PADI Cake, PADI Cake

"Well, since we're being honest, I can tell where your son gets his good looks," Spencer told her.

Elizabeth smiled and said, "Well, thank you, dear, but most of the credit goes to his father. That man was a little on the crazy side, but he was the most gorgeous man I ever knew."

"In fact..." she said.

There was a family picture close by and Spencer immediately understood.

"I used to call Ernest my Robert Redford," she said comparing him to the well-known actor and former Hollywood hunk many older women still found attractive.

She leaned over and said, "But honestly? Ernest was the better looking of the two."

Spencer laughed along with her then said as she looked at her late husband in the photo, "I won't argue with you. He was a very handsome man."

"How's dinner coming, Mom? Can I give you a hand?" Grayson said trying to move them along.

"No, thank you, Grayson. And it'll be ready shortly. Perhaps you could offer Spencer a glass of wine or a cocktail or maybe some iced tea?"

"Spencer?" he asked as he led her into the kitchen.

She heard him, but she couldn't stop looking at their home, as it was truly incredible and so out of place for a such a small town. Spencer still had an eye for details even though things no longer impressed her. Everywhere she turned, there was some very expensive, high-end furnishing. It wasn't lavishly ornate, but it was a very tastefully done home where no expense had been spared.

"Just iced tea, please," she finally told him. "I don't much care for alcohol. I'll take jumping out of a perfectly good airplane as my kind of high anytime."

Grayson stopped and stared at her and said, "Okay, okay. I already like you. You don't have to keep sucking up."

Spencer realized after the fact she'd done the giggling thing again and didn't care as she also realized she was enjoying herself more than she could remember since Jeff was alive.

He handed her the iced tea and said, "I don't drink, either, and not just because I'm under 21."

He smiled and told her, "I don't like anything that dulls the senses when life has so many incredible things to offer to stimulate them. And then there are the things that are truly beautiful and...amazing."

"Okay, enough with the 'amazing' comments, okay," she said pretending to be put out. "Besides, I already like you, too, so...quit sucking up."

Both of them laughed and when Elizabeth heard it she came into the kitchen and said, "My, my. I haven't heard Grayson laugh like that in, well, let me see..."

"It's okay, Mom. You can say it was back before Dad died. And I laugh. And smile. And joke around. Occasionally."

"Yes, I know, dear. But it's not the same. This is the first time I've seen you...having fun...since your father passed away. It's just so nice to see and hear. I am allowed to worry about you, you know," Elizabeth said.

Grayson winced for Spencer's benefit who said, "I understand. I'm thirty-um...over thirty and my mom still reminds me I'm her baby girl."

"Ah! You see, Grayson. This charming young woman 'gets it'!"

She turned to Spencer and said, "Thank you, dear."

"Yes, thank you...dear," Grayson said to Spencer with a heavy, sarcastic edge to the word 'dear'.

"I think someone is trying to make an impression on someone else," Elizabeth said as she kind of leaned over toward Spencer.

Grayson then leaned toward Spencer and while looking at his mother said, "It's not easy when your own mother keeps sabotaging you at every turn."

"I'm doing no such thing!" she said in a faux haughty voice. "I guess I'll get dinner ready since I'm clearly not wanted here."

"My mother the martyr!" Grayson said as she walked away.

"I like her," Spencer said in her defense.

"Yeah, I'm kinda fond of her, too. Just don't tell her I said that."

"No need, dear. I hear quite well. And I love you, too."

Spencer laughed before Grayson continued sharing Clark-family adventures during dinner, and the more Spencer heard, the more she looked forward to diving in something deeper than a pool.

Against Elizabeth's strong protestations, Spencer helped her clear the table while Grayson loaded the dishwasher.

"He's always been such a good boy," his mother said further embarrassing him. "I suppose that's why he's constantly surrounded by beautiful women. Smart, handsome, polite and..."

"Mom? Could you please stop...helping so much?" he said as though this wasn't some new thing.

"I'm only being honest, Grayson. Honesty is the key to trust, you know."

"Hmmm. Where have I been hearing that the last few days?" Spencer asked as Grayson turned on the dishwasher.

"His father beat that into his head for as long as I can remember," Elizabeth said. "It's just as true today as it ever was. Perhaps if our elected officials learned that valuable lesson, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today."

