PADI Cake, PADI Cake

She saw him grab a clipboard and nod toward the group indicating he was ready to get started. Tonia tilted her head and smiled much too big as she said rather loudly, "Nice talking to you, Grayson!"

She headed toward Spencer then noticed the man in 'her' spot and shot Spencer a nasty look.

"Sorry?" she mouthed to Tonia who flipped her hair, grabbed her things and said, "I'd rather sit upfront anyway—bitch."

"What's her problem?" the man asked.

"We just met, but I can already list several for you if you'd like," Spencer said quietly.

"Okay, folks. If we can get started," Grayson said to get everyone's attention. He already had the attention of the four women, and the seven men also stopped talking.

"I'm Grayson Clark and I'll be your instructor for basic open-water certification. Before we begin, let me just confirm the rumors. Yes, I am all of 19 years old, and yes, I am the owner of this dive shop."

There was some laughter which could have been either nervous or genuine.

"So to set your minds at ease, I've put together a short video of some of the things I've done so you will hopefully care less about my age and more about my experience and ability in the water."

For the next five minutes Spencer sat spellbound as everything Grayson's uncle had said about his nephew was true. There were clips from his first time snorkeling at the age of three, his first dive at the age of five, each of his PADI certifications, and much, much more. Just as she'd been told there were scenes from cave dives, dives into shipwrecks, and finally a short clip of Grayson and his late father on the summit of Mount Rainier taken about 24 months before Spencer had summited the snow-capped peak in the Cascade Mountains herself.

"God bless you, Grayson!" someone said.

"And your father! Ernie was a great man," another called out.

"Thank you. And yes, he was," Grayson said sincerely. "I do sorely miss him. He taught me pretty much everything I know."

"Okay, with that out of the way, could I possibly get a volunteer to come up here with me?" he said flashing that incredible smile.

Tonia was up and nearly to the front when Grayson said, "Ma'am? How about you?"

Spencer felt ill for a brief moment when every eye turned to see the woman he was pointing to.

"Yes, the very attractive lady sitting next to Mel in the back," he said asking for a round of applause before she'd even stood up.

Evidently, the balding man's name was Mel.

"Go on now. Grayson won't bite!" Mel said as he leaned over and offered her a hand so she could stand up.

Tonia was shooting daggers at her as Spencer stood up to make her way upfront. Spencer was grateful she could no longer make eye contact once she got close enough to Grayson so he could reach for her hand to help her through the small group of people.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to help out," he said to her knowing she'd hadn't volunteered as they returned to where he'd been standing. "May I ask your name?"

"Oh, yes. It's Spencer," she told him.

"I've never met a Spencer before. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he told her with a smile that revealed two gorgeous dimples, as though he didn't have enough going for him already.

"Okay, folks. This pretty lady is Spencer, and this evening at least, she is going to be my dive buddy. I cannot emphasize strongly enough that you never, ever, ever dive without a buddy. Diving is a very safe sport when you follow the rules. All of them. Let me point out right now that more people die scuba diving than sky diving each year, and diving alone is one very good way to become a casualty—or a fatality. Don't be one of them."

Spencer wasn't wild about being in front of everyone, but she found the class to be extremely interesting and exactly what she was hoping for. She knew she wouldn't be doing any deep sea diving hunting for buried treasure anytime soon, but she couldn't wait to be able to get started and make her first real open-water dive.

When the class ended, Grayson thanked her again then asked everyone to give his capable assistant and dive buddy another hand. Spencer couldn't help but notice the one person who not only didn't clap but who was still boring holes through her.

Spencer wasn't afraid of confrontation but she never sought it out. Her sixth sense told her it was about to come looking for her shortly.

She'd barely stepped inside the locker room when Tonia let her have it.

"I told you he's mine, bitch!" she hissed while pointing a finger in Spencer's face.

Without blinking or cowering, Spencer calmly replied, "I'm pretty sure that's up to him, but have at it. I'm not interested."

"Oh, like you've even got a shot. How old are you anyway? You've gotta be at least...what? Thirty? Maybe even older than that. There's no way a guy like Grayson is ever gonna be interested in some dried-up skank like you! I'm warning you. Stay the hell away from him. Got it?"

