NANCY DREW AND THE SECRET OF MERMAID COVE

Chapter Ten

Once they were in the dressing rooms Bess confessed, "Nancy I do not think I can do this."

"Bess, have some faith in yourself."

"What if I mess up? I will feel like such a fool in front of Chase and die of embarrassment." Bess whined.

"You normally have every guy around drooling over you. Believe me, you will be OK." Nancy urged.

"I do not know what is wrong with me. Nancy, you never get this way over a guy. "

"I have felt the same way you do about Chase. When I first meet Frank Hardy, I was so shy that I could not even speak." Nancy said before heading back outside in her wet suit. She found Chase sitting the driver of a gray jeep. He turned on the radio as she walked up to get inside. A few minutes later out Bess walked out and the three were on their way.

"So where are we headed?" Bess asked.

"A little place the locals like to call Mermaid Cove. There are all sorts of interesting fish that live in that area." Chase explained.

"Sounds like fun I cannot wait!" Nancy replied.

The three teens enjoyed listening to the surfer music that was playing on the radio as they traveled. Nancy pulled out her camera and tried to take some pictures. She had no idea how they would turn out since the camera was made for underwater photography but it was worth a try.

"Look you can see all the small boats out on the water," Bess said as she pointed to show the way.

"Those are small shrimping boats," Chase explained as he slowed down to take a tight curve. This road proved to be bumpy causing girls had to tighten their seat belts.

"Oh dear God please do not let me get car sick," Nancy said as she began to turn a shade of green.

Chase brought the jeep to a smooth stop near a small pier. He got the gear out and led the way to a black speedboat named the Storm. Once on the boat, Chase drove around a while to let the girls have a little fun and cool off from the long car drive.

They to a secluded diving spot not far from shore where the waves were gentle. "Right here the water is shallow. I brought you here to see how well you do before taking you out any deeper."

He eyed the girls, "There is a short-range radio made into the system if you need any help." Chase carefully checked their setup for any hazards. "Now have either of you girls dived before?" Chase asked as the ocean breeze blew gently through his golden hair almost making Bess swoon.

"I have once before in Hawaii but this is the first time for Bess," Nancy replied.

"Now remember if your regulator comes out underwater grab it with your right hand and it place back to your mouth while exhaling," he explained while miming the actions. "On most dives, you will not have any form of radio communication so learning the hand signals will be very helpful in the future. Just make an ok sign when everything is alright. If something is wrong to stick your hand out and wiggle it from side to side. Thumbs up means "let's surface" or thumbs down to "signal to dive down deeper." He turned to Nancy and motioned for her to get into the water. She did so by falling backward off the side of the boat.

Bess reached out and tapped Chase on the shoulder, "Is there another way to get into the water?" She bit her lip awaiting an answer.

He looked surprised, "You will do just fine if you give it a try, doll."

Bess stared at Chase. Was he even being serious?

Chase was silent for a moment until a sheepish smile appeared on his face. Before Bess could react, he quickly pushed her off the boat.

Once Bess resurfaced, she asked, "Why in the world did you do that?"

Chase just ignored her and got into the water as well.

"Bess you have to admit that was kind of fun," Nancy joked.

In response, Bess just pouted and looked away.

Chase dived under the water with the girls following suit. He swam beside them to show how to use the flippers effectively. It took Bess a while to adjust to being underwater but was soon doing well for a newbie.

"You are privileged to be able to experience this first hand. Most people will only glace this world in photos or on their television, however, is no substitute for seeing this first hand." Chase explained over the radio.

Nancy enjoyed studying the different kinds of starfish along the coves sandy floor as Bess practiced doing underwater somersaults and spinning turns. Nancy could not resist pulling out the camera to take some pictures of Bess. Otherwise, no one back home would ever believe Bess was brave enough to do this. 

Authors note*

Bess is my favorite character to write. It is very fun write her more dramatic and comedic scenes. That is the real reason why she got to go on the trip and George was left behind in River Heights.