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atop each other without damaging any of the delicate and expensive equipment in them. By the time Mac returned, she had all the boxes ready to stack and began lifting them onto the wheeled cart.
    “Finn, make sure you leave enough room for all the tanks to go on there too.”
    “Will do.” Finn liked the burning in her shoulders as she stacked the equipment neatly onto the cart. Her muscles would ache the next day, but she didn’t care. Right now, the sun was shining, the birds singing, and the air was heavy with the salt of the ocean. It felt good to be active.
    “So, Oz, you going to introduce us to the magic worker bee over there, or shall we just call her your mystery friend?” Mac whispered under his breath loud enough for everyone to hear, his shaved head glistening in the sunlight, his wet suit unzipped and rolled down to his waist leaving his broad chest and abs clearly visible.
    “No mystery, guys. That is Daniela Finsbury-Sterling, our new zero to hero candidate.”
    “That’s the chick you had to pick up at the airport last night?”
    “Yup.” She grabbed some more gear and tossed it onto the dock.
    “And then you drove her to her hotel?”
    “Yup.”
    “And then you worked the old Oz magic?”
    “Knock it off, Clem. We aren’t all animals like you.”
    “Very true, Oz, my friend, very true, but there are even fewer like you.”
    Finn felt her cheeks flush as she tried to ignore the conversation. She kept stacking boxes, moving things around, and keeping busy. She tried not to think about Oz playing the field, though she couldn’t figure out why the thought disappointed her. She glanced at Oz, surprised to see her looking uncomfortable.
    “I wasn’t talking about myself.” She didn’t hang around for him to answer but jumped onto the dock and jogged over to Finn. “You ready to roll this thing home?”
    “Yep.” Finn headed around to the back of the cart and got ready to push, trying to put as much distance between her and Oz as possible.
    “If this thing starts rolling backward, we’re gonna be scooping you up off the dock. Always head for the side and use the rail there.” Oz pointed to the far side of the cart. “Don’t want to squish anyone who helps unload a boat when they don’t have to.”
    “Thanks. I’ll bear that in mind.” She grabbed hold of the rail and started to haul when Oz counted to three.
    “So why did you really head here so early?”
    “I was bored. Pete was chatting up some bartender at the cocktail bar, and I felt like I was about to become a third wheel, so I thought I’d give my new car a run out and look around. I can’t stay in the hotel for the rest of the time I’m going to be here, so I thought I should get to know the area.” She smiled over at Oz as she tried to catch her breath. “That was the plan anyway. The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the wall watching the ocean and I thought I might as well give you a hand.”
    “Sorry, back up a bit. Did you say you bought a car?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Why?”
    “Well, I’ll need it to get around. I don’t imagine I’ll be able to get a place close enough to the dive center to be able to walk here every day with any gear I might have to haul with me, and while I don’t mind working hard, doing so just for the sake of it seems stupid.”
    “So what kind of car did you get? A junker to run around in?”
    “Erm, no, not really.” For a moment, Finn felt silly for buying such a nice car when she’d be spending most of her time in the water. But just as quickly, she let the feeling go. She wanted something nice, something she could enjoy without anyone to condemn her.
    Oz steered the cart to the back of the shop and they pulled it to a stop.
    “We need to get all the equipment rinsed off so the salt water doesn’t do too much damage. The easiest way is to dunk it all in these tubs.” Oz pointed to the two giant vats filled with water. “We use the one on the left for the first clean then the