He found the isolated cove and, after carefully checking where he was, dropped the anchor.
Evelyn had gone downstairs and changed into a sinful, skimpy red bikini he couldn’t wait to get her out of. They climbed out of the boat and waded to shore, tossing their bags on the beach.
“Feel like snorkeling?”
“I’d love to.”
He grabbed the gear out of his bag and they hit the water.
Normally when he came to town for this break in his schedule, he’d bring the boat out, kick back, and do some fishing, or just idle and clear his head. If there was an available woman, he might drag her along, but usually he preferred the time alone to rest and regroup.
As they swam along the surface of the cove, Evelyn grasped his hand and drew him to look at something several times, whether it was one of the many colorful fish that inhabited this area, or the coral that lived around the cove. He could tell from the wide smile on her face and the way she excitedly tugged him along that she was pleased.
When they came back to shore, she threw her arms around him.
“It’s beautiful down there, Gray. Thank you.”
He slipped an arm around her wet body and drew her against him. “You’re welcome. It’s one of my favorite spots.”
She grabbed towels and set them down to sit on, then grabbed his hands and he sat next to her.
“I can see why. The colors of the coral are amazing. Did you know coral are an endangered species? Overfishing and environmental pollution of our waters have had a severe detrimental effect on more than sixty percent of the world’s coral reefs. This could be disastrous to our entire ecosystem.”
He cocked a brow. “Something you’re passionate about, obviously?”
“Yes. I’ve told you I love the beach and the water, and I wasn’t kidding. I’ve lobbied for laws to be passed to limit overfishing and to post sanctions on those companies that leave behind nets and equipment that can harm the coral.”
He swept his hand over her hair. “Maybe it’s something you can talk to my father about sponsoring.” He wanted to laugh at that thought, but he could see she was serious about it and didn’t want to puncture her balloon of hope.
She cocked her head to the side. “Gray, your father chairs a committee on environmental pollution. It’s one of his primary causes.”
“Seriously.”
“Yes. He and I have lobbied hard for legislation to protect coral reefs, as well as other key environmental legislation. He’s written groundbreaking papers on the effects of global warming, overfishing, and the pollution of our waters. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”
He didn’t know that, and it didn’t sound at all like something his father would be the slightest bit interested in. “Mitchell Preston cares about the environment? Since when?”
She sighed. “I told you. He’s changed. Maybe you should check out the other issues he’s passionate about.”
Gray still found it hard to believe his father cared about anything other than what would serve his interests or line his pockets. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“Anyway, this area here is a slice of paradise.”
“It’s also a protected area. Fishing isn’t allowed, nor is recreation.”
“Really? To protect the coral?”
“Yes.”
She looked around. “So . . . we shouldn’t be here, either.”
“It’s all right. I’m the one who worked to get new coral planted in this area. It had been damaged by those very things you talked about—fishing and environmental pollution.”
“You put money into restoration of this area.”
“Not by myself. Me and a group of investors.”
She reached for his hands. “Maybe you and your father share more common interests than you’re aware of.”
He looked out over the water.
“Several years ago, I came out here to do some snorkeling. It had been a while since I’d been here, and I hated what I saw when I went down.”
She squeezed his hand. “Bleaching of the coral?”
“Yeah. This was a heavy fishing area, and over-recreated. They were destroying the coral and the aquatic life that depended on it. I vowed then to do something to change it. So along with several friends with big bank accounts, we arranged for transplantation of healthy coral, and lobbied and won the rights to secure this area from fishing and recreation.”
“You did a good thing.”
He smiled. “I feel like I own a part of this area now.” He turned to her. “Not as my personal playground, but because I had the right to give it back to the sea life and to the coral. That’s who it really belongs to.”
She climbed onto his lap and framed his face with her hands. “You continually surprise me, Gray Preston.”
He clutched her hips. “Yeah? In what way?”
“As soon as I think I know who you are, you surprise the living daylights out of me. Here I think you’re some rich guy whose job it is to burn thousands of gallons of fossil fuels a year, and it turns out you’re a closet environmentalist.”