After giving Sam the address of his rented villa and finalizing their employment agreement, Hunter Sun politely took his leave.
Sam finished her shift, met up with her colleagues, and then immediately went to her supervisor to request a week off.
The Atlantis Resort was foreign-owned, but its thousands of employees were locals. In island communities like this, everyone was connected by a web of family and friendship. Sam was no exception, and she easily secured her leave.
Thinking about the easy money she was about to make, her mood lifted. She hopped on her bicycle and pedaled home.
"Woof! Woof!"
As she pulled up to their small, run-down trailer, a large, scruffy dog bounded toward her.
Sam wrinkled her nose as a pungent, spicy smell wafted from the kitchen. It was chili—Jared's signature dish. He only made it on two occasions: when he was extremely happy, or when he was extremely upset.
Recall the rumors she had heard at the water park earlier—about Jared getting into a fight with his boss at the dive shop—Sam sighed.
It must be the bad kind of chili today.
She shook her head. She and Jared had grown up together. They were childhood sweethearts. She knew him better than anyone.
Jared had a brain hardwired for adventure and get-rich-quick schemes, but he lacked the patience and pragmatism to make them work. Even though he was a better diver than her—he had taught her everything she knew—he couldn't hold down a job. His explosive temper meant he was constantly clashing with bosses, colleagues, and even tourists.
Inevitably, he would get fired, and Sam would have to support them both.
And every time that happened, his unrealistic dreams of finding pirate treasure would resurface. He would obsess over it, pouring all his energy into a hunt that went nowhere, until reality forced him to find another job.
It was a vicious cycle.
"Why can't he just settle down and work?" Sam thought, frustration bubbling up.
She was only twenty-one, but life had forced her to grow up fast. After her parents died at sea, she had dropped out of high school to survive. She valued stability and family more than anything because she had lost hers so young.
Jared's background was similar. Seven years older than her, his mother had run off with an American tourist when he was a baby, and his father had died when Jared was twenty. They were two orphans clinging to each other in a harsh world.
They had officially started dating last year after Jared's previous girlfriend dumped him.
But lately, Sam's patience was wearing thin. Jared treated her well, but his refusal to face reality was exhausting.
Sam was a Bahamian native. She grew up on stories of pirate gold buried in these waters. But those were just stories. Every year, professional treasure hunters with millions of dollars in equipment came here and left empty-handed.
What chance did Jared have with a rusted boat and a metal detector?
She had tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen.
Slowly, her disappointment had hardened into resolve. She had quietly decided that she would not start a family with him until he changed. She refused to bring a child into this poverty.
Clang. Bang.
Loud metallic noises came from the yard.
Sam looked over to see Jared shirtless, banging away at the engine of his old boat.
The boat was a relic left by his father, purchased decades ago. Since his father's death, it had fallen into disrepair, more rust than vessel.
"Hey, babe!" Jared called out, wiping grease from his hands.
He had indeed been fired today. His boss had docked his pay for a lost weight belt—a minor infraction—but Jared had exploded and shoved the man into the harbor.
Now, blacklisted by yet another dive shop and mocked by the local guys who were jealous of his relationship with Sam, Jared had retreated to his safe space: the dream.
He was going to fix the boat. He was going to find the treasure. And he was going to show everyone—especially those who looked down on him—that he was somebody.
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