“Thereisthat,” Buck pondered, stroking his chin. “And,” he suddenly grinned, “there’s your new girlfriend.”
“What about her?” Spencer asked, unable to read Buck’s mind.
“Well, she’s probably got a lot of contracts and connections with the kind of work she’s been doing. And now that she’s without a sub…” Buck trailed off, and Spencer got what he was saying.
“Damn,” Spencer cursed, but in an upbeat kind of way. “I hate that her bad luck might be a boon for us, but you’re right. I’ll ask how she’d feel about us taking on some of her jobs while she gets back on her feet.”
Buck wasn’t deterred as he continued, enthused.
“That’s not exactly what I’m saying,” he corrected. “Although it would work. But… What if she joins us?”
“Huh?”
“She’s got her diver’s certification, right?”
“She does,” Spencer confirmed.
“Then if she agrees to be part of our start up, and pockets the insurance money from her sub, she’ll have money to live on until our company really gets rolling.Or…Wait.Have you got much dough stashed away?”
Spencer could immediately confirm that. “I do. A tidy sum, as I’m sure you do.”
“Yup. With the amount of Uncle Sam’s money I’ve socked away, I’m flush. So here’s a thought.Wecould pick up asubmersible, and she could operate it for our company. That way we’d be able to offer that service up to clients, in conjunction with what you and I bring to the table as divers. I’ll bet not many companies we’re competing with could provide that kind of diversity.”
The idea had so much merit, that Spencer couldn’t wait to get out of the chamber and talk to Tabitha. In his head, as he’d been spinning fantasies about her being part of his life, he’d been wondering how to work out the logistics of a long-distance relationship. But now, if she liked this plan, that might not have to happen. Spencer thrilled at the thought of offering something up to her that would keep her local.
“You’re a genius,” Spencer grinned. “Tabitha might just go for it, although…” He sobered a bit. “I don’t know what her personal situation is. We haven’t exactly had much of an opportunity to talk. About all I know is that she has a sister in Florida who is her contact person in an emergency.” He scrunched up his brow. “I wonder if that means her parents are no longer around?”
“I’ll let you figure all that out,” Buck told him. “But just to let you know, I am definitely intrigued with your idea. I have two months left on my clock with the Coast Guard. If you can come up with a good business plan between now and then, I’m in.”
“Yes!”
Spencer wished he could hug his brother.
Having a tried-and-true family member onboard was going to make a start-up go so much more smoothly.
Spencer was sure of it.
Now, to find out what Tabitha had to say.
CHAPTER 13
Tabitha watchedfrom the deck of the Atlaua as Spencer said good bye to his brother on the Coast Guard ship. The pair embraced with hearty back-slaps, along with a playful cuff or two.
She sighed.Family. Tabitha really missed her parents, but she counted herself lucky that she still had her sister. Sure, Sheila was difficult at times, but she was also comfortingly familiar, and…a freaking riot. Yeah, Sheila had a vicious sense of humor, and paired with her brilliance, she often left Tabitha in complete stitches during their nightly dinners. Their shared meals were something Tabitha hated skipping, and they were a good reason for her to cut this trip as short as possible and get home.
Anotherdeep, heartfelt sigh escaped from between Tabitha’s lips.
Thoughts of Sheila made Tabitha think of their future. Which brought Tabitha around to the realization that even though she’d developed the biggest crush on Spencer, or even something deeper, there was no way forward for them. He lived…everywhere, and she was based in Florida. Not something that would easily work.
Tabitha snickered to herself. Maybe she’d be one of those “port-of-call” women in songs who were always balladized so sadly.
She frowned.Nope.That wasn’t her.
There’d be no moping over a Spencer-who-might-have-been. Tabitha had always known that when she found the right man, she’d want to hold on tight. Logistics forthisman, however, weren’t looking good.
When she pondered a nebulous and imaginary future relationship, it would have all the bells and whistles; a sweet wedding, a house full of love which would be welcoming to her sister, a dog or two, a wee cat family, and…babies. A bunch of babies.
At thirty years old, she’d been thinking of that last thing a lot. Time was ticking where that “bunch of” was concerned, which kind of sucked. There were no guarantees in love and life.
