The Reef Roamer (The Roamer Series Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: Deborah D. Moore
to scratch Muffin’s head, knowing the cat would bounce away from the water. She grinned at the cat’s antics. Some things never changed. And some things did. That’s when she realized she was still dry-eyed. Reliving all the pain, all the heartache, failed for the first time to make her cry.
“It must be time to go back,” Jayme announced to no one.
CHAPTER TWO
Jayme paused outside the large double glass doors, a smile creeping across her face. The snow crunched under her feet as she shifted her weight from foot to foot while she took in the view on the other side. It may be winter outside; however, Katherine Konoly managed to make the travel agency look warm, tropical, and inviting. She remembered the day Katherine decided to open her own agency.
***
“You do more of the work around here than any of the other two agents put together, Katherine. Why don’t you open your own place? The commissions on me alone should pay your rent!” Jayme had teased in a hushed voice.
The two women had been friends since high school. Not best friends, though close and constant friends, the kind you could lean on when times got tough, and for a while they had gotten very tough for Jayme. Katherine had known Jayme needed some time away to heal her broken heart and knew just where to send her: Aruba. That was the beginning.
“You really think I should open my own place?” Katherine questioned, although the same thought had been on her mind lately. “What should I call this mythical agency?”
“I’ll think about it. For now, though, it’s time to travel.”
***
Jayme pushed open the large glass doors with ‘It’s Time to Travel’ etched in large letters surrounded by palm trees and exaggerated waves and stepped into another world. Large tropical plants, green, glossy, and lush, graced wide windowsills and tiled floor space alike; ferns draped over the baskets that hung from the ceiling; a small and flowing fountain tucked into a corner added sprays of humidity into the warm air. A merchandise exchange with the florist next door kept the plants fresh and lively.
Katherine’s desk, an oval sheet of smoky beveled glass set on four tall hand woven baskets, was flanked by rattan chairs with overstuffed blue and green seat cushions. The walls of her spacious cubical sported a full-sized tropical mural. The feeling her office space gave a person was one of sitting on a verandah somewhere in the tropics during the late morning hours, looking over acres of gardens to a cove of the deepest azure blue. Katherine had copied the idea from Jayme’s dining room and expanded on it. The result and ambiance were incredible.
Katherine looked up from her computer terminal as she felt rather than heard the presence. “Jayme! It’s good to see you! I was just thinking about you. One of my clients brought back one of your DVDs that I sent her home with. They are in love with Cozumel now. She said it was the most complete video travelogue she had ever seen. Although I must admit she was a bit unsure at first by ‘The Reef Roamer’, since her and her husband only snorkel, but you now have a new fan. She wants to look at all your DVDs eventually.” Katherine paused. “You know,” her fingers moved swiftly across the computer keys, “it’s been five months since you’ve gone anywhere. The last time was to Cozumel, and that DVD has been a hit across the nation. Are you ready for another assignment?”
Jayme laughed. “I haven’t even said hello yet and already you’re sending me away?” She settled into the comfortable chair across from her friend, resting her head on the back, staring momentarily at the fishnet-covered ceiling. The mood abruptly shifted.
Katherine was silent for a moment and then said gently, “The dreams are back, aren’t they?”
Jayme nodded, still staring at the ceiling. “My agent called last month and said the Abacos would be a good spot. He’s
“It must be time to go back,” Jayme announced to no one.
CHAPTER TWO
Jayme paused outside the large double glass doors, a smile creeping across her face. The snow crunched under her feet as she shifted her weight from foot to foot while she took in the view on the other side. It may be winter outside; however, Katherine Konoly managed to make the travel agency look warm, tropical, and inviting. She remembered the day Katherine decided to open her own agency.
***
“You do more of the work around here than any of the other two agents put together, Katherine. Why don’t you open your own place? The commissions on me alone should pay your rent!” Jayme had teased in a hushed voice.
The two women had been friends since high school. Not best friends, though close and constant friends, the kind you could lean on when times got tough, and for a while they had gotten very tough for Jayme. Katherine had known Jayme needed some time away to heal her broken heart and knew just where to send her: Aruba. That was the beginning.
“You really think I should open my own place?” Katherine questioned, although the same thought had been on her mind lately. “What should I call this mythical agency?”
“I’ll think about it. For now, though, it’s time to travel.”
***
Jayme pushed open the large glass doors with ‘It’s Time to Travel’ etched in large letters surrounded by palm trees and exaggerated waves and stepped into another world. Large tropical plants, green, glossy, and lush, graced wide windowsills and tiled floor space alike; ferns draped over the baskets that hung from the ceiling; a small and flowing fountain tucked into a corner added sprays of humidity into the warm air. A merchandise exchange with the florist next door kept the plants fresh and lively.
Katherine’s desk, an oval sheet of smoky beveled glass set on four tall hand woven baskets, was flanked by rattan chairs with overstuffed blue and green seat cushions. The walls of her spacious cubical sported a full-sized tropical mural. The feeling her office space gave a person was one of sitting on a verandah somewhere in the tropics during the late morning hours, looking over acres of gardens to a cove of the deepest azure blue. Katherine had copied the idea from Jayme’s dining room and expanded on it. The result and ambiance were incredible.
Katherine looked up from her computer terminal as she felt rather than heard the presence. “Jayme! It’s good to see you! I was just thinking about you. One of my clients brought back one of your DVDs that I sent her home with. They are in love with Cozumel now. She said it was the most complete video travelogue she had ever seen. Although I must admit she was a bit unsure at first by ‘The Reef Roamer’, since her and her husband only snorkel, but you now have a new fan. She wants to look at all your DVDs eventually.” Katherine paused. “You know,” her fingers moved swiftly across the computer keys, “it’s been five months since you’ve gone anywhere. The last time was to Cozumel, and that DVD has been a hit across the nation. Are you ready for another assignment?”
Jayme laughed. “I haven’t even said hello yet and already you’re sending me away?” She settled into the comfortable chair across from her friend, resting her head on the back, staring momentarily at the fishnet-covered ceiling. The mood abruptly shifted.
Katherine was silent for a moment and then said gently, “The dreams are back, aren’t they?”
Jayme nodded, still staring at the ceiling. “My agent called last month and said the Abacos would be a good spot. He’s
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