buried deeper. Not that I want you to leave, but I’d give my left arm to get out there and look for more, and it’s not even my discovery.”
Part of him couldn’t believe he was there, either, while more treasures awaited discovery, but not one part of him wanted to leave. He wouldn’t trade a second of their time together for anything. Carly might have found a home in the world of chocolate, but this was proof that she also belonged in the world she’d left behind—the world he lived in, where days were spent teetering on the precarious point between adventure and discovery. And he was determined to show her more of what she’d been missing.
“If these artifacts are from the Pride, what will you do with them?” she asked.
“If I gain the rights to the wreckage, my plan is to do the same thing we always talked about doing. Keep history intact and put them in museums for the world to enjoy.”
“No ifs,” she said adamantly, reminding him of the way she’d looked as a younger girl when she’d refused to allow anyone to tell her what to do. “You have to gain the rights. How long until your attorney gets the vessel arrested?”
“He’s working on it. Hopefully this week. Listen, you know not to talk about all of this to anyone, right? I know you’re bursting at the seams, but until the vessel is arrested, which should be taken care of this week, we have to keep this hush-hush or every would-be treasure hunter will be searching the water off Silver Island.”
“I know. Don’t worry. Will you tell me when the attorney gets it done?” she asked eagerly.
Her question gave him pause. “You’ll be the first person I tell. Don’t you know that?”
“I don’t know. That’s a lot to hope for when we’ve only just reconnected. You must have so much on your mind with all of this.”
“I do have a lot on my mind, but you’re at the top of that list, Carly. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you and show you. There was a world of time and space between us, but you were always on my mind. We might not have been together when I discovered these concretions, but in my mind, this has always been ours.”
She was quiet for a moment, looking at him gratefully through the face shield. “You can’t imagine how much that means to me. When I read about your discovery with Luis, I wondered if the notoriety or money had changed you. You’ve changed in some ways, of course. I mean, you’re a grown-up, sexy man,” she said cheekily. “But the person you are inside hasn’t changed at all. You shared this once-in-a-lifetime experience with me. That was a huge risk for you to take. You really are still the same person you used to be.”
“No, Carly. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that. I’m smarter now. I’m the same guy who believes it’s all about the adventure, but when it comes to you, I’m a much better man.”
“I know that. I believe that.”
Thank God. “This is pretty cool, huh?”
“More than cool. It’s…”
“What?”
She sighed, looking a little bashful. “I had forgotten the feeling of wanting to explore and the thrill of discovering the undiscoverable. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Can you take a picture for me?” she asked. “I want to always remember this moment. Every last detail.”
“Of course I will.” He pulled out his phone and said, “I need to get a picture to send to my attorney and my dive team, too. Come here. You hold the concretion.” He removed their headgear and face masks and took a picture of Carly holding the concretion and pointing to the element she’d uncovered. Her smile was brighter than the sun. He took a selfie of the two of them with it, and when he took a third, he was kissing Carly’s cheek and Bandit was sniffing the concretion.
Carly set the concretion on the table, and as Zev took a few close-ups, she said, “How many people are on your dive team?”
“Just two full time, and two others as needed,” he said as he thumbed out a text. “Ford Kincaid and Randi Remington are my full timers. We’ve worked together for a few years now, and we’ve done some traveling together in the winters. We call ourselves the Fearless Threesome. You’ll like them. Ford is a lot like Graham. He thinks everything through before making a move and