He’d probably gotten distracted in the house, or Anders had let him play on his iPad.
Sanna ran upstairs to the storage for more bags to fill with apples. When she came back down, Isaac’s face was pale.
“I can’t find him. He’s not in the house or out here. And I found this.”
He handed her the notebook she had given to Bass when they’d first arrived—opened.
Miss Lund told me about this awesome place where she and her brother used to jump into the bay. There was a huge cliff of rocks and you could jump right into the water, like flying. She said she’d take me sometime because you needed to be big enough to do it and she wanted to make sure I was a strong swimmer. I am.
“I told him just this morning he was too little to help with the cash register, remember? I have a feeling he’s gone there to prove he’s big enough.”
“But this was from weeks ago,” Sanna said.
“And he’s trying to prove something. How many times have I told him he’s too young? And he’s still mad at me.”
He paced outside the barn. If he went to the swim spot, he could be in real danger.
“Let’s get in the truck,” Sanna said. “This spot isn’t far, but we’ll get there faster by driving.” She paced to where Elliot was parked under the large oak tree near the house.
“I can go,” Isaac said. “You need to watch the stand.”
Sanna glared at him and continued to walk.
“Don’t be absurd. I love that boy, too, and I know exactly where we need to go. You’ll get there faster with me. Now, get in the truck.”
As he climbed in, she snatched the dragon keychain from the open ashtray, inserted the key, then gave Elliot a little rub—praying he would start. He leaped to life and they bumped out of the gravel parking lot onto the road in front of the orchard. Isaac held on to the door handle to keep from shaking like a bobblehead doll in an earthquake, as the truck hit every pothole and crack on the road.
“Tell me more about this place.”
“My brother and I used to go there when we were teens. It’s a cliff about ten feet high and you can jump into the bay. You have to know where the rocks are under the surface, but once you do, it’s pretty safe.”
“You told Bass you’d take him there?”
“Supervised. I wasn’t going to do it without your permission. I made it very clear you needed to be old enough.”
“Which is why he went there. Oh God, he’s going to hit a rock, and he’s only used to swimming in pools, not open water.”
“We’ll get there in time. He’ll be fine.” She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. Seeing Isaac shaken when he’d always been strong and calm disconcerted her. Maybe he wouldn’t notice the sky, where a line of dark clouds pushed toward them like an alien invasion in a science fiction movie.
“How did he even know how to find it?”
“There’s a trail from the corner of the property that leads there. You just need to follow it.” Sanna thought back to the day they ate Oreos and caught fireflies. “I was remembering what it was like with my brother, how we’d run through the orchard after we’d finished our work.”
“How could you be so shortsighted? You can’t tell a ten-year-old boy about something cool and dangerous and expect him not to do it.”
“Don’t yell at me. I’m not the one who lied to my child and still hasn’t apologized properly to him. You need to make that right sooner rather than later.” She squeezed his hand, pouring as much comfort into it as she could, and being calmed in return by the contact. If something happened to Bass, she’d never forgive herself. “And I’m sorry for telling him about the swim spot.”
They stopped the truck at the end of the road. They’d have to go the rest of the way on foot. They both set off at a run, Sanna leading the way, letting stray branches whip their faces before they burst into the small clearing at the end of the trail. Above them, gulls rode the wind like a carnival ride, swooping and dipping on the invisible roller coaster from the approaching storm. Foamy whitecaps tipped the waves like strips of lace, playing a game of hide-and-seek as they came and went with the choppy surf. Sanna couldn’t tell the difference between the roar of the waves on the rocks below and the wind in the nearby trees. Lightning tore across the sky like a strobe light. Scanning the water, she spotted Bass’s head bobbing, then dipping below the waves. She knew from experience how brutal those waves could be on a calm day. It wouldn’t take long before he smashed into the bottom of the cliff.
“Where is he?” Isaac said.
Sanna had already kicked off her shoes and pulled down her jeans, tearing off her flannel shirt as she walked to the edge, leaving her in just her white T-shirt and underwear. Memory served her well as she jumped off the edge, knowing where the gap between the large underwater boulders made diving in safe. The water was deep enough that even she didn’t touch bottom when plunging down, so she used her long legs to slow her descent into the water and break the surface in a few quick upward strokes. Though it was still summer, the water had a bracing chill, especially with the vicious storm churning up the water from colder parts of the bay toward the cliffs. She spotted Bass’s head dip beneath the waves and swam to the spot, looping a long arm under his armpits and pulling his body to her. Large drops started to pock the surface of the already rough water as a larger wave went over both their heads. Sanna gulped for air and checked to make sure he was still conscious. His brown eyes were wide, then slammed shut as he coughed up water.
She turned her body so the waves would break over the back of her head.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe. If you can wrap your arms around my neck, that’ll make it easier for me to get us to shore. Can you do that?”
Bass nodded his head and used his arms to pull himself tight. He winced when his legs bumped against her.