Tonia poked her in the chest, something else she didn't let bother her. In fact, since Jeff's death, virtually nothing bothered her. Having lived through the horror and the grief of losing the man she loved more than anyone or anything on earth put everything else in perspective for her. Even so, she did have limits and Tonia was pushing her to right to the edge.

Spencer just smiled and said, "You're right. I'm clearly too old for him. He's undoubtedly looking for a married woman with anger issues. Yeah, I'm sure that's what a guy like Grayson wants so...go for it, okay?"

Tonia was shaking with rage as Spencer calmly turned around and walked away.

They'd spent a fair amount of time in the chlorinated pool so she stripped off her bathing suit and took a quick shower before changing, all the while doing her best to avoid her new psycho friend showering just two stalls down.

When Spencer finally walked out of the locker room, Grayson was still there talking to his Uncle Ted.

"That's her," she heard Grayson say. "My dive buddy."

He smiled and waved to her and thanked her again. Spencer returned both the smile and the wave and continued on.

"Mrs. Monroe?" Grayson's uncle called out.

Spencer turned and replied, "Yes?" then began walking toward him.

When she got close enough for him to speak in a normal tone he said, "I forgot to mention we offer discounts for couples. If your husband is interested in taking the class we'll take 30% off your combined costs. Something to think about anyway, right?"

Spencer decided it was time to say something so she quickly explained.

"I lost my husband several years ago, but I still can't take off my wedding ring. So thank you for the very generous offer, but unfortunately there isn't anyone for me to bring."

She saw the look on the man's face as he said, "I can't tell you how sorry I am or how foolish I feel. Please accept my condolences and my apology."

"It's fine. Really. You couldn't have known and you have a business to run. New customers are your life blood so asking is essential to staying open. No offense taken at all," Spencer explained.

"My condolences, too, Spencer," Grayson said with genuine sincerity.

"That's very kind of you, Grayson," she said. "Um...anyway, I really enjoyed the class and I'm very much looking forward to the next one. I've been so excited about getting certified I can't believe it's actually happening."

"I love diving," Grayson told her. "I can't even imagine my life without it."

He smiled then said, "Or skydiving or mountain climbing or..."

"I saw that you summited Rainier. That's an amazing experience, isn't it?" she said in a way that made him ask a question.

"Have you summited Rainier?"

"I have, as a matter of fact," she said without boasting.

"Do you also skydive by any chance?"

"I do," she told him. "If it's something physical, I've probably done it or tried it or want to try it."

"I knew there was something special about her," Grayson said to his uncle while looking at Spencer with a hearty smile.

Just as he spoke those words Tonia passed by.

Grayson waved to her but couldn't help notice Spencer's reaction and asked, "Is everything okay with you two?"

"Oh, sure," Spencer told him. "Just know that she's um...extremely interested in you, Grayson." She paused then said, "Unlike me, she actually has a husb..."

She stopped talking then said, "Please just be very careful. That's all."

"Um...she's still staring at you," Grayson said as Tonia continued walking. She'd smiled and waved at their instructor, but her countenance completely changed when she saw Spencer with 'her' man.

"Would you like me to walk outside with you?" Grayson asked. "You're probably a 5th-degree blackbelt in Jiu-Jitsu or something, but I'd feel better knowing you got to your car safely."

"Marital arts is one thing I haven't tried, but who knows, right?" she said pleasantly. "And thank you for the offer, but I don't want to take you away from whatever you were discussing. I feel like I butted in and I can..."

"Nonsense!" Ted scoffed. "You didn't butt in. We called you over."

"My Uncle Ted is right. You didn't interrupt anything and although I never rush to judgment, something's just not right where that woman is concerned. She didn't by any chance threaten you, did she?" Grayson asked.

"It's fine, Grayson. She just has a...thing for you. A very serious thing. I'm sure she's not the first, right?" Spencer said trying to change the tone from dark to light.

"This one has more girls—and women—chasing after him than I can count," his Uncle Ted chimed in.

"Don't let my uncle fool you. He's got quite a following of groupies of his own," Grayson told her. "Rich, single, and some might even say decent looking."

Grayson punched his uncle in the arm and got a playful shot in the chest back.

"I'm not surprised," Spencer said. "In either case."

"Gray? Why don't you walk out with Mrs. Monroe. Just in case."

