Chapter Twenty-Six Tula
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tula
When I’d texted Kaitlin about my dive with Nathan, she’d told me to go with her blessings. The work schedule was light on Mondays. She’d asked me to grab her cleaning supplies in Currituck. I’d agreed, even as I’d half hoped she’d declare she needed me, but I was free.
So, I arrived at the Wanchese dock as the sun rose. I parked next to Nathan’s truck and grabbed a small cooler with my lunch. I also brought a small waterproof bag with a towel, a dry set of clothes, and extra sunscreen.
I walked down the pier and found Nathan loading a massive cooler onto the boat.
The guy had always been as strong as an ox, and that hadn’t changed.
I’d been a little turned on by that when I was a teenager.
And I still was. He was hot. I wasn’t looking for promises or a house with a permanent address. But I realized I still wanted Nathan.
“Hey there.” I grabbed a few of his bags and handed them to him.
His gaze slid quickly over me. “You’re here bright and early.”
“I remember the dives always went better if I had time to check everything twice. Mom left many details like air in the tanks or gas in the boat up to me.”
“She wasn’t always as cautious about her equipment.”
“I wish she’d worried more. She could be so reckless.”
“Holding on to life too hard can crush the life out of it.”
Maybe that’s why I hadn’t thrived the last few years. I was gripping so tight my fingers ached. “When did you get to be such a philosopher?”
He offered his hand to me, and I took it before climbing onto the boat. “I always have been. You just never noticed.”
That was probably true. When I looked at him now, I felt like a teenager with hormones flooding my body. They were still raging, but life had taught me to slow down. I’d been riding the brake too long, and it was time to press the accelerator.
“Who’s on the dive list today?” I asked.
“Tony is back, plus three others. I’ll introduce you as they arrive.”
“Tony is back? I thought he’d never dive again.”
“Called me late last night. Apparently, he wants another crack at the Oceanus. He’ll be glad to see you here.”
“Tula, the emotional support boat crew member,” I quipped.
“Are you getting in the water?” Nathan asked.
“No. But I’m less freaked out. Still adjusting to being surrounded by water again. But it’s much better. The ocean and I are trying to become friends again.”
“Best feeling in the world.”
“Until you need a full breath and you realize there are two hundred feet of water between you and air.”
His brow knotted. “This fear really is a thing with you.”
“Sadly, yes. I’m not proud of it. I used to love the water, and now I see everything that can go wrong.”
“Hey, you’re here. That counts for a lot. Like you said, maybe the ocean is slowly seducing you.”
The water had a lure. Even with the dangers, it drew me. “We’ll see.”
His half grin reminded me of someone who’d scored a winning shot. “Don’t underestimate the waters. Very powerful magic.”
“I know.”
“Have you read more of the manuscript?”
Water lapped against the side of the boat. “I didn’t get to it last night. But from what I do know, the torpedo hasn’t hit the ship yet. The writer is very focused on a woman named Gertrude. She’s on the run.”
“From?”
“An abusive husband. A Nazi sympathizer. And there’s a woman on the ship named Sigrid. She wants to take Gertrude’s child. And Dr. Brooks is featured in the story. He’s a rare book dealer.”
“Do you think Gertrude survived?”
“I don’t know. There’s no Gertrude Werner on the survivors list.”
“A mystery.”
“The more I read about these people, the more invested I get. On Tuesday, I’m meeting with a reporter who met with Mom. He said I had a great-grandmother on the ship.”
“Who?”
“My great-grandmother’s name apparently was Margaret. But there was no Margaret listed on the passenger list.”
“Interesting.”
“Before, I only saw twisted metal covered in barnacles. Now I see people other than my mother. I want to know more about my family’s connection to it. She must’ve survived, or I wouldn’t be here.”
He considered what I’d said. “The torpedo hit right after the second lunch bell rang on the fifth day at sea, about one fifteen,” he said.
Several cars pulled into the lot, which was still mostly empty. Four people walked down the plank toward us, while others peeled off with fishing rods toward other boats.
An emerging blue sky, perfect for summer vacations, promised no rain or heavy winds. Mother Nature had planned another charmed day.
