Chapter 14 The Swim #2
habit too, and he was always right there, drafting off her line. With him so close, she felt overly aware of every inch of
her body and the way he might view it from behind. Every curve morphed and magnified underwater. By the time they swam up
to his boat, the sun had dropped onto the horizon line.
Luke seemed to know what she was thinking. “I’ll walk you back. I have a good dive light.”
“That’s okay, there’s still light. I can make it back.”
It would fade fast once the sun went down, though.
“Not a good idea,” he said.
“Why not?”
“You really have to ask?” he said, climbing into the boat and holding out a hand for her.
She didn’t take it. “Sharks?”
“Hard to believe I’m having this conversation with the premier white shark scientist in North America.”
“So you’re vague and you exaggerate.”
He laughed. “You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”
He was right, though, about the sharks. White sharks did often hunt at night, and large sharks tended to come in close to
the shoreline. Their eyes were designed for it. Tiger sharks too—perhaps even more aggressively.
“I don’t want Woody to worry about me. I’ve already been gone a lot longer than I expected,” she said. Minnow never lost track
of time like this and was annoyed at her own carelessness.
“We’ll call him from the hotel phone.”
Reluctantly, she agreed, and Luke grabbed a dry bag while she untied her kayak. She was about to paddle off toward shore when
he said, “Can I catch a ride?”
Yes, it was an ocean kayak, but it was a one-person ocean kayak. Having Luke so close to her was a bad idea. “Are you afraid
to swim?”
“No.”
His eyes pinned her to her seat, causing a hitch in her breathing. “Um. Yes. If you want, sure.”
She pulled alongside the boat and he hopped on behind her. She scooted forward, hoping he would set his dry bag between them,
but he didn’t. His legs went on both sides of her, lightly touching the outside of her thighs.
“You’re shivering,” she said.
“I get cold easily. Hence the ride in.”
Minnow was intensely aware of his body a few inches from her back. All lean, hard muscle. Though cold, he still gave off enough
heat to warm her skin, and being this close to him felt surprisingly intimate.
“What are you really doing here, Luke Greenwood? I know it’s not just to swim and pick ‘opihi,” she said, now that she had him captive.
“I told you. Fishing charters, whale-watching tours, that kind of thing. I’m still ironing it out.” His words were clipped,
and again she had the sense the question made him uneasy.
Minnow had to ask. “You aren’t fishing for sharks, are you?”
“The shark hunt hasn’t gotten the green light yet,” he said.
“From what I hear, people here have historically taken matters into their own hands. Decimating the shark population in the
process.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not from here.”
The way he said it, she could tell this line of questioning was over.
“What made you leave Washington?”
A pause. “I was ready for a change.”
“Did you fish up there too?”
“No.”
A long silence swam between them, and she let it settle for now. The more she pushed, the more she could feel him backing
away, and she wanted to keep him close enough to figure out his deal.
They left the kayak tied to a coconut tree, followed a torchlit path, and picked up two towels at the pool. From there he
took her to the lobby, a Polynesian-style building with a high ceiling and open rafters.
Woody picked up right away. “Kaupiko.”
“Hey, it’s me, Minnow. I’m at the hotel. I went farther than I thought, so I’m going to leave the kayak and walk back. I just
didn’t want you to worry.”
“I pick you up. Otherwise you’ll end up face down in the lava. Happens all the time.”
“That’s okay, I have a light.”
“Don’t be stupid. Meet me where the jeep road ends.”
He hung up.
Minnow turned to Luke. “Looks like you’re off the hook. Woody’s going to get me in his truck.”
For a heartbeat she thought he seemed disappointed, but then he looked at his watch. “Sounds good.”
“All right, then.”
Back on land, things felt different between them. Stiffer and less ease, as though their long swim together had never happened.
Minnow wanted to take him by the hand and lead him back out to the ocean. A strange but powerful urge.
“Oh, by the way, are you coming to the meeting here tomorrow night?” he asked casually.
“What meeting?”
“Sawyer offered to have a task force meeting here, I guess. I figured you knew.”
“I saw Mayor Lum earlier at the hospital being interviewed, but he was gone before I finished talking to the news lady. It
feels like he’s avoiding me.”
“I’m sure you’re invited.”
It wouldn’t be the first time she was left out of the game. Wouldn’t even be surprised if they had somehow invited Nalu and
not her, boys club that it seemed.
Minnow studied him for a moment. “How did you know about it?”
“Sawyer.”
Now that they were in a well-lit area, standing still, Minnow looked more closely at his tattoo. It was a Native American
depiction of an orca.
“Beautiful tattoo,” she said.
He glanced down at it, then shifted from foot to foot. “Thanks. So, you all good with your ride?”
“Of course. This path is the one that leads out, right?”
“Yep.”
Minnow felt a strange inertia, as though her feet wanted to remain planted here in front of him. He stood there, too, unmoving,
rubbing his tattoo. This time it was her turn to shiver, and not from the cold.
Eventually she snapped out of it. “Good night, Luke.”
“Sweet dreams.”
If only he knew.