"Do you mind?" he asked, his eyebrows raised letting her know he was asking permission.

"It's not necessary, but I wouldn't mind the company," Spencer told him. "Maybe you can tell me about what it's like looking around an old galleon or a warship several hundred feet down."

"Don't get him started, Mrs. Monroe! He's normally pretty quiet, but if you get him going about a dive or a climb, you're gonna need a lot more time than it takes to walk out to your car."

"I see," she said with a smile to Ted. "Well, unfortunately, time is something I seem to have plenty of these days once I get back home."

"Come on. I'll walk you out," Grayson said.

"Oh, and will you please call me Spencer?" she said politely to Ted who winked and assured her he would.

After just a few steps, Grayson glanced over at her and said, "So...I've done quite a few shipwreck dives. Anything in particular you're interested in?"

"Ha! 'Is there anything I'm not interested in' would be the easier question," she told him truthfully. "Have you dived for buried treasure?"

"As a matter fact, I have," he said as he opened the door into the shop for her. "Quite a few times, at that. But that was my late father's forte."

"Okay. I'm hooked. Share away!" Spencer said.

Grayson had just gotten started when they both saw Tonia standing outside.

"May I help you with something?" Grayson asked as they approached her.

"I just thought you should know that...ho' who's hitting on you is married. That's all," Tonia said to Grayson while still boring holes into Spencer.

He looked down at Tonia's bare left hand and said, "But you're single and available?"

Her face brightened as flashed her bare left hand and said, "I'm very single and very available!"

"I see," Grayson replied. "And are you enjoying my class?"

"Oh, enormously!" she said all smiles and glitter. She gave his hard body a once over and said wickedly, "What's not to like, if you catch my drift."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that. You should know that whoever you're diving with has to be able to trust you completely and honesty is an integral part of being able to be trusted," he told her. "I'd never dive with anyone I couldn't trust."

Tonia laughed nervously then said, "Oh, right. Of course. Neither would I!"

"Well, have a nice night," he said as he gently touched Spencer's elbow to let her know they could move on.

"I'm right over there," she said as she hit a button on her fob that caused her taillights to blink and the horn to beep. "Oh, nice job with you know who."

"Speaking of nice..." Grayson said ignoring her compliment. "You drive a Land Rover?"

"It's my only indulgence that doesn't involve lessons or trips," she told him. "I prefer spending my money on things I can do rather than on things I can look at. But a really nice all-terrain kind of vehicle? Now that's a horse of a different color!"

He took a look around and said, "Oh, yeah. I could see myself in one of these."

"I suppose I could have settled for a Jeep, but I drive the heck out of it going places I want to make sure I can get out of so I splurged a little."

Grayson laughed then said, "A woman after my own heart."

"Um...that would be the other woman you just shot down in flames who's after your heart and um...every other part of you, if you get my drift. And very nicely done, by the way," Spencer told him again.

"Do you think she knows I know?" he asked as he opened her car door.

"Oh, she knows. Trust me. And I'm sure she blames me. If you read about my untimely demise..." she said. Spencer laughed but Grayson didn't.

"Please don't talk that way, okay?" he said rather seriously.

"I was totally kidding," she told him before realizing he'd lost his father that all that long ago.

"Grayson. Oh, my goodness.Your uncle told me about your father and I...I can't believe I forgot. Me of all people. I hope I didn't offend you or...or hurt you."

"No. Not at all," he told her. "It's just that after losing Dad, I find it hard to think about losing anyone I care about. That's all. You certainly didn't offend me."

"Losing someone you dearly love is awful, isn't it?" she told him not really noticing the line that seemed to imply he cared for her.

"It is," he agreed. "I honestly had no idea what it was like before my father died. I mean, I'd always tell people something like, 'Sorry for your loss' but I couldn't understand what the big deal was, you know? People die all the time, right?"

"Unfortunately, I do know. Once it happens to you personally, you develop a sense of empathy. You don't just sympathize with them, you can feel with them."

"You're absolutely right, Spencer. I couldn't agree with you more."

He helped her in then said, "Sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you about my treasure hunting experiences, but there's always next time, right?"

Spencer laughed and said, "We got so sidetracked with your...stalker...and with our losses that we forgot all about your treasure hunting adventures."

