Heart on a Chain (21 page)

After a few minutes, he lessens the strength of his embrace, but doesn’t relinquish his hold on me. The water is once again swirling about our ankles, and I look down, surprised.

“
It doesn’t feel cold anymore.”

“
Yeah, it just takes a few minutes for your body to get used to it.” He’s scrutinizing my expression, then he grins mischievously.

“
Wanna go in?” he asks.

My own eyes widen in astonishment.

“
Now?”

“
Now,” he confirms.

“
But…we’re dressed.”

“
So?” he shrugs.

“
What about my arm?” I lift it, indicating the broken wrist which Dr. Jamison has removed the cast from, replacing it with a splint, which I can remove to shower, but not for any length of time—and probably not to play in the ocean.

“
When we get back, we’ll take it off and I’ll dry it for you.”

I look at the water, then back at him with a smile.

“
Okay.”

He seems slightly surprised at my answer, but doesn’t comment on it, just turns, keeping his arm around my shoulder as we walk to the point where the water has receded to.

At the first wave I draw my breath in with the cold that comes up to my knees with the wave, and nearly fall over when the water begins to withdraw again, sand drawing back against my ankles and trying to suck my feet in. It’s powerful! Henry keeps a firm hold, laughing with me.

We keep walking in until we’ve passed where the waves are breaking, Henry now holding my hand and showing me how to jump as the waves come, jumping over
the crest
so that it doesn’t push us back into shore. Then we’re in water up to my chest, jumping as the waves roll over us. Henry turns, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, Henry lifting me weightlessly in the water to hold me tight against him, keeping my head level with his.

He kisses me again and I taste the salt and cold on his lips. I laugh as a big wave comes unheeded and pours over our heads, knocking us off our feet and separating us. Henry grabs my hand quickly as he regains his footing, pulling me back to him, smiling.

“
I’m glad you came,” he says.

“
Me, too,” I smile at him.

“
I love you,” he says. I stare at him, stunned. Before I can begin to fully process his words, another wave washes over our heads, pulling us apart. This time, Henry manages to keep hold of my hand.

“
Wanna try something fun?” he asks.

“
Sure,” I say hesitantly, my mind still whirling from his words, wondering now if I heard him correctly. When I had dared dream of it, I had imagined that any proclamation of love between us would come with…I don’t know, candles and violins, I guess—not thrown out casually in the ocean. I
had
to have heard him wrong.

“
When the next big wave comes, lift up your feet and let it take you into shore.”

I lift my eyebrows doubtfully, and he laughs at me.

“
It’ll be fun, I promise. I won’t let you go,” his words have a serious undertone, and I cock my head slightly. He turns to look toward the waves, and I follow his gaze.

“
Not this one,” he pronounces. “It needs to be just right.”

“
And how do you decide which one is ‘just right’?” I ask, looking at his profile.

“
You just know,” he says, turning his dark gaze back on me, underlying meaning in his words again, a meaning I think I understand but am afraid to hope is true. He looks back at the ocean, then grins at me.

“
This one,” he says. I look and see a wave larger than the others rolling toward us. I glance back at him, and he must see the panic on my face because he leans close, planting a salty kiss on my lips.

“
Trust me,” he urges lowly.

I nod.

We turn to face the shore.

“
When I say so, give a jump and let the water pick you up. Keep your feet up.”

I swallow loudly, gripping his hands beneath the water. The water begins to get deeper as the wave rolls in.

“
Now!” he yells, and I jump. The water catches us and propels us to the top crest of the wave, shooting us inexorably forward.

This
feels like flying in the water, I think, laughing and getting a mouthful of sea. Henry is further ahead than me, but still he holds my hand. The wave launches us into the shore, our knees scraping along the bottom. Almost immediately it starts pulling us back out, and I feel a moments panic at the power of the pull. Henry has gained his feet and turns to grab my other arm above the splint, hauling me clumsily up.

“
That was fun!” I exclaim, the words out before I realize how childish they sound. Henry only laughs, kissing me quickly. I shiver, and he pulls me against him. His skin is cold, but I can still feel the heat of his “internal furnace” beneath the surface.

“
Gets a little cold when you’re out of the water, huh?” he asks.
That’s not exactly why I shivered,
I think, but then my body breaks out in goose bumps, belying any protest I might make.

“
Let’s get back and get changed and help unpack.”

I look back longingly at the water, and he smiles.

“
We’ll have plenty of time for body surfing,” he tells me. “It’s less constricting and not so cold when you get out if you’re in a swim suit anyway.”

We walk back up the beach, quite a ways further down the beach than when we had entered the water. The beach house has a shower cabana behind it. There are two towels and two thick terry bathrobes waiting on the bench inside.

