Page 73 of As a Last Resort
I looked at him and we burst out laughing.
24
AUSTIN
She didn’t remember a single thing from last night after we left the bar.I wasn’t going to tell her I carried her all the way home—or that she caught a second wind the moment she stepped into my kitchen and raided my pantry of every carb I had.Or that as much as I wanted to climb into bed with her, I slept on the couch but got up every hour just to make sure she was still there, sleeping soundly wrapped up in my sheets.
It was Saturday.It was one of the busiest days for the boat, but I didn’t want her to leave just yet.I texted Patrick and asked if he could handle the runs across the water for half the day with our normal crew.It was a well-oiled machine, and he’d been asking to give his cousin a shot at helping run the boat.I figured today was as good as any.Once I confirmed I wasnotin the hospital and that I, in fact, hadnotlost my mind, he enthusiastically agreed.
“I want to take you somewhere,” I told her after she was finished with breakfast.
“I don’t think I’m in the best shape to be going anywhere.”She put her forehead on the counter again, but was starting to get a little color back.
“Trust me.The fresh air will be good for you.”
“Fresh air sounds miserable.And I don’t have the right shoes.”
“I’m going to run you by the bungalow to get some clothes on the way.”
She looked up at me.Her ponytail had started to shift over to the side of her head and pieces were loose around her face.Her mascara had run a bit under her eyes.She looked perfect.“Do I have a choice?”
“You don’t.”I lifted her off the stool.
After a bit of a touch-and-go boat ride, we pulled up onto Birchwood Beach.She looked around completely mesmerized, like I knew she would.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life.How did I not know this was here?”
“It’s still a bit of an unknown treasure.And it only shows up at low tide,” I answered.
I watched her walk down the beach and up to one of the mammoth driftwood branches that towered above her head.The trunk was on its side and still stood taller than her.She ran her hand down the length of the old gnarly wood, tracing the cracks and breaks along the trunk.Warped branches jetted out like they were desperately trying to reach something but time froze them in their effort.
“If you come during high tide, the water covers all of the branches completely so you’d never know they were here.”
“So you could boat over all this and never know these were underwater, just sitting there?”she asked.
“Yep.There are a few tiny branches that stick up, but not enough that would make you look twice.Most are below the surface.”
“They’re so sad looking.But they’re beautiful.”
There wasn’t a soul in sight.The only sound was the waves rolling onto the beach.The trunks and stumps littered the shore.You couldn’t walk more than ten feet without running into a skeleton of one that rivaled the size of the last.
“I feel like I’m walking through a graveyard.”Her words came out small and hushed.
“This whole beach used to be a forest that protected the island, but with time, the water and storms eroded the whole thing, leaving all these driftwood husks behind.”
“How far do they go?”
“They line the shore for about a mile down the beach.”
She climbed up one that dwarfed her small frame and sat on top.“Can you take a picture of me?”
Something unfamiliar bloomed in my chest as she smiled at me, hanging off the branch like a kid.
I took out my phone to take a picture and saw a text from Lexi.She said to call her when I had a sec.It was about Sam.I’m sure she wanted a complete download on the morning shenanigans, which she wasn’t going to get just yet.
“I can’t stay up here all day you know!”
“Hold your horses.”I snapped the picture and she jumped down.I led her to an open patch in the middle of the beach forest.She was going to start getting queasy if she didn’t keep her stomach full.I laid out a blanket I brought and pulled out cheddar and apple grilled cheese sandwiches from the Corner Shop.
