"Watch the riptide." I leaned back on my elbows to watch.
Shay stepped gingerly through the frothy white water lapping over the wet sand at the water's edge. Her laugh bounced up toward me as she kicked at the water, spraying the seagulls she had just fed. Something told me I was going to throw myself headlong into work just to keep my mind off the girl in the water once she left. In that sense, the plan was a success.
Shay waded out farther.
I sat up and cupped my hands to trumpet my voice. "There's a sand bar just a few feet out from there. Be careful."
Shay swung around, trying to catch what I was saying. As she did, a higher than usual wave knocked her down. Another followed close on its tail. Shay disappeared beneath the surface.
There was only fifty feet of sand between me and the water, but it felt like fifty miles. My heart raced so fast it seemed stuck in one long beat. My feet were plowing through the sand like tractor tires, but each step felt weighted down. I reached the water's edge and stomped into the shallow tide.
I searched the water looking for her blonde hair or the blue shirt she was wearing or signs of someone struggling to surface. "Shay! Fuck. Fuck. Shay!"
I dove under and swam in the direction the tide was pulling. The water near the shore was just turbulent enough to screw with underwater visibility.
I popped my head up and yelled her name with my first breath. There was no answer, no sign of her. Adrenaline tensed every muscle in my body as I swam through the waves, salt water slapping me hard in my face as I searched frantically around for her. The tide was pulling hard to the left, which meant anything floating in the water would move that direction too. I swam underwater, my eyes staying wide open in the stinging salt water as my head moved side to side searching the darkness.
And then a flash of light. Hair. It was Shay's silvery white hair picking up the sunlight from above. She floated lifelessly, her limbs curled in different directions as her head bowed down toward the sea floor.
I shot through the water like a torpedo and finally took a much needed breath when I had her in my arms. I couldn't even remember the swim to shore.
As I carried Shay out of the water, I held her tightly against me and rubbed her back hard with my hand. "Come on, Shay. We're back on land. Talk to me, baby."
I lowered her limp body to the sand. Her eyes were closed and a trickle of sandy water streamed from her mouth. I turned her to the side and more water streamed out. Then I rolled her back over and squeezed her mouth. I lowered my mouth to hers. Before I could push one breath into her, a light cough puffed out of her mouth. I turned her quickly to her side. She coughed and sputtered the sandy water from her throat.
I rubbed her back. "That's it. You've got it. Breathe through your nose."
Slowly the coughing fit subsided. Shay rolled onto her back on her own. She stared up at me, slightly bewildered.
"Holy shit, I think I just aged ten years, Shay. You scared the hell out of me. How do you feel?" It struck me then that she had been unconscious and without oxygen. "Do you know my name?"
"You're David Nash Archer . . ." She reached up and rubbed her fingers along the stubble on my chin. "And you kissed me."
"Nah, that wasn't a kiss," I protested. "This is a kiss." I leaned down over her and pressed my mouth hard against hers.
29
I held Shay's hand tightly, deciding I was never going to let her go as we hurried back up to the house. She was wet and cold and slightly shaken, but not nearly as shaken as me.
I slid open the door and led her inside. I turned to her. "Fuck, you beautiful damn angel, I'm so glad you're standing here with me. You scared me to death." I grabbed her face between my hands and kissed her again. I ran my tongue across her bottom lip. "Hmm, you taste saltier than I imagined."
"Something tells me that's not the only part of me that's saltier than you imagined." She wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled my mouth back down to hers. My arms circled around her body, her wet clothes were cold and clammy to the touch. The slightest shiver went through her.
I could hardly part my mouth from hers. "I would love to think that I'm the cause of that tremor, but I think we need to get you into a hot shower."
"Yes, I suppose so. Or we could just . . ." Again, she threw her arms around my neck and this time her legs followed. Our mouths locked tightly together as I carried her down the hallway. I kicked the bedroom door open with my foot and carried her, still deep in a kiss, into the room.
I set her down on the edge of the bed. "We need to get you out of those wet clothes."
She yanked off the shirt and tossed it onto the floor. Her creamy skin was pink from the cold water. There were still smudges of sand on her face as she peered up at me through her wet bangs. She unfastened the button on her pants as she smiled up at me.