by Emily King
But it didn’t look like all of the swimmers were complying. Or maybe they couldn’t because of the current! Two swimmers started waving their hands frantically. Michael entered the water and swam toward them.
Grabbing the phone, Amy notified Communications of the rescue situation and then snatched her rescue can from its hook as she raced out of her tower to help. Communications would contact the patrolling lifeguard boat and the patrolling lifeguard truck to respond with additional help in case it was needed. It would also contact the main tower and the towers flanking her tower and Michael’s so that other lifeguards would watch over their areas in their absence.
Reaching the ocean at a sprint, Amy fitted the strap of the rescue can over her head and right shoulder so that it lay across her torso and then high-stepped through the surf, the can trailing behind her on its tether. Diving into the water, she swam diagonally to the area of rip current, thereby avoiding its dangers. Her aim was to arrive at the space between the head and neck. She suspected that the rapidly moving water in the neck was where the swimmers were caught.
Michael reached one of the swimmers and began the process of rescuing him. The other swimmer was still struggling to fight the strong current, panic written on her face. Amy kicked and stroked to get there as fast as she could. The woman’s head was sinking lower and lower as the woman frantically splashed about. Arriving, Amy took hold of her rescue can and extended it across the surface of the water toward her. “Grab the handle,” Amy shouted over the sound of the sea.
The woman reached for it, gasping and sputtering in the turbulent water but managing to wrap her hands around the grips.
“Good,” Amy shouted. “Now try to get your arms across the top of it and let it help support you.”
The woman complied, her gasping breaths becoming less frantic with the buoyancy of the rescue can helping her. “The water just kept pulling me,” she panted, “and taking me farther out.”
“It’s a rip current, but it’s going to be okay. I’m going to swim us to shore. Can you keep holding onto the can while I do that?”
The woman nodded, calmer now.
“Good,” Amy said. The strap of the rescue can still secure around her torso, she started swimming to shore, taking a diagonal path as before and towing the fatigued woman behind her. She stroked hard to navigate the extra weight through the surf and adjusted course as waves broke around them. Reaching the shallower water near shore, she got her footing and helped the woman do the same. Amy guided her out of the water toward dry sand, her arm wrapped around her to lend support.
“The water just kept pulling me,” the woman repeated. “I couldn’t get back.”
“It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. You did the right thing to wave for help. If you get stuck in a current again, you can also try swimming parallel to shore to escape the pull.”
Amy guided the woman toward the lifeguard truck and the supervisor that had arrived on scene. First aid needs would be assessed and further help given if needed. Michael and the swimmer he had rescued were also there and it looked like they were okay. Amy was thankful for a successful rescue for everyone. And while there was never a good time for a rip current, the rescue had at least temporarily interrupted her self-recrimination over ruining lunch with Sarah.
Chapter Nine
Amy ate a forkful of her serving of the short rib and sweet potato hash that Emilia had prepared for this week’s family brunch. The rich, braised meat practically melted in her mouth. She ate another forkful, enjoying the cubes of tender sautéed sweet potato and the savory mixture of onions and seasonings. She sliced off a piece of the fried egg sitting atop her hash and used it to gather up another forkful of the succulent dish.
The topic of conversation was the headlight design on next year’s sedan models and Amy only half listened. While she knew that her family was not enthused about her new job, she hadn’t expected them to continue ignoring it week after week. Didn’t they notice how much happier she was from her job change? Were they not the least bit curious about the job that had inspired her to take a break from her own dealership? A little bit of interest from any of them would be nice.
Maybe it was partly her fault. She had yet to correct their assumption that it was only a summer job. Maybe it was time to break the news to everyone that it wasn’t just a seasonal job. Amy waited for a lull in the conversation and cleared her throat. “I want to let all of you know that I’ve taken a permanent position as a South Coast Beach lifeguard.”
Amy saw surprise, confusion, and disapproval around the table. This was precisely why she had been putting off telling everyone. She tried not to squirm as she waited for someone to say something.
“Permanent?” Aurora was the first to speak, and her disbelief was clear.
“Yes, I want to continue being a lifeguard.”
“Why?”
“Because being a lifeguard is my passion.”
“But you sell cars like the rest of us do.”
“Yes, but it’s never been a passion for me like it is for all of you.” Amy had explained all of this and more to her family months ago when she had decided to take the break from her dealership. She could only hope that they would make more of an effort to understand her choice now that they knew it was not a passing fancy.
“What about your dealership?” her father asked.
“I’m sorry, Dad, but I don’t plan to work there any longer. I’ll need to sell it.”
Her father shook his head. “Just like that? You want to leave a successful business to hang out at the beach?”
Amy drew back. “Is that what you think? That I’ve made this decision lightly? That I’m doing this to hang out at the beach?”
His silence was telling.
Amy looked around the table at the rest of her family. “Is that what all of you think, that I’m playing in the sand and working on my tan?”
Her family wouldn’t meet her gaze.
“If any of you bothered to ask me about my job or learn anything about it, you would know that’s not the case. This career change is absolutely not a decision I’ve made lightly. I can’t believe you oppose me in this, even if it is outside the family business.” She got up from the table.
