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“We got a call that a guy was trying to kill himself, jumping into the ocean and never surfacing.”
“I surfaced. Ten times.”
He rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “We’ll get you some clothes so you don’t make us all look bad.” I glance down and remember my clothes are still on the beach. I can picture the scene unfold, what everyone saw. No wonder they called it in.
Half an hour later, I’m dressed in a navy blue coast guard t-shirt and sweats. Thankfully, someone had an extra pair of flip-flops. My hands are in my pockets when the Commander approaches me.
He holds out his hand. "Commander Cooper."
I grasp his hand in a firm shake. “Kase Nixon.” He glances at my tattoo and looks back with a smirk.
“Sorry about rescuing you.”
I laugh out loud. He knows his guys didn’t rescue me. “Next time I take a swim, I’ll make an announcement.”
“Maybe not look like a desperate guy looking for a way out.” I run my hand through my hair, staring down at the flip-flops. The situation with Ellie hadn’t crossed my mind for the last couple of hours.
“It’s been a shitty day. I needed a release. Sorry for the confusion.”
He shrugs. “We all have our days.”
A guy I recognize by his tatts from the helicopter, walks up to us. “Your ride is here.”
My ride? I turn my attention to the Commander and he shakes his head. “We didn’t call anyone other than the local police to follow up on the original call.” Hope simmers wondering if it's Ellie.
“I’ll make sure to return these,” I say, tugging on my shirt.
“That’s all right. You can keep them to remind you of the day the coast guard rescued you.” The group of people around us laugh. He’s a funny guy. “You're welcome to come back here and give my guys a run for their money.” I might take him up on his offer.
I shake his hand and the men from the helicopter, thanking them for a job well done. When I walk outside, a bright blue corvette is waiting for me. Cody rolls his window down as I walk up.
“This is fucking epic.” Rolling my eyes, I flip him off, pull the door open and slide in. The tires peel out of the parking lot as we speed off. “You know if you needed someone to talk to, I’m always here for you.” With the shitty grin on his face, he’s far from being sincere. “I mean you didn’t have to pretend you were trying to drown yourself to get attention.”
I shake my head, letting him get his jokes in.
He puts his hand on my thigh. “I mean, I love you Kase, you’re one of the team.” I yank his hand off me, shaking my head and cursing through my chuckle. I hope to god none of the guys back on the SWAT team hear about this. This is nothing compared to the shit they’d give me.
“Will you watch the fucking road?” I say, pointing forward. Out of habit, I reach into my pocket to pull my phone out and I remember, it’s in the pocket of my shorts I dropped on the beach. “Dammit. My phone's in my shorts on the beach.”
“Nah. Officer Sloan picked ‘em up for you. As soon as he heard it was you, he grabbed your stuff and called us.” We’re back in Gilley Cove in no time. We swing by the police station first so I could pick up my stuff. When I hop back into the car, I scroll through my missed calls. Twenty of them. They’re all from Ellie and Tori. Fear ripples through me that she’s calling me to tell me goodbye. I press play to the first message left. Panic in her voice isn’t from her telling me goodbye. Shit. Shit. Shit. Pounding my head against the headrest, I make myself listen to the whole message.
“Kase, where are you? I’m worried sick. They said… they said the coast guard just pulled you out of the water, but no one is telling me where they took you! I love you Kase. Please call me back.”
Jesus Christ! This is turning into a nightmare. Each message is the same, except her panic escalates to where she can barely form a sentence. All the messages are within fifteen minutes. Then they stop. I glance over at Cody. “Did you talk to Ellie?”
“Yeah. She called us, hysterical. Damn, that woman frightens me. I tried to tell her you were okay without telling her details.” I tilt my head, surprised they didn’t take the opportunity to razz me. He shrugs with one shoulder. “We don’t give details. Ever,” he states matter-of-fact. I slap him on the shoulder and nod. “I told her I was picking you up, and that you were fine.”
“Can you drop me off at her apartment?”
I'm thinking positive thoughts when I reach her door. We're getting married. This is only a temporary setback. I tap lightly with my knuckles. The door swings open and Ellie flies into my arms.
“Kase!” I drop my bag and wrap my arms around her waist, digging my face into her neck. Taking in a deep breath of her scent, one I wondered if I’d ever inhale again, my world rights itself despite knowing she's only doing it out of fear. When she finally releases her arms from around my neck, she pulls back and punches me on the arm. “You scared me to death! I thought you had drowned, again! I saw them pull you up and then fly away. Nobody would tell me anything.” My lips pull into a smile at her pouty face. “It’s not funny.” She pushes out of my arms and walks into her apartment. I follow, shutting the door behind me.
“Babe, I promise you, the last way I'll die is from drowning.”
She rolls her eyes. “You keep saying that but a shark could have taken a bite.”
I laugh at how serious she is. I mean, she’s right, a shark could take me out, but the odds are thin. “Ellie, I’m okay.”
