Lavender Beach (36 page)

“I guess it’ll have to be.”

It was well
after dark when Eastlyn U-turned the Bronco around for her fourth trip up and down the narrow stretch of pavement barely wide enough for one car. She’d detoured here once before the day she’d gone to the barn alone and made a wrong turn. But that had been in broad daylight, not the pitch-black darkness she found herself in now. With only her headlights to guide the way, she could only imagine how three young boys might feel getting lost out here, scared, and this far from home.

As remote and isolated as it was, she was beginning to think Brent had deliberately stuck her way out here on purpose, for less interaction with the townspeople.

“Is it possible three kids on foot could even walk this far?” she muttered to herself, not expecting an answer. She should’ve known better.

“Never underestimate the curiosity of small boys,” Scott said, looking out the window from the passenger seat. “They’re out here somewhere.”

Eastlyn rolled her eyes. “Could you narrow down ‘somewhere’ a little bit for me? This Bronco isn’t exactly fuel-efficient. If I don’t spot something soon, I’ll have to head back to town for gas. What would they find to do out here anyway?”

“Bobby wanted the other two to see the owl’s nest on the other side of this bluff. It got dark on them.” Scott pointed to the other side of the road. “There, up ahead. See, on the shoulder. They’re waving you down.”

Eastlyn hit the high beams and sure enough, she spotted three filthy little urchins walking along the dirt track. They looked bone-tired and fed up with adventure. At some point, each one had shed tears because they had white streaks on their faces. But they were safe and that was the important thing.

Eastlyn pulled up alongside, wishing she had a badge to show the kids to put them at ease. “Is anyone hurt?”

“Will you take us home?” Tommy groaned. “We’re hungry.”

“You bet. I have a cell phone. Want to call your dads?”

But Bobby gaped at her. “You’re the woman who talked to us at school about flying. She flies Black Hawk helicopters.”

Eastlyn couldn’t help it, she grinned. “That’s right. I used to. So you guys want to call your dads or what? Who’s first?” She held out the phone to Jonah because he looked like he needed to hear a friendly voice the most.

“My dad’s gonna be so mad at me,” Jonah mumbled. On the verge of tears, he hesitated to dial the number.

Tommy was in the same frame of mind. “You watch. Mine’s gonna ground me for the rest of the summer. I won’t get out of the house for months.”

Eastlyn looked at Bobby, who had yet to offer a dire look into his future. “Did you find the owl’s nest?”

They all started talking at once as they scurried into the backseat. They rattled on about birds and a ledge and how they almost fell off the side of the cliff.

“Okay, okay,” Eastlyn finally said. “The whole town is out looking for you guys. Your dads are worried sick. Trust me on this one point, they’ll be elated to hear from you.”

Jonah wanted clarification. “Does that mean they won’t be mad?”

“It means they’ll be so glad to see you they won’t lecture you until well after you eat when they put you to bed tonight.”

That seemed to satisfy them all the way around. 

She dug into the backpack she’d brought along and pulled out a bottle of water. She handed it off to Tommy. “Next time you guys decide to go exploring, make sure you bring supplies with you. And don’t crawl out onto a cliff.”

The boys took turns guzzling the water while Eastlyn picked up her radio to notify Brent. The whole time her passengers fought over who’d get to use the cell phone first.

Cooper had gone
door to door from one end of Ocean Street to the other. After coming up empty, he stood on the boardwalk doing what he could to calm Thane and Isabella, Archer and Greg.

Small talk hadn’t worked as he stood with them waiting for Search and Rescue to show up. So far, no chopper had appeared to search the water, or to fly along the coastline. The search dogs hadn’t even made it there yet. “It’s frustrating to wait this long for county help to get here.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Thane grumbled. “What’s taking them so damn long?”

Isabella latched onto Thane’s arm. “Brent said they’re dealing with another emergency. But they should be here by now.”

Cooper nodded. “It’s a shame Eastlyn’s just started work on the chopper. She was thinking about starting her own.”

“Her own what?” Isabella asked, a confused look on her face.

“Her own search and rescue outfit for just this kind of crisis situation.”

