"Why do you have it in for her so bad?" Claire screamed. "She hasn't done anything wrong! She's a good person and you know it."

"Remind me why I keep your sorry ass around?" Paul boomed.

"Because, I'm the only one who's smart enough to hate you as much as you hate yourself!" Claire retaliated. Finally, she said it.

Paul smirked. He closed his eyes, and did the mouth twitchy thing before walking out and headed to the only bar open that early in the day.

It took Claire a minute to find Rhees. She sat down next to her and leaned her head against Rhees' and they sat together in silence for a few minutes.

"I don't know what's bloody wrong with that man, but I'm going to find a way to fix this, okay? I'll talk to Dobbs. We'll find a way around Paul."

"No, Claire. Please don't. It doesn't matter anymore. I'll be gone before you know it, but you're stuck with him. Once I'm gone, none of this will matter anymore."

"But your goal."

"It's okay. It just doesn't seem to matter so much anymore. And technically, I did learn how to dive, it's just not official, but that's okay. I'm good."

Paul returned about three thirty that afternoon. He'd worked hard for years to build up such a high tolerance for alcohol that he didn't stagger, but everyone smelled it on him, and his eyes had that bloodshot, glazed-over look he got when his blood-alcohol level reached about eighty proof. To everyone's obvious relief, his mood had improved immensely.

He put the next day's schedule on the board and walked around to the deck. He glanced about as if looking for someone. He found Krista. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and started kissing her neck, whispering something into her ear. She giggled and didn't mind at all.

When Paul pulled Krista toward the bathroom, the other girls snickered amongst themselves while shooting gossipy glances at Rhees because of their comments earlier that day. She decided to believe they were just thanking her for riling Paul for Krista.

"You're welcome," Rhees mouthed. She shook her head in disgust thinking she wouldn't miss having to watch him do that anymore when she left. She decided to go hang out in the office for a while.

By the time Paul and Krista came out, most of the students had left. Everyone knew the schedule for the next day, so there was no longer any reason to hang around. Rhees walked to the office to retrieve her backpack. She reached inside, pulled out her T-shirt, and slipped it on over her swimming suit. She reached back into the pack to find her shorts. She pulled them on, buttoned them up, and stuck her hands in the pockets to smooth them out.

Something bulged inside one of the pockets and she pulled it out to see what it was. She stood, staring at a small wad of money. She tried to remember the last time she'd worn those shorts, what she'd done that would have made her stick change in the pocket and forget about it. She'd done it before and counted her blessings it happened again.

The timing truly was a blessing-a miracle, actually. Now she had a little extra to get by on. She'd become dangerously short on cash and not only had she been living on one baleada and a banana the last two days, she planned to do so until she climbed onto the plane to head home. After that, she had four hundred and sixty dollars sitting in her bank account. She knew it wasn't enough to get her by until she found a job, a place to live-but worrying about it wasn't going to change anything. She'd decided not to think about it until she had to.

Paul entered the office. "I need you to stay and help with the night dive, at least to get us off-" He stopped mid-sentence and tensed when he saw Rhees staring at a handful of cash with a confused look on her face. He watched her shrug and stick the money into her backpack. She didn't seem too suspicious and he relaxed.

"You don't have to wait for us to return." The alcohol had already all but worn off.

"I see you're back to your sober, ornery self."

He gave her a look but ignored her comment.

She sighed. "Why me? After the day I've-we've had?"

"I need you because you're the hardest worker I have." He walked through the tunnel to the compressor room to grab some tanks. She followed him, reluctantly and with little enthusiasm.

"You're slipping. I think you may have just complimented me."

"Don't get used to it." He smirked because she couldn't see him do it.

Paul planned to sit the dive out and just help on the boat. Dobbs was the dive master that night, and Claire planned to go along. Being stuck in the office all day didn't give her much opportunity to dive, so she almost always tagged along on the night dives.

When the Swenson family showed up, everyone could see the tension between them.

"We agreed to take turns. Heather, you're sitting this one out," Mr. Swenson said to his teenage daughter.

"No, Dad. I never agreed. You just decreed we'd take turns. I don't see why I should have to sit out to babysit just because you decided to knock up your mistress, break up our family, and ruin our lives!"

"It's all right, Bill. I'll stay with the kids," Mrs. Swenson said, trying to restore the peace.

"Holly, I'm not giving in on this. If we give in every time these kids throw a tantrum, we'll never-"

"Bill, it isn't worth the fight."

The dive shop crew squirmed, embarrassed to be forced to listen to the family squabble.

"I could watch the kids," Rhees volunteered. "Mrs. Swenson, you go dive. I promise we'll stay at the shop and just play. The kids and I will have a great time."