"Now I like her even more," Spencer said cheerfully to Grayson.

"Come on. I'll show you my office which was my dad's and from there we can watch the DVD. Mom? Are you gonna join us?"

"No, I don't think so. You know I get emotional every time I see your father. I love hearing his voice, but it just reminds me of how much I miss him."

She turned to Spencer and said, "I understand you know all too well what I'm talking about, dear."

"Unfortunately, I do," Spencer told her. "I understand completely, although I would very much enjoy your company."

She glanced at Grayson, smiled, then said, "Not that I don't trust him, of course."

"We'll be in the den if you change your mind, Mom," Grayson let her know to which she again reiterated her reasons for not wanting to watch.

"Your mom really misses your dad," Spencer said.

"Yes, she does. In spite of all of his eccentricities, she was very much in love with him and he was crazy about her. I thought she might die when he did," Grayson told her as he led her back to the large, cozy den.

"I know a little something about that, too," Spencer said in a way that didn't evoke pity. 
"I really don't know which is worse. Losing your spouse before you have a lot of time together leaving you to wonder what might have been or after you've had some relatively long amount of time with each other knowing it's over."

"It seems to me what matters most is how much you loved them. If my parents had drifted apart and lost that 'spark' maybe it wouldn't have been as traumatic. Or if, God forbid, one of them had cheated. But they stayed together and were still very much in love."

"Your Uncle Ted said you looked more 25 than 19. The way you view the world says you're closer to well...let's just say...older than that."

"Like love, age can matter or not matter. Two people can be the same age and have nothing in common or be separated by some relatively large number of years and have nearly everything in common. Love can be fresh and new every day or grow stale and have little impact on a relationship. It just depends."

"That would be tragic," Spencer said. "My husband and I loved each other with a white-hot passion. I can't even imagine just co-existing with someone I claim to love. I'd rather live alone than live like that."

"For what it's worth, I couldn't agree more. When I finally settle down, I don't just want a wife. I want a dive buddy, a climbing companion, someone who'll hold my hand on the way out of an airplane, and most importantly a best friend."

Grayson smiled then laughed as he said, "Okay, I want a lover, too, but you know what I mean."

Spencer unashamedly 'giggled' again then told him she knew exactly what he meant and also said, "And I couldn't agree more with everything you just said."

"I forgot to mention what may be the most important thing."

"Oh?" Spencer said wondering what he might say to cause her to disagree with him.

"I want to have children with her, too."

Spencer was touched to the point of choking up but managed to hold it together.

"In spite of knowing how hard it would be to grow up without a father, the only thing I regret is not having a baby with Jeff. But we were young and had our entire lives ahead of us, you know?"

She paused then said, "But how could we know, right?"

"My dad used to say, 'There's never a right time to have kids so if you want them just have them.' Otherwise you'll never have enough money or a nice enough home or whatever. In other words, you'll always find an excuse to wait. And to me, I see no reason to get married unless you want to have kids. I mean, maybe a year or two, but why get married when you could just live together unless you want children? Tax breaks? Come on!"

"What about the religious aspect?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, sure. If someone believes sex outside of marriage is sinful or morally wrong, then yes, that makes sense. I hope I don't offend you, but I think that's a very outdated way to look at something so purely natural and important to human survival."

"Me? Offended by that? No, not at all. I'm not one to think there's a 'Scorekeeper' somewhere taking notes on whether we've been good or bad with certain kinds of sex going in the 'bad' category."

"As in...naughty or nice?" he said as he found the DVD.

"Right! So be good for goodness sake or you'll get a lump of coal!" Spencer said as they both laughed.

Grayson grabbed the DVD, popped it into the Blu-Ray player, then invited Spencer to join him on a very rich-looking leather couch.

She sat on the opposite side leaving a good three feet of space between them and waited for it to start.

"Just remember I told you my dad was a bit eccentric, okay?" Grayson warned.

Before Spencer could even say, "Okay," something startled her to the point where she screamed and quite literally jumped out of her seat.

"Oh, my God!!" she said after screaming and coming to rest in the middle of the couch.

Grayson's dad's face was filling the entire camera frame and his left eye was covered with a patch. The first thing she'd seen was a hook lashing out and 'coming right at her' before Ernest said, "Aye, matey! We're a goin' treasure hunting!"