“Amy…” her mother said.
“Since I obviously don’t have the support of any of you, there’s no need to trouble yourselves any longer to fill in at my dealership in my absence. I’m sure that Reynaldo, the finance manager there, will be glad to do it and glad to accept the salary that comes with it.” She strode from the room and out of the house.
* * *
Sarah pedaled her bicycle on the bike path that ran along the beach. The afternoon was spectacularly beautiful, the sky a clear blue, the ocean sparkling in the sun, and the sun’s rays warm on her body. Moving her legs felt good; it eased the soreness and stiffness from yesterday’s Fun Run. She felt foolish for even having bothered to try to impress Amy with her running. Someone so reticent when it came to seemingly benign topics of conversation obviously wasn’t truly interested in her.
Maybe it was all just physical for Amy. That was fine, Sarah supposed. That was what they had agreed upon, after all. She just wished she had an easier time continuing to go along with it and enjoying the arrangement for what it was, like Amy seemed to be able to do.
Sarah brought her bike to a stop after reaching Sunrise Beach. A wide stretch of sandy beach like South Coast Beach, it was a popular windsurfing spot. She liked to watch the windsurfers skim over the water on their boards as they harnessed the wind with their sails. She wheeled her bike off the path to an empty bench just outside the parking lot and took a seat.
Ten or so windsurfers were out on the ocean today, each skittering across the water on a board with a different colored sail. Sarah watched them alternately as they maneuvered on and around the waves. Her attention was drawn to the skillful maneuvering of one in p
articular. He was traveling the length of a breaking wave just as a surfer might be able to do if the conditions were right, only moving much faster due to the wind filling the sail with power. Sarah didn’t actually know if the windsurfer was a man but she had yet to see any women out here. He then executed a one hundred and eighty degree turn to seamlessly reverse direction and come back, this time carving the water between swells and throwing a tail of spray into the air with each zig and zag of the board.
Sarah kept her eyes on him as he cut through the water toward a cresting wave. He directed the speeding board up the face of the wave, executing an arcing jump off the top of the wave and into the air. Sarah held her breath, but he landed the jump cleanly and continued clipping along the water at a fast pace. He then turned and began sailing a path to shore, apparently done for the day.
After turning her attention back to the others and watching a few minutes longer, Sarah decided that the best of the show on the water was over. She stood up, taking a moment to shake out her legs that had stiffened again from sitting. Wheeling her bike back to the path, she got on and started to pedal home.
On the portion of the path along the edge of the parking lot, Sarah hit the brakes, coming to an abrupt stop. There, at the end of the parking lot and only a couple cars away, was Amy loading a windsurfing board and gear bag into an SUV.
A fellow cyclist swerved around Sarah. “Hey, watch it!” he called.
“Sorry!” She moved her bike off the path.
Amy looked over, her face registering surprise. “Sarah?”
“Hi!” Sarah smiled. She walked her bike the short distance to her. “Was that you on the water just now? I was over there watching.” She gestured in the general direction of the bench where she had been sitting. “You looked amazing, especially doing that jump!”
A grin spread on Amy’s face. “Thanks! I was having a blast! The conditions were excellent. I don’t think I’ve ever caught so much air.”
Sarah loved hearing the exhilaration in Amy’s voice.
“So you’re out for a bike ride?”
Sarah nodded. “Yeah. I was just taking a break to watch the action.” She eyed Amy’s form-fitting wetsuit. “I don’t know how I didn’t recognize those toned curves of yours when I saw you get out of the water and start walking up the beach. But my vantage point was kind of far.” Sarah stepped closer. She reached her hand out and ran it along Amy’s shoulder, brushing down over her breast, curving in at her waist, and trailing along her hip. Was Amy naked under that tight material? She brought her gaze up to Amy’s lovely agate-colored eyes.
Amy pulled Sarah to her and kissed her. The kiss made Sarah’s body sing, and her grip on her bicycle loosened. As her bike started to fall over, she broke the kiss.
Amy helped her catch it. “Here, let’s lean that here for a moment.” She carefully placed the bike against the shiny SUV.
Sarah did a double take. The SUV was a Lexus. That was unexpected. She looked from the vehicle to Amy. “Is this yours?”
Amy hesitated but then answered. “Yes, it’s mine.” She sounded resigned, as though she’d been caught at something.
Sarah studied Amy, taking in her guilty expression. She crossed her arms and frowned. “You know, for some reason, I thought you were practically destitute. That first Saturday, it was obvious that you didn’t want me to see your car, so I thought it must be an old rattletrap. The second Saturday, you rode a bicycle to my house, so then I wasn’t sure that you had a car at all. As it turns out, you have this.” She gestured to the expensive vehicle. “Why would you want to hide it?”
Amy hadn’t answered, so Sarah continued. “I wonder what else I don’t know about you? I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you live somewhere nice, too. Not the run-down apartment with multiple roommates that you had me imagining with your refusal to tell me where you lived.”
