𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 - JJ Maybank

Chapter 94: The Bends 2 Electric Boogaloo

After the trio made their way back to Poguelandia and reunited with the rest of the group, JJ was only slightly out of his slump.

In order to distract himself from his lost baby, he decided to keep his hands busy tinkering with his other baby: the HMS.

Grace stared out at her husband from her spot in the charter shop, brain working overtime.

Her thought process looked something like this:

I'm going to do it. 

No that's stupid, I can't do it, I might freak out and screw it up.

But... I do love him.

Do I love him that much?

Maybe... I mean yes! of course I do. Jeez.

Deciding that she was most definitely overthinking, Grace forced her converse clad feet to make their way down the rickety dock.

JJ looked up shot her a smile as she climbed into the boat before returning to his tinkering.

Letting out a deep breath, Grace plopped down on the driver's seat. "So... I wanted to run something by you," she began.

"What's up?" JJ placed down his wrench to give her his full attention.

"What do you think about me... diving with you?" she asked slowly.

JJ laughed but when Grace continued staring at him expectantly, his face grew serious. "I think that's a terrible idea," he said bluntly with a tone of finality.

"It's dangerous. I don't think you should go alone," Grace argued. JJ thinking it was a terrible idea made her all the more confident that it was a good idea. Him not wanting her to join meant one thing: it was risky. And if it was risky, she wasn't letting him do it alone.

"It's 80 feet down in the dark. And moving through structures. Even for experts, it's a hairball situation," he explained with his brows raised.

"Yes... I know..." she replied, "But! You're not an expert. And sure, I'm not either but I dove once with Ward when I was like... a child. That counts for something."

JJ sighed heavily. "Gracie... you have nightmares about one of us drowning like, almost every night."

She narrowed her eyes. "You can't use that against me."

JJ raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not, I'm not. All I'm saying is that I don't think this is gonna help with that."

"What won't help is having to sit on a boat for god knows how long while you're 80 feet down, underwater, and completely out of sight!" Grace exclaimed.

JJ sighed once more, examining her determined expression for a moment. "You've decided?"

Grace nodded firmly once.

"Okay. That's that."

___________

JJ, John B, Pope, and Grace zipped through the marsh while Cleo, Sarah, and Kiara headed for the lighthouse. The atmosphere on The Snapper was... grim.

Grace had her head rested on JJ's chest while he had his arms slung around her waist. The entire trip so far had been dead silent.

Grace stared up at JJ, face pale and full of concern.

"Yo, guys, lighten up. Okay? All right? You're making me nervous," JJ said after catching his wife's gaze.

"We're gonna slide down there, take a peek. Worst that can happen, it's not there, old fart's disappointed, we go home. Pogues win. Okay? That's the worst," he rambled, tightening his grip around Grace.