Grayson was laughing so hard he couldn't stop

"NOT funny!" Spencer said pushing his muscular frame over the arm of the sofa.

"Sorry! If you could've seen yourself! You flew out of your seat while you were..."

"Is everything..." they heard Elizabeth say. She looked up and saw her husband in his pirate garb and said, "Okay, that explains it. What a ham!"

She slid around the back and took the place where Spencer had been setting.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"No, of course not," Spencer said. "I just wasn't ready for a slasher movie."

"I told you my dad was eccentric," Grayson reminded her.

"You didn't warn her about the hook? Grayson! That was just...mean!"

"Sorry, Mom," he said.

"Don't apologize to me!" she said looking passed Spencer.

"I really am sorry, Spencer," he said seriously before adding, "NOT!" and laughing again so hard his mom started laughing and after another shove that didn't even budge him, Spencer found herself unable not to join in.

"My mascara is gonna be a mess!" she said as she tried to use her finger. "I haven't laughed like that in forever!"

"Me, either," Elizabeth said. "But when Grayson gets going, I can't help it. It's...infectious! And it's been...forever since I heard him laugh like that."

Spencer was still chuckling and gave Grayson another shove with her shoulder and said, "Jerk!"

"Jerk? What do you mean, 'jerk'? It was all part of my master plan!" he said very seriously.

"Oh, brother. I'm afraid to even ask, but I'll bite. What master plan?"

"Well, you are sitting next to me now, right?" he said very innocently. "So...I'd say it worked pretty well."

Spencer looked over at him and saw him start laughing again so she gave him one more shot and said again, "Jerk!"

"Give him one for me, too, dear. That was pretty 'jerky' of him."

"Ha! Even your mother agrees with me—jerk!" she said as she gave him one more.

"Okay, okay! Stop ganging up on me already!"

He'd paused the DVD and Elizabeth said, "On second thought—or would this be on third thought? Either way, I don't think I can watch. It felt so good to laugh I don't want to end up feeling sad, and if I stay that's a given. So...do you mind if I change my mind yet again?"

"It's a woman's prerogative, right?" Spencer said supportively.

"I believe it is, dear!" she said as she excused herself after taking one more look at her very handsome late husband.

After she left, Grayson explained this home movie was made right after Martin agreed to back his father's latest get-rich-quick scheme.

The DVD no sooner started playing than Ernest held up a certified check for $50,000.

"This right here folks, is the ticket to an untold fortune, because this time, we're going to strike it rich! I can feel it in me bones!" he said making more pirate noises.

For the next hour, she watched as his crew prepared the boat then made it's way to a location about five miles off of a Caribbean Island the captain was sure was the place his lifelong dream would finally come true.

Many crews had searched for a Spanish ship filled with gold and silver, which sank in 1714, but no one had yet found it. Until the crew of the Elizabeth Clark found the items of pottery located together on their third day of diving. It wasn't proof of anything, but finding any manmade artifact was a positive sign.

Two days and a lot of digging later Spencer watched as the underwater filming revealed what looked like a stereotypical treasure chest which was indeed filled with gold and silver coins. This one chest was less than 10% of the known treasure that had been lost, and was worth just over $7.5 million US.

They spent two more weeks combing the area for the rest of the treasure but came up empty and returned home hoping to keep their find private.

"Turns out that's not easy once you try and cash in," Grayson said just as she saw a CNN interviewer talking to his late father. There were three other interviews which Grayson assured her were indistinguishable from the first as he turned it off.

"I can't believe I never heard of this," Spencer said once it got quiet again. "That had to be unbelievably exciting, Grayson!"

"My dad was over the moon. He felt vindicated after nearly bankrupting our family and he was in hog heaven making the rounds on the interview circuit. He was able to pay Martin back with interest and then turned the treasure into cold, hard cash. After taxes and paying the crew plus supplies for the boat, he had a little over $2 million left. He and Uncle Ted split that money, paid off the dive shop, and invested the rest.

"Is it too personal to ask how he...passed away?" Spencer asked almost sheepishly.

"No, not at all," Grayson told her.

