She smiled. “I think Jesse is relieved all the fuss is over, and I have to admit I feel the same. Now we’re just an old married couple.” She patted her stomach. “And baby makes three.”
Bane grinned. “I’m going to spoil that kid rotten. You look great.”
Kaia sipped her soda. “I feel good too, other than the morning sickness. So what do you have planned for Nani? I can only stay for the weekend, then I need to get back home, but Nani can stay as long as you need her. I have to write up a massive report on the progress with Nani to apply for some new funding.”
“We’re looking for a Spanish galleon down here. We’ve found some artifacts. Twenty feet or so from the site where we found the cannonballs, the ocean floor drops off. I was hoping Nani could go down with a camera and see what’s there. We’ve got a minisub we can take down too, but Nani can maneuver into smaller places.”
“I’m sure she’ll love the work.”
“There’s something else. There have been some earthquakes in the area. Part of the shelf we’re examining went over the edge. I hope we have time to get it all out.”
“You should call Annie and ask about activity.”
Annie was Mano’s fiancée. A top-notch volcanologist, she worked at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. “Great idea. I’ll call her now.” He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and found her stored number. No signal. He walked to the deck and tried again, finally getting a signal, though it was weak. “Annie, it’s Bane.” The signal was still poor, so he stepped a few feet to the port. Kaia followed him.
Annie’s soft voice was full of welcome. “Hey, Bane. Mano and I were just talking about you.”
“Mano is there? Tell him I’m on Moloka’i and could use some dive help. He’s still looking for a job, and I’ve got one for him.”
“Moloka’i?” Her tone turned sharp. “We’ve been having some earthquake swarms off the north shore.”
“That’s why I’m calling. I found a crack right where I’m working, and the last quake sheared off some of the seabed into the deep. How serious is it?”
“No way of knowing for sure, but the quakes have been increasing in frequency and strength. We’re scrambling to get some scientists out there to check it out. We may have another seamount developing like Lo’ihi. In fact, I was planning on coming there myself. I think I can talk Mano into coming.”
“Kaia is here too. We’ll make it a family affair. Let me know when you’re arriving, and we’ll pick you up.” He clicked his phone off and dropped it back into his pocket. “They’re both coming.” He told his sister what Annie had said. “We’re going to have to watch that fissure. If it starts spewing lava, we’re in trouble.”
“I wish I could dive with you.” She chewed on her lip. “Diving isn’t recommended while pregnant.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got a good crew.” He turned at the sound of a motor craft and shaded his eyes with his hand. “Here comes Leia now.” He tried to keep the pleasure from his voice, but he saw his sister’s smile as she followed him to the rail.
Leia handed a backpack up to him. Kaia met her on deck, and the two hugged. “You look great,” Leia said.
“I feel great. A little morning sickness, that’s all. Got any concoctions to help with that?”
“I sure do. I’ll bring it to you.”
He listened to them chatter before deciding he needed to interrupt and get to work. “Hey, we’re not finding the galleon up here. You ready to suit up?”
“I’ll swim while you dive,” Kaia said. She grabbed her satchel. “I’ll change into my swimsuit in the head.”
Leia had a pair of drawstring shorts over her one-piece swimsuit. She shucked the shorts and pulled her leopard wet suit out of her bag, then began to tug it onto her slim figure. Bane turned away to get into his own gear. She’d run from him last night—but she’d also kissed him back. Did she still find him attractive, or was that special something between them only on his part? He couldn’t decide, but he wasn’t giving up without a fight.
Diving a few feet down the sea cliffs, Kaia looked like a mer-maid with her long hair flowing out behind her. Kaia smiled at her from behind her mask, and Leia smiled back. Maybe having Kaia here would help ease the strain between her and Bane. Ajax had on his miniature diving gear, and he would stay close to Kaia.