The Sweetest Summer(33)
“Here you go, big guy.”
Evelyn touched Clancy’s arm to stop him. As soon as she did it, she knew it was an incredibly stupid move. But there she was, with her hand on the short sleeve of Clancy’s uniform shirt, his body heat spreading into her palm. She’d only wanted to tell him they couldn’t accept the gift but her brain buzzed with remembered sensations, each one as fresh and sharp as if it had happened only moments ago. She saw the handsome boy’s smile flashing in the sun, heard the rumble of his laughter, watched how he ran effortlessly through the sand, and remembered that tentative touch of his lips against hers the first time they kissed. But most of all, she felt that long, tight hug he’d given her right on this very dock, just before she boarded the ferry. He’d grabbed her like he hadn’t wanted her to go.
Evelyn drew in a big breath, then pulled her hand away like she’d been burned.
Clancy looked equally stunned.
She had no idea how long they stood like that, just gazing at each other. Maybe a few seconds, maybe a couple minutes. But while it was happening, the world receded around them, sounds dampened, sights dulled. The only thing that existed was a rush of energy filling the space between them and swirling around them.
Evelyn forced herself to snap out of it. She tried to pinpoint what was wrong, because something was most definitely wrong.
Christina!
She spun around. The little girl was nowhere to be seen. Evelyn scanned the crowd, focused on a level about three and a half feet above the ground. She was desperate for a flash of the red pirate bandanna or the sword, or the sweet curve of a little sun-browned arm, or the Nikes with neon green laces.
“Oh, my God!”
Clancy was at her side.
“We’ll find him. It’s okay. He’s got to be close.”
Evelyn paid no attention to him, and began to run. But she was grateful for the reminder—she had been on the verge of calling out the name Christina, which only would have added to the disaster. She ran, pushing through people, spinning, weaving, and all the while her heart was exploding with self-loathing. How could she? How could she have been playing googly-eyes with that man while Christina ran off?
The mermaid. She probably ran after the mermaid.
“Oh, shit.”
Evelyn stopped at the sound of Clancy’s voice. She jerked her head to follow the direction of his gaze and saw her niece, balanced precariously on the middle railing at the edge of the dock. Both of them were already running toward her.
“Chris!” Evelyn screamed.
Christina didn’t hear her. She was busy waving her new sword over her head, shouting out warnings to some imaginary foe at sea. Her niece’s body stretched farther, her knees pushing against the middle rail while the rest of her tilted over the water.
“Chris!”
She tumbled over, just inches from Evelyn’s grasp.
“Stay.” Clancy had already removed his utility belt and dropped it to the deck. “I’ve got him.”
“No!” As Evelyn shrugged off her small daypack, Clancy balanced a hand on the top rail and pivoted his body into the water. She was right behind him. Evelyn hit the surface, shocked by the temperature, salt water stinging her open eyes, panic threatening to overwhelm her. She would not let it. She would find Christina.
She took a big gulp of air, diving down into the churning green sea, her eyes bulging, searching for any sign of Christina’s small body. At least her niece knew how to swim. She was a good swimmer for a four-year-old. Amanda and Evelyn had made sure of that, taking her out into the shallow part of the lake, right off the beach, before she’d even turned one. But Moose Lake wasn’t the Atlantic, and Evelyn began to choke with fear, still swimming, still digging through the water, deeper, but nothing . . . Her lungs burned with pain and pressure. She had no choice but to get more oxygen.