"He'd just awarded me with my Level 2 Instructor Certification and we were closing up the shop to go celebrate. Uncle Ted offered me a ride after Dad said he'd stay and lock up and be right behind us. We got home and changed and waited for Dad, but he didn't show up. Uncle Ted called the shop then called Dad's phone, but there was no answer."

"Oh, my goodness," Spencer said as she waited to hear the worst news anyone can ever hear.

"We drove back to the shop and Uncle Ted found him. He'd had a brain aneurysm. The doctor who did the autopsy said he died instantly, but how do they really know, right? Anyway, that was it."

"Oh, Grayson. I am so, so sorry," Spencer said having turned toward him on the couch. She then remembered what Ted had told her and the connection she'd made finally made sense.

"Thank you," he said soberly. "Is it okay to ask about your husband?"

"Oh. Um...yes. Of course. I did say I'd share my experiences, too, didn't I?" she said trying to remain upbeat.

"Yes, but this isn't what you had in mind. If it's too hard then..."

"No. I can tell you," she said. "They were passing through a small village when the Taliban ambushed Jeff's platoon. Two of his Marines were injured by an RPG blast and got pinned down under fire in the street. I don't understand it all, but he had his men do some kind of 'cover fire' thing then led three Marines into the street to grab those two wounded guys. They all made it back to the building where they were before they ran out...except for Jeff. He...he was shot here..."

Spencer pointed to the back of her neck just below where his helmet was and just above what used to be called a flak jacket he was wearing.

"They told me he died instantly, too," she said her words trailing off as she fought back tears.

She hated that she still got emotional, but she couldn't help it. She managed not to cry, but felt hot tears welling up in her eyes.

"Sorry. I shouldn't still be crying this many years later," she said as she looked down and once again tried to dry her eyes.

Grayson grabbed a tissue from the desk nearby and said, "May I?" as he held it out.

"Am I a mess?" she asked as she looked up to allow him to get underneath her eyes.

"No. You're...beautiful," Grayson said quietly as he gently wiped away any mascara that had run. "Okay. All done," he said after getting the last bit.

Spencer stood there in front of him looking up into his handsome face feeling very...strange.

"Thank you," she said weakly. "Next time I'll try and be stronger, when I..."

Her brain told her Grayson was moving closer and that he was about to kiss her, but her body wouldn't move. Her body not only wouldn't move, it froze. Even when his lips touched hers she still couldn't move. She knew she should, but nothing worked. Nothing except for her lips which softly pressed back against his for perhaps two or maybe three seconds.

When Grayson slowly pulled back, he looked into her eyes again and said, "You really are beautiful and amazing, Spencer."

A feeling of panic welled up inside her and her first instinct was to run. But why did she need to run when she realized she could have moved but didn't? In fact, she found herself wanting to kiss him and yet she couldn't. So she stood there staring at him trying to make sense of what had just happened and how she felt about it.

"Grayson?" she finally said. "What just happened?"

"All jokes aside, I am rather young, so suppose I could be wrong, but I believe that's called a kiss," he said as he gently touched her face.

"But...why? Why did you...kiss me?" she said as her eyes searched his for answers.

"You told me my eyes need to be checked, but I believe it's you who has the problem. Is your hearing okay?" he said with a smile.

"I hear just fine," she said quietly.

"I told you twice I think you're beautiful. And after getting to know you a little better, I can tell your beauty goes far beyond skin deep."

"But...well, okay, first of all, thank you, but more importantly, why would you kiss...me? It's not like you don't have girls your age swarming all around you, I'm sure. I mean, you've even got a stalker, for goodness sake. So...why me?"

"That's easy," he told her still smiling. "Of all the girls and women I've ever met, I've never met anyone I had so much in common or felt such a connection with."

He ran the back of his fingers along her cheek then said, "Or been so attracted to."

Spencer was aware that her heart was racing. It was pounding in her chest so hard it seemed like she could hear her own blood crashing into her head. Her palms were moist, her mouth was dry, and she was also very aware of a warm kind of wetness in another place.

"Grayson, I'm almost 31 years old," she heard herself saying even though she didn't think she could speak.

"Congratulations," he said with a smile.

When his words finally registered and she realized he was telling her he didn't care, she instinctively put on a pouty face and said playfully, "Jerk!"

She went to faux punch him again when he grabbed her tiny wrist and in one smooth movement had it behind her back as her body moved tightly up against his.