Thane cocked a brow. “How would she do that exactly?”

“Fixing up that old chopper rusting away out at Cleef’s. I thought everyone in town knew about her plans to get it ready to fly. She wants to get her pilot’s license back and start a rescue operation.”

“I knew she wanted to fly again,” Isabella noted. “But I had no idea her plans included something so vital to the community.”

As if inspiration hit them at the same time, Thane and Isabella exchanged looks.

“You tell her to come see us first thing Monday morning,” Thane said. “It’s ridiculous to have to wait this long for the county to respond when our kids go missing. You tell Eastlyn we’ll back whatever it is she needs to make it happen.”

Thane had no sooner spoken the words than his cell phone rang. The number that came up was Eastlyn’s. But Thane recognized the voice on the other end. “Jonah? Jonah, are you okay?

Cooper watched the man’s face break into a grin. 

“Eastlyn found the boys!” Thane shouted to Archer and Greg. His knees wanted to buckle in relief. “They’re okay. They’re fine. Thank God, they’re okay.”

Twenty-Four

E
astlyn slapped the piece of paper down on the counter inside Layne’s Trains and all but did a happy dance. “I just got notification I’m set to see the aviation doctor in Santa Cruz Friday. That’s four more days from now. Do you know what this means?”

“That you can’t party for the next ninety-six hours?” He came around his workspace and twirled her around.

“That, too. But it also means I’m getting closer to ShowTime with the FAA. My appointment is at nine a.m. I want you to go with me.”

“Absolutely.”

She threw her arms around his neck. “And just think what a good time celebrating we can have Friday night knowing I passed my physical.”

His lips quirked, a lazy smile formed. “We don’t have to abstain till Friday, do we?”

“Hardly. But I came in here for another reason. I’m planning to drag you to the meeting with Thane and Isabella. It seems like the right thing to do since the turn of events yesterday, and whatever you said to him prompted Thane to want to talk to me. I’m stoked at the prospect he might come through with the backing for my startup.”

“When’s the meeting? Where?”

“Thane said to stop by Longboard Pizza any time after the lunch crunch. You know what this means? If this becomes a reality, I’ll have to give up at least one of my jobs.”

He tossed out a laugh. “Thank God. I thought I’d have to hogtie you just to get to spend a few minutes of alone time.”

“Come on. It isn’t that bad. I don’t work double shifts or anything and I’m always at home with you at night.”

“So which one are you giving up? Landon will be disappointed if it’s the garden center, but he’ll understand.”

“Good, because I don’t think I can let go of the Lighthouse Project. It means too much to me since it was there that I first connected with so many people. Isabella’s been a good friend to me. And since the plowing’s done it means the job takes up the least amount of my time. All I do is make sure the volunteers show up to weed, make sure the irrigation system works, and keep the rabbits out of the lettuce.”

Cooper cackled out another laugh. “Well, if that’s all there is to it then no worries. Seriously, I think Landon gets that you aren’t meant to spend the rest of your life operating a forklift for him. When will you let him know your decision?”

“It might as well be this afternoon. I won’t leave him in the lurch, a two week notice should do it.”

Friday morning Eastlyn
was awake at four-thirty. It was still dark outside when she got out of bed leaving a still-sleeping Cooper curled into his pillow. She showered, got dressed and went into the kitchen to make coffee.

She was startled to see Scott sitting at her table.

“Don’t screw this up.”

The warning ticked her off a little. “How exactly do I screw up a physical? I’ve already completed my app online, answered all my medical history questions. And the last time I needed Band-Aids at Coastal Pharmacy, I sat down at one of those little self-checking blood pressure stations just to make sure it was normal. There’s not one reason I should be worried about this part of the process. I have excellent height to weight ratio. I’m not allergic to anything. I have excellent vision.”

“Who the hell are you out here talking to?” Cooper asked from the doorway, yawning, trying to wake up.

She turned to see an empty chair at the table. Letting out a deep sigh, she hit the button on the Mr. Coffee. “No one, no one at all, just muttering to myself. Good thing the physical doesn’t cover stuff like that.”