When Amy didn’t deny it, Sarah knew she had guessed correctly. “Why would you bother with all of these secrets? Is it fun for you to play games?” she asked, spreading her arms wide in a plea.
“What? No, of course not. And I didn’t mean to mislead you.”
“Then what is it?”
Amy took a breath. “At the coffeehouse, you said that you were drawn to your ex for her wealthy lifestyle. And you also said that you didn’t want to date another rich woman. I didn’t know what to think, but it seemed like wealth was going to be an issue between us one way or another.”
Sarah thought back. She remembered saying those things, but what did that have to do with Amy? Was Amy trying to say that she was wealthy? Was everyone rich in this city, even the lifeguards? Sarah shook her head, not understanding any of it. She looked at her. “Yes, I did say those things at the coffeehouse. But not so fast. I’m don’t think all of this is about me. Why not just ask about my time with Robin if you were confused? I want to know the rest of what’s going on.”
Amy breathed a heavy sigh. “My last name is Bergen. As in Bergen Motors.”
“The auto dealerships?”
“Yes. I own one of them.”
“So? What does that have to do with anything?” Then it dawned on her. Amy wasn’t just a lifeguard; she was a wealthy businesswoman. A lot like Robin was. And like Robin, Amy probably only normally associated with other wealthy people. Sarah glared at Amy. “You think I’m not good enough for you. That’s what this is. You didn’t want to bring me to your place. I’m a lowly middle school teacher. I’m only good enough to fuck at my place.”
“What? No, that’s not true at all!” Amy grabbed her hand beseechingly.
“Then what is it?” Sarah asked.
Amy released her hand and started pacing back and forth, apparently gathering her thoughts. She stopped and turned toward Sarah. “It’s just that I’ve learned to be careful. Sometimes money makes girlfriends stay much too long, like you said happened to you with Robin.”
Sarah took a breath and considered this. It was a reasonable explanation. But that didn’t mean she liked it. She crossed her arms.
Amy continued. “One woman I dated tried to move in, and I don’t even think she particularly liked me. But she kept bringing over more and more of her stuff until it seemed like she practically lived with me.” Amy sounded exasperated. She ran a hand through her still damp hair. “She even started decorating.”
Despite her annoyance, Sarah let out a surprised laugh. She uncrossed her arms.
“It’s true.” Amy looked at her. “The worst was a hideous pink throw rug that she put on the living room floor. Sandy wouldn’t even walk on it.”
Sarah laughed again. She didn’t think she was going to be able to stay mad at Amy much longer. “Oh, wow. That’s too much. Robin should be thankful that I didn’t do anything like that.”
“I’m glad my U-Haul girlfriend amuses you,” Amy said dryly, a tentative smile playing at her lips. “It was really hard to get her to leave me alone.”
“I don’t doubt it. But why would you think I’m like that? I told you what happened with Robin. I won’t be staying with anyone again just because of money.”
“Yes, but I had only just met you and I didn’t know if you meant it. It’s become a habit for me to keep quiet about my background. I’m sorry.”
Sarah faced her. “I’m sad you felt the need to hide things from me, but I’ll accept your apology because at least it doesn’t seem like you were trying to play me for a fool.”
“No, never.”
“Good. I’ve had enough of that from one rich woman already.” Sarah wished she could forget her time with Robin altogether.
Amy took Sarah’s hand in hers, and this time Sarah clasped it. “I wouldn’t say that I’m rich, but I am fairly well-off,” she said. “I know that you don’t want to date another rich woman, but would you consider dating a well-off woman?”
“Hmm,” Sarah said, pretending to think about it. “I guess I could try to talk myself into it. But,” she paused, giving Amy a smile, “only if this well-off w
oman kisses like you do.”
Amy smiled back. “You mean like this?” She pulled her close and kissed her purposefully.
Breathless after the kiss and more than a little aroused, Sarah leaned back in the circle of Amy’s arms. “Yeah. Like that.”
Amy grinned.
“But while we’re on the subject, I didn’t say that I didn’t want to date another rich woman.”
“No?” Amy asked with a frown.
“No. I distinctly remember saying that I didn’t want to date another stuck-up rich woman. So you’re safe on both counts.” Sarah smiled.
Amy smiled back. “I’m glad. Because I really like you.” She kissed her again.
“I like you, too,” Sarah said. “But I have to say I’m glad I didn’t offer to help with your vet bills yesterday like I almost did. I would have seemed like such a fool.”
“No, you’re sweet to have worried about me.” Amy hugged her. “I had no idea that you would think I was broke. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything sooner. I don’t know how I so badly misjudged things.”
“It’s okay now. It might take another moment for me to wrap my head around all of it, though.” Sarah paused. “How is your cat, by the way?”
“I’ll tell you what—why don’t you come over and see for yourself? I’m sure Sandy would like to meet you. And I would love it if you stayed and joined me for dinner.”
Sarah tilted her head. “I don’t know, it seems like a big step—me seeing where you live.”
“Very funny.” Amy shook her head and smiled ruefully, obviously knowing that she deserved the teasing. She looked at Sarah expectantly. “How about it? Would you like to come home with me and have dinner?”
“Would this be a date?”
