Free Moonlight and Margaritas by Cindy Stark

clean, sharp lines and a fresh coat of paint.  He had a point.  "Would you like me to leave?"
    He paused as though considering it, then blew out a sharp breath.  "Nah.  At this point, it doesn't really matter what you do."  He stepped away, ending their conversation.
    She exhaled, too, though it didn't do much to lessen her stress.  He couldn't have made her feel any worse.  She'd had no idea her leaving would have affected him this way.  There had to be a million sexual encounters that ended exactly the way she'd ended theirs.  So why did it feel so wrong?
    Joe headed to the aft of the boat where everyone else had gathered, and she followed behind, determined to make the best of the situation.  Mercedes caught her eye, and Elena returned her look with a glare.  Her friend's little matchmaking plan had exploded right in Elena's face, and Mercedes would be answering to her for it.
    The smile Joe gave the rest of his clients was warm and welcoming, but he completely avoided any further looks in her direction, making her feel as insignificant as a grain of sand on Cabo's gorgeous beach.  It didn't help that the excursion was scheduled for an excruciating four hours. 
    "This is my crewmate, Paul," Joe said, as a young man dressed only in cutoff jeans joined them on deck.  "He'll be staying with the boat while we dive, but he's PADI certified as well, so if you have any questions or need help, feel free to ask him."  The sun-bleached kid nodded to them as they exchanged hellos.
    "Okay, then.  If you'll all find a seat, we'll head out to Pelican Rock, our first destination."  Joe returned to the cruiser's cabin and fired up the engine.  Elena blinked away her disappointment and took a seat next to the edge. 
    Whatever.  She hated that her beautiful island fling was tarnished, but what was done was done.  She just hoped she'd be able to forget the look on Joe's face when he said it didn't matter to him what she did.  She wanted to remember their night together as a wonderful adventure to be treasured.
    Focusing on her surroundings helped improve her spirits.  Salty sea spray clung to her skin as they sailed away from the shoreline.  The beautiful blue Mexican sky dotted with fluffy white clouds came second to the rolling turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez.  She relaxed her shoulders, letting the beautiful scenery wash away her cares.  If she didn't have a daughter and floral shop waiting back in Carmel, she'd be tempted to stay forever.
    Mercedes, it seemed had moved beyond whatever little bump in the road she'd experienced, but Elena hoped her friend didn't think she hadn't noticed.  Because she had.  Later, when they were alone, Mercedes was going to talk…after she'd finished begging for forgiveness.
    In the meantime, her friend sat, surrounded by five men, looking like a goddess in her pink bikini.  Their diving companions were from San Francisco, visiting Cabo on a business trip.  She overheard one introduce himself as Thomas and question Mercedes about "her little blonde friend".  Elena rolled her eyes.  It wasn't that any of the men were bad looking, but she wasn't sure she was ready to have another man flirting with her quite yet.  Especially in front of Joe.
    Or maybe that's exactly what she needed.  If Joe didn't care what she did, then he certainly wouldn't mind her flirting with another guy.
    Far too soon, the boat powered down, and Elena listened as her fellow divers' talk grew animated.  It seemed all of the men were intermediate-level divers, leaving her and Mercedes as the least experienced.  They were beyond the beginner stage, having dived in open water more than a handful of times, but they weren't quite at the same level as their companions.  The worst part was all of them except Elena were jacked up on the idea of communing with the whale sharks. 
    Elena scanned the horizon, looking for anything that resembled a lumbering submarine.  She couldn't see any signs of the