Everyone looked at Rhees like she'd just offered herself up to be thrown into a volcano as the sacrificial virgin. No one understood why that thought made her want to laugh.

"That is, if it's okay with you?" She looked at Paul, but Mr. Swenson jumped on the offer.

"That would be wonderful, Miss . . ."

"Williams," she said.

Randy Williams, the boat captain, stowed his things and ran through his checks when he heard Rhees say her last name. "I never knew your name was Williams. We mus' be cousins."

Randy was black and from as far away from Rhees' hometown as one could get. Rhees couldn't help her laughter. "That would be nice. I didn't think I had any family left."

"Of course we are. You have ta come ta the Williams party this Sunday. I'll introduce you ta the ress of the family."

"Um . . . okay." She smiled but then Randy hopped off the boat and gave her a big bear hug. She tensed up at the contact, but when she saw the look on Paul's face, she forced herself to relax and hug Randy back. She didn't need anyone getting suspicious about her problem and asking unwanted questions.

"Family-they got ta stick together." Randy's accent was typical for born and bred islanders, white or black. Everyone born on the island attended the same schools and received an adequate education, but a century of isolation before the island was finally discovered by the diving community had left the language with a distinctive vernacular that Rhees had only recently started to understand.

Paul jumped in, hoping to get the dive moving along. "So, is everyone okay with Princess Danarya watching the kids?" Everyone seemed pleased with the idea, a little confused with the title he'd just called her, but no one said anything about it. "Then what are we standing around for? Let's get wet."

They loaded the boat and pulled away. Rhees held the two little kids at her side and the three of them waved as the divers took off, out to sea. Paul stood at the rear of the boat and watched her.

"Why did she do that?" Paul asked.

"Watch the kids?" Claire busied herself setting up gear nearby. "Because she's barmy, that's why. I'd rather cut off my arm than spend two hours with little kids." Claire looked back at the shop to see Rhees and the children waving.

"I don't mean watch the children. Some people aren't afraid of kids, you know." He scowled at Claire. "I meant, why'd she offer to help out like that? I told her she could go home once we set off. She isn't getting paid, she hates me, and I treat her like shit. She's going home in a few days, and I think she pretty much knows by now that I'm not planning to let her get her open water dives in."

"So, you're really planning to do that? I can't believe this. If word gets out that you're taking students' money and not delivering . . ."

He shrugged. "I haven't decided, but she's only begged me once. That's not enough. I thought I wanted my pound of flesh." He looked like he was rethinking his plan, but Claire laughed.

"Rhees and I spend a lot of time together in the office. I think I've learned a few things about her. You think you're punishing her by keeping her from diving." It was a statement not a question. "She's scared to death to dive. She's a scaredy moggy, afraid of her own shadow, but when she has a point to make-she digs in her heels and won't let it go."

"She's a feisty one," Paul said with wide eyes. "I took her for a mouse, but I was wrong, and she's getting feistier with each day."

"All you've done is given her an excuse to get out of making her point. Now, she can go home and still live with herself because, even though she didn't do what she set out to do, it's your fault, not hers."

Claire went back to setting up the Swenson's gear for them and even though he couldn't see Rhees anymore, Paul still stared at the shop, the muscle in his cheek twitched.

The boat returned an hour and a half later. Rhees didn't pitch in to help because she didn't want to leave the children unattended while their mother was still busy, but they gathered on the deck near the boat when they finished.

"See ya Sunday cuz," Randy yelled to Rhees as he left. She waved back.

"So, were you two good for Miss Williams?" Mrs. Swenson asked her children.

"Please, call me Rhees."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but we're trying to teach our children to show respect for their elders. I hope you don't mind if we keep the formality."

"Yes. That's fine. My parents were the same way," Rhees assured her.

"Thank you so much for babysitting. It was nice to get back in the water again," Mrs. Swenson said.

"My pleasure. They were no trouble at all." Rhees leaned down to talk to the kids. "We did our own night dive, didn't we?"

"Yes!" the children agreed enthusiastically. "We saw lots of fish and some were this big!" Asher held his arms out wide to demonstrate.

"Tell your mom what else we saw," Rhees encouraged.

"A otter puss," Imogen said.

Rhees couldn't help but laugh until she noticed the look on Paul's face. The way he stared, she couldn't tell whether he was angry with her, again, or something else.

"It was really just a night snorkel," she continued, trying to assure Paul even more than Mrs. Swenson that she didn't do anything to be concerned about. "We stayed right by the dock. I didn't leave their side-I would never do that. I suited them up with flotation devices and flashlights from the gear room-I hope that's okay?" She looked at Paul, wondering if she'd figured out his problem. Maybe he didn't like that she'd been so bold as to use his gear.

