“Look at all the swimmers, Matty! This is delightful!”
The crowd on the beach was infuriating, and he weaved angrily around cheering people who clearly were not the least bit concerned about their loved ones who were in the Atlantic Ocean in January. He and Celeste finally got in front of the other onlookers, and he scanned the water, now full of barely dressed swimmers splashing around. “Where is she? Where is she? Do you see her?”
“There! I believe that is her.” Celeste pointed a bit to their right. “She is wearing a bikini. A very small one.”
It was Julie. He would know her anywhere. She ran through deep blue waves and then suddenly threw her whole body under water. Matt dropped the blanket and flew forward to the edge of the water. “Julie!” he called. He kept his eyes on her, but knelt down and started to untie his boots. He was going in after her.
“No, Matty. Let her do this.”
“Celeste, she’s going to drown.”
“No, she is not going to drown. She wants this experience. Give it to her.”
Julie burst through to the surface before diving under for a second time. She was crazy. Matt stood up and cupped his hands by his mouth and yelled out her name again.
Sleet was falling, and the sky was darkening as deep gray clouds took over the sky. He watched as she stood in waist-level water and slowly began to drop. The cold had gotten to her, he knew. She was going under now, and not by her own will.
When you are numb, you lose control, you lose reason, you lose care.
“Julie!” Matt screamed as loudly as he could. He began to unzip his coat.
Celeste grabbed his arm. “No, Matthew. It is all right. There is someone there.”
Matt shook with relief as an older, muscular man with a frizzy white ponytail lifted Julie into his arms just before she disappeared under the dark water. Matt and Celeste waved their arms at the man and he carried Julie their way. Celeste handed Matt the blanket, and he held it open. The older man neared them with a smile. Julie was so frozen that she didn’t even look their way. “This girl belong to you?”
Matt nodded wordlessly, and the man set Julie’s feet gently on the sand in front of them before he disappeared into the crowd. Relief rushed through Matt as he wrapped the blanket around Julie. She was shaking in his arms, her body fighting frantically to warm up.
He held her tightly, rubbing her arms. “Oh my God, Julie! What were you doing?”
“Matt? Did you see me?” She buried her head against him.
“Yeah. I saw you.” He couldn’t conceal his anger.
“Did you see Santa Claus, too?” She was hoarse from the cold.
“That wasn’t Santa Claus. That was one of the L Street Brownies who rescued you from certain death. It was considerate of him, after you crashed their event.” Matt tightened the blanket around her and started furiously rubbing her back. “We have to get you warmed up. Dummy. Hey, can you get her sweatpants and socks and boots on? Hurry.”
Celeste helped Julie move her legs into her clothes. “I saw you, too, and I thought you were brilliant! Really stupendous!”
“Celeste?” Julie tried to turn her head, but Matt kept his arms around her, keeping the blanket over her wet hair and protecting her from the wind. He could hear her teeth chattering through the blanket, for God’s sake, and he was livid with her for doing this to herself.
“I’m here!” Celeste said excitedly. “I’m attending to your blue feet!”
“Why are you here? How?” Julie asked.
Matt lowered the blanket for a moment so that he could pull the shirt and sweatshirt they’d brought over her head. What was she thinking, wearing this tiny bikini out in public? She was lucky that she hadn’t been mauled by horny swimmers. Even nearly blue, she was gorgeous. Anyone would think so. Julie met his eyes finally, and he frowned as he wrapped the blanket back around her.
“Finn figured it out. He sent me to get you,” he whispered into her ear. “What the hell were you thinking? We could see you standing out there in the ocean, not moving. You’re lucky you’re not dead. Goddamn it, Julie. Why would you do that? Why are you here and not in California with your father?” He was angry and he couldn’t hide it.
Julie dropped her head forward and leaned into him. “Because he’s a jerk, and I’m a liar.” Her voice caught and she started sobbing.
Matt didn’t say anything, but he kept rubbing her back. Celeste moved behind Julie, pressing her between them. Matt didn’t know what to say, so he let Julie’s tears fall while he and Celeste held her.
“Please don’t cry, Julie. You were simply wonderful out there,” Celeste said.
“She was not wonderful, Celeste. She was a dope.” Matt managed to soften his tone. “But we’re glad you’re okay. You are okay, aren’t you? I mean… physically?” Clearly she was a mental basket case right now.
Julie nodded and then turned her head, still resting it against Matt’s chest. He was relieved beyond words that she was safe.
“Matt?”
“Yeah?”
“Did we talk on the phone last night?”
He paused. Oh, no. “We did.”
“Did I ask you…?” Julie seemed to fumble for words. “Did I ask you if you were a skilled lover?”
Matt cleared his throat and paused again. He’d been hoping that conversation was lost forever. “You did.”
Celeste burst out laughing.
Julie tucked her head down lower. “Sorry.”
“Let’s get you into the car. It should still be warm.”
“Celeste, can you grab my bag?” Julie pointed from under the blanket to the benches on the other side of the beach.
“Absolutely. Hey, Julie?”
“Yeah, kiddo?”
“I’m glad that you’re here.” Celeste beamed. “Home.”
“Me too.”
“Meet us at the car, okay?” Matt stepped away from Julie and turned her in the direction of the street. Home. Celeste was right. Julie’s home was with them.
“So, Matt,” she started and looked up at him smiling. God, he’d missed that smile. “Last night? What was your answer?”
“I’m not going to tell you. Now maybe you won’t drink so much again.”
Julie sighed. “Believe me. Lesson learned.”
Matt got her into the front seat and cranked up the heat. Celeste bounded into the car with Julie’s bag, and they started the drive home. The frozen girl in the seat next to him periodically shuddered and held her hands in front of the car vents that didn’t seem to be producing enough heat for even a mildly chilly day.
Matt frowned and fiddled with the controls, finally hitting the dashboard. He wanted hot air blasting onto Julie immediately. “Come on! Come on, you piece of crap!” He slammed his hand down again.
“It’s all right. Calm down. I’m warming up,” Julie insisted.
“No, you’re not fine.” Matt was angry again. “That was a stupid thing to do. It was reckless. Seriously, what would possess you?”
Julie leaned back. “I don’t care. I’m glad I did it.”
“It’s called a plunge. It’s not a stand-in-the-dangerously-cold-water-and-stare-fixedly-at-nothing event. A plunge means exactly that. You plunge in and get the hell out. Not that you should have even been doing that.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m not fooling around, Julie. That was stupid. Stupid.” Matt hit the gas, desperate to get Julie back to the house where he could take care of her properly. He would build a fire, and make her soup, and force her to drink lots of fluids. Hot tea, maybe? He was sure there was a wool blanket in the linen closet upstairs….
“Slow down, Matt!” Julie said hoarsely. “You’re going to get a ticket.”
“I’ll drive as fast as I want. The quicker we get you home, the quicker you can warm up.”
“Why don’t you just take me back to Dana’s? Turn left up here.”
“Is that where you’ve been staying?” He was really pissed off now. If her father blew her off, why would she stay at Dana’s and not with them? Had she even left Boston at all? And if she thought for two seconds that he would drop her off at an empty apartment, then she had surely frozen most of her brain cells in the Atlantic. Her lack of responsibility was appalling. “No. I am not taking you back to Dana’s. Who knows what other trouble you’ll get yourself into?”