As the passengers boarded, a fit, tanned middle-aged guy moved toward the boat with bags of what must have been camera equipment.
Nathan climbed onto the dock and greeted him. “Welcome, Bob.”
Bob’s salt-and-pepper hair brushed his shoulders. “Thanks for thinking of me.”
“Tula, this is Bob,” Nathan said. “He’s doing the underwater filming today. Bob, Tula.”
My name caught Bob’s attention, but all he said was “Nice to meet you.” His hands were full of equipment, bags, and a cooler.
“Can I take one of those bags for you?” I asked.
“Thank you.” He handed me the smaller bag and passed the bigger ones to Nathan. He climbed aboard. “Visibility is good?”
“Should be excellent,” Nathan said. “Ready?”
“You bet.”
I still hadn’t watched Nathan’s other footage, but my curiosity was growing. I was beginning to wonder if video footage would be enough.
Once all the divers (Bob, Tony, Chris, and Sara) and their equipment were aboard, Nathan gave his classic welcome and safety speech. He moved behind the helm and started the engines. In minutes, we were out of the harbor and headed north along the coastline.
Tony smiled. “Second time is the charm, right?”
“Absolutely,” I said.
As Tony struck up a conversation with Sara, a slim blond in her mid-forties, Bob turned to me as he unzipped a scuba bag. “You dive with Nathan much?”
“I did back in the day,” I said. “I don’t dive anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Diving accident. I’ve been spooked.”
“Ah, Tula.” Bob said my name as if tumblers had finally fallen into place. “Your mom was a diving explorer. Your mother loved the water. You were practically born in the ocean.”
“You met my mother?”
He hesitated. “We crossed paths a few times. Mariah was a spitfire. Loved the water. Loved you.”
She’d always been so tough on me, although I could see now that that was her way of preparing me for the world. It didn’t seem fair at the time, but I realized it had been necessary. Still, the younger Tula couldn’t forget how it had all ended. “And she left me.”
Bob drew in a breath. “She died. She didn’t leave you.”
But she’d taken a terrible gamble that last day. “Did she say anything to you about the Oceanus?”
“No, that wasn’t on her radar when we met.” He shook his head. “What have you been up to the last few years?”
“Been a little landlocked.”
He pretended to shudder. “Can’t imagine. But now you’re back at sea?” The simple question raised a bigger one.
“I’m on a boat. I’m not freaking out. So not ‘at sea’ like you and Nathan, but closer.”
“Best thing you can do is dive,” Bob said. “Face that fear. You’ll remember all the old skills.”
I smiled. “You sound like my therapist.”
Bob’s cheeks dimpled when he grinned, and his sun-bleached hair made him look younger. “I’ve been called worse.”
“Ready to dive?” Nathan stopped the boat and dropped anchor.
An affirmative rumbled over the group.
“I can’t hear you,” Nathan said.
The group responded with a louder yes. Nathan and Bob suited up in their scuba gear.
“I’ll get you some awesome footage, Tula,” Bob said. “It’ll be so good you’ll think you’re at the wreck.”
I could feel the sunken ship’s pull. “Thanks.”
“Let me know over the radio if there’s trouble on top,” Nathan said.
“Will do.” Clear sky dipped to smooth waters. “Looks perfect again. You have the luck of the Irish, Nathan.”
“Here’s hoping.” The divers moved to the platform. Bob had a camera resting on his shoulder. Nathan jumped in, and the rest soon followed.
They vanished below the surface.
I lingered around the edge of the boat, watching the waters lap against the sides.
I leaned over and dipped my hand into the water, letting its cool touch wrap around my fingers.
A rolling wave bumped the side of the boat, nearly knocking me off balance and into the water.
Cold, salty droplets splattered my face and shirt.
Heart pumping in my chest, I grabbed a bracket on the side of the boat and willed my body to straighten and steady. The waves rose close to my face, teasing my cheek, before I pulled myself upright.
“What the hell,” I said. “Not playing fair.”
The waters rolled gently as if smiling an apology.
“You aren’t sorry.”
Water slapped the side of the boat.
The divers were under the water for forty-five minutes.
And when they returned to the surface, Bob pulled off his mask. He looked pale and slightly shaken.