"I suppose it's a good thing. My Uncle Ted is right. I don't normally have much to say, but if you get me going on a dive or a trip...watch out."

"As I said, time is the one thing I have plenty of so if you ever do feel like sharing your stories, I'd love to hear them."

"Okay, I could do that. But...would you be willing to share yours with me?" he asked again with raised eyebrows.

"You know what? I would. I'm still kinda-sorta new to the area and I haven't made a lot of friends yet. If you ever want to get together and swap 'war stories', I'm game."

"Same here. Sunday is normally the only day I have off, but I know a place that serves a pretty mean brunch," he said.

He noticed the look on her face then quickly said, "I wasn't...I didn't mean...that wasn't an invitation for you know, a...a date or anything. I just didn't know where else..."

Spencer laughed as he stumbled around trying to explain.

"No. No problem. And that sounds...nice. Okay. Sure. What time and where?" she asked.

"Gee, I haven't been there for a couple of years, but my dad had a membership. It's...it's a country club," Grayson said wincing a little bit.

Grayson stopped then said sarcastically, "Gee, that didn't sound pretentious, did it?"

Spencer laughed a genuine laugh and said, "You don't strike me as the country-club type, Grayson."

"I'm not. Trust me. I...I guess I just wanted to make a good first impression on you. Now that I've blown it right out my a..."

Spencer laughed again when he realized he was about to something he thought was too crass for her delicate ears and stopped.

"I was married to a Marine and I've pretty much heard it all, Grayson, so there's no need to worry about saying something that might offend me."

Being summer, the sun was still out and it was shining right into Grayson's eyes so he was squinting and scrunching up his face. He put his right hand up to use as a visor and when Spencer's face came into view he said without thinking, "Wow. You're really pretty."

Just as quickly, he added in an effort to cover it up, "Amazing. You're pretty...amazing, Spencer."

For the briefest of moments she felt some sort of odd, inexplicable connection with this boy—this...young man—who had experienced so much in such a short time.

She shook off the feeling and dismissed it by saying, "I'm hardly amazing. I just want to experience as much as I can, you know? Life really is short and it can be over in the blink of an eye. Experiences stay with us wherever we go or whatever we do and in my opinion, they enrich us. Stuff doesn't. So I'll take a climb or a dive over new furniture or a fancy dress any day."

"I agree and I disagree," Grayson said as she closed the door then rolled down the window before starting the Land Rover.

"Oh? How so?" she asked.

"I agree on the value of life experiences over material things," he said.

"But?" she asked with a smile knowing one was coming.

"But I disagree—completely—that you aren't amazing."

He smiled at her as he squinted and there was that feeling again. That...sense of connection.

"Did you want to say something else?" she heard him ask as she realized she'd been sitting there staring at him.

"Oh. Um...no. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Hey, before you get away," Grayson said. "Can I possibly get your phone number so I can send you the time and place?"

"To the...Country Club?" she said in her best snooty British accent.

"It's clear up in Seattle so I'm thinking pretty seriously about maybe just going to the Waffle House," he told her as he handed her his phone.

Spencer laughed and as she entered her number, she said, "The last time I gave a guy my number he had to write it down on a piece of paper. It's been a while."

She handed him back his phone and Grayson asked with a straight face, "How long did it take for the guy to chisel out the numbers in his stone tablet back then?"

Spencer narrowed her eyes and made a 'grrrr' noise and said, "Ohhh! Watch it, buster."

Grayson put his hands up and said, "I'm not gonna mess with a Jiu-Jitsu expert."

He made some karate moves causing Spencer to laugh and say, "You know that's not Jiu-Jitsu, right?"

"I do," he said quietly as he shaded his eyes again. He wasn't going to tell her he was getting close to testing for his 2nd degree blackbelt in TaeKwonDo.

She dropped the Rover into gear and said, "I really enjoyed talking with you, Grayson. Oh, and the lesson, too."

"Same here," he told her. "So...I'll text you."

"Okay. And I'm just fine with the Waffle House," she said with a smile.

"I believe you," he told her.

"I'm honest if nothing else," she quipped.

Grayson smiled and told her, "I know we just met, but I can already tell you're a whole lot more than just honest. I'd say...amazing."

She laughed playfully in a way that was more a giggle than a laugh without realizing she'd done it then said, "Bye, Grayson!" before driving off.