“
My mom,” Henry smiles. “She probably knew I wouldn’t be able to resist getting in. Go ahead and shower and put the robe on, then you can go inside and get dressed.”

I walk in, closing the door behind me. It’s a little strange, showering here. It feels like I’m outside even though it’s an enclosed structure, and I feel vulnerable once I have my clothes off. I can’t believe how much wet sand there is inside my clothes and still stuck to my body.

I shower quickly, washing the sand out of my hair, amazed at the amount of sand that washes off me and swirls down the drain. I wrap up in the robe that’s luxurious and soft.

I open the door shyly, feeling exposed again, even though the robe covers me from neck to mid-calf, and to my fingertips.

Henry turns toward me, eyes sweeping over me, an intensity lighting his eyes as they return to mine.

“
Kate, just leave your clothes in that sink,” Emma calls from the back door. Henry and I both start at the sound of her voice, Henry’s face oddly flushed with guilt. I look at Emma to see she’s pointing toward a sink that hangs from the side of the cabana. I drop them in, a little embarrassed to be putting my underclothes in there.

“
Later we’ll come back out and rinse the sea water out of them,” Henry explains. He looks at me for a moment longer, then turns and goes into the cabana himself with a muttered, “Man, I need a shower—a cold one, I think.”

What an odd thing to say
, I think, as I follow Emma into the house.

“
You are sharing a room with Claire and Amy, if that’s okay,” Emma tells me. Like I have grounds to complain if I don’t like it, but I wouldn’t have complained anyway. I’m pretty fond of the two of them.

“
That’s great. And thanks, Emma, for bringing me.”

She turns and hugs me. This time it isn’t so surprising or unexpected, and I manage to hug her back before she lets go.

“
You’re welcome, sweetie. I’m really happy you were able to come.” She releases me. “Did you like the ocean?”

I laugh.

“
Yeah, it was amazing. Henry taught me to body surf. I hope it’s okay we got our clothes wet.”

She smiles indulgently.

“
That’s what washers and dryers were made for.”

I think of my own mother, at what her reaction would be in the same circumstances and shudder. Oh well, I don’t have to worry about that or her for two glorious weeks. I smile in pleasure at the thought as I enter my designated shared room, where I’m received with great joy by Henry’s sisters, as if I’ve been gone a week, rather than half an hour.

Oh yeah,
I reflect,
it’s going to be a great Christmas!

Chapter Fifteen

The next day,
we go to visit the infamous Grandpa Henry. He and his wife, Grandma June live in a forest, which surprises me, because I didn’t think there were any forests in Florida. They live in a small cabin on the edge of a river. Grandpa Henry doesn’t look much like Henry and his father, except for his eyes, which are almost exactly the same as Henry’s.

Grandpa Henry and Grandma June spend some time hugging and kissing the family members while I stand back and watch. Grandpa Henry pulls some large silver coins out of his pocket and gives one to each of the kids, Henry included. Then he sees me standing there. He walks over with a big smile.

“
You must be Kate. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He hugs me, something that no longer surprises me coming from anyone in this family. He slips a coin into my hand also. Grandma June hugs me, then Grandpa Henry tucks my hand into his arm.

“
Let’s walk,” he says.

“
Henry, let the child alone. She hardly knows you,” Grandma June chides.

“
I just want to walk with her, get to know her a little,” he says, steering me toward the back door.

“
I don’t mind,” I say to my Henry, who’s watching with clear intent to interfere if I want him to.

“
June, honey, why don’t you get the kids something to eat while Kate and I talk?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer, just takes me out the back door, closing it firmly behind himself, a clear indication that we aren’t to be followed. He leads me down the steps and onto a path that leads along the river.

“
So, you’re my Henry’s girlfriend, eh?” he asks, grinning mischievously.

I shrug, “I guess so.”

“
You guess so? Don’t you know?”

“
There hasn’t really been anything…” I search for a word, “
formal
declared by either of us.” Even as I say it I remember Henry’s words the day before as we played in the ocean.
I love you.
At least, that’s what I thought I had heard.

“
Huh,” he’s lost in thought. “Odd,” he finally declares.

“
What’s odd?”

“
I talk to Henry several times a week,” he tells me, something I hadn’t known. “And all that boy talks about is you. I think I can say with certainty that that boy is head over heels with you.” I duck my head, embarrassed but also extremely pleased at his words.

“
Well,” I mumble, “the feeling is entirely mutual.”

Grandpa Henry laughs, directing me over to a bench that sits facing the river.

“
Let’s sit here a bit.”

“
It is really beautiful here,” I tell him, admiring the lush green pine trees that are thick and deep around us. The clear water gushes by.

“
It is, isn’t it? June and I have lived here, oh, I guess it would be about ten years now, and we plan to die here.”