He shrugged like he didn't care, but she kept catching him watch her, and she grew more and more nervous.

"Well, at least I got one dive in. It'll have to last me for another few years," Mrs. Swenson said.

"Um . . . if it's all right with Pau-I mean Mr. Weaver," she watched him, trying to take a cue from him, "If it's all right with him, tomorrow I could-"

"Of course. Danarya can watch the kids again tomorrow, that is, if she wants to, and if it's okay with you," Paul said.

"Who is Mr. Weaver? You said his name was Mr. Meanie-Head," the little boy said looking innocently at Rhees.

"Mr. Weaver is Mr. Meanie-Head. He has two names," Rhees said without missing a beat, then looked up sheepishly at getting caught.

Asher looked up at his mom. "They hate each other's guts!" he said with emphasis on the word guts.

"Asher! That isn't nice. I'm so sorry, I don't know where he comes up with these things," Mrs. Swenson apologized. The two teenagers laughed at their little half-brother. Dobbs and Claire stood waiting warily to see how Paul would react.

"It's all right, Mrs. Swenson. It's true. We do indeed hate each other's guts." Paul seemed perfectly serious.

After an awkward moment of silence, Mr. Swenson finally spoke up. "Where would you recommend we eat tonight? The kids have been asking for pizza."

"Coconut Inn has good gourmet-style pizza, and Nana's has a decent, more traditional pizza at a good price," Paul answered knowledgeably.

"Well, I think we'd prefer to go traditional, with the kids and all," Mr. Swenson said. "Words like gourmet and kids don't really go together. I'm sure you're all as hungry as we are. Please, eat with us tonight, my treat."

"Oh, no!" Claire jumped in before there could be any argument. "Dobbs and I are ready for a nice quiet evening," she said, looking at the little kids, a fake smile plastered on her face.

Her quick response left Paul and Rhees at a disadvantage. Mr. Swenson turned to them and said, "Looks like it's just the two of you then."

"No, really, we can't," Rhees tried to say.

"I'm not taking no for an answer," Mr. Swenson said. "You can show us the way."

They walked into Nana's and found a table outside, a long, simple, plastic banquet table with picnic table benches along each side and mismatched patio chairs on each end. Paul and Mr. Swenson took the end chairs and Rhees started to climb into the bench on one side while Mrs. Swenson sat on the other. The two small children ran to Rhees and sat on each side of her.

"Come sit by mama," Mrs. Swenson said. "I'm sure Miss Williams has had enough of you two for the evening."

"It's fine. I don't mind." Rhees helped them onto the bench next to her while Paul stared at her.

Heather hurriedly slipped into a seat opposite her step-mother-to make sure she wouldn't get stuck sitting so close to the enemy, Rhees assumed, but also because she wanted to sit next to Paul. It had become quite obvious she'd developed a crush.

Matthew reluctantly climbed in next to Mrs. Swenson but slid closer to Paul as well. Mrs. Swenson seemed embarrassed by the way her step-children behaved as if they hated her. Mr. Swenson seemed oblivious to it, but Rhees felt sad about the family dynamic.

They ordered, and Rhees played finger games with the small children. Paul and Mr. Swenson talked about diving, and Mrs. Swenson watched quietly and listened. The teens didn't engage at all, so Rhees started trying to pull them in.

By the time dinner was over, Rhees had all the kids, even Heather, standing at the side of the table, ready to take the 'Spastic Test', a game of coordination that Rhees had learned years ago.

"Okay, take one arm. Move it up and then down, like this." She showed them and they followed suit. "Now, with the other arm, you have to go up first, then out to the side, then down and back up again, all the while, the other arm has to still just go up and down." She started doing it, making it look simple.

The kids tried and everyone laughed hysterically. Mrs. Swenson decided she had to give it a try. While Rhees ran through the instructions again, she realized Mrs. Swenson was about the same age as she was, and it caught her off-guard. The woman was married with two beautiful children, living the life Rhees had always dreamed of, with one exception. Rhees lost her train of thought for a moment, but she quickly shook it off.

"Where were we?" Rhees smiled but Paul noticed the sadness flicker across her expression.

"You were laughing . . . happy," Paul said. She smiled, but it didn't touch her eyes, as if she were trying a little too hard.

"Okay, like this." Rhees ran through the drill again, and it didn't take long before the light returned to her eyes, but Paul didn't forget as fast.

"How do you do that?" Mrs. Swenson asked through the hilarity, giving up. Mr. Swenson's and Paul's eyes watered, they laughed so hard.