

Evan set his glass down with a thump. “Are we going to have to lay people off?”

“Maybe. I hope not.”

Evan rubbed his forehead as he looked between Dad and me. “Does Maia know about this? We just hired April.”

Dad shook his head. “No. I don’t want to worry her right now. We can tell her about the hiring and expenditure freezes, but let’s keep any potential staff cuts between us three for now.”

“With all the turmoil going on in the dive operation—Wyatt and Maia—and now April onboarding, I’ve been spending a lot of mytime in the dive shop,” Evan said. “I’ll be honest, Dad. It’s getting to be too much.”

“I know, Son. I spoke to Maia about becoming dive operations manager, but that was before she became pregnant. Who knows what she’ll want to do after the baby’s born?”

“Ask Wyatt to take over some of the day-to-day stuff,” I said to my brother. “He’s been here long enough to figure it out. Or don’t you trust him?”

Evan shot me a dubious look. “I trust him, and he’s family now. But he’s only been here a few months too, you know. He’s pretty green.”

I paused, thinking it over. But there was really no other option. “I can take over the dive op.”

I hadn’t lied when I told April I wasn’t a diver. It had been over a decade since my last dive, but I’d help out if I needed to. I’d practically grown up in the dive shop and on the boat and had no doubt it would come back to me quickly.

All those bad memories will come back too…

Evan and I shared a long look, nonverbal communication passing between us, then I nodded. Evan had gone above and beyond, especially with dive operations. Especially that. “I’m here to help, Evan. Let me.”

His eyes softened, and a tiny smile stretched his lips. “That would really lighten my load. I’m glad to have you around, big brother.”

Chapter Seven

April

I pushedthrough the glass door into the dive shop, a blissful sigh as a blast of cool air hit me. I had just finished my first dives as Calypso Key’s newest guide and was on cloud nine about my new home. Maia stood in front of a display of fins with an older man. He was tall and handsome with salt-and-pepper hair. He looked familiar, but I was sure I hadn’t seen him before.

The pair looked up at my entry and both smiled. The man straightened and held out his hand. “Hi, April. I’m Warren, Maia’s dad.” His voice was deep and rich, and the thought that I should know him niggled my mind again.

Then it came to me. The photo in the lobby!

Pleased to solve the mystery, I shook and smiled back. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Markham. Thank you very much for hiring me. My apartment is incredible.”

“Oh, don’t start with that! Call me Warren, please. And you’re welcome on both accounts.”

I laughed, liking him already. “You got it, Warren.”

“How did your first dives go?” he asked.

“Fantastic! I love it here already. That trench really makes for some spectacular dives. Wyatt gave me pointers before each dive, so everyone in my group seemed happy.”

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