Lucas slid his key into the lock of the small beachside cottage he’d inherited from his grandparents four years earlier. The lock was rusty and stiff, and it took some force to make the key twist inside it. With a click, the door unlatched and slowly swung open, revealing a dusty, run-down interior that was in desperate need of renovation.
The wooden floorboards were covered in a thick layer of sand that must have found its way through the gaps under the door. His feet left imprints as he walked inside. The disturbed dust and sand danced around him, scratching his throat as he breathed it in.
He couldn’t help but feel guilty as he took everything in. The small galley kitchen that had once been his grandmother’s pride and joy was a mess – cupboard doors hanging off their hinges, broken crockery littering the floor, and then there was the living space – once filled with cozy overstuffed armchairs and all the decorations his grandparents had collected over a lifetime – now bare and dark, with no life in it at all.
Lucas and his sister, Caitie, had practically grown up in this beach side cottage. His father had been working hard at his job at the local pharmaceutical company, while his mother ran the Heavenly Page Bookshop on Main Street – the same way she still did. Lucas and Caitie had spent a lot of time with their grandparents, especially when they were younger. It was why the cottage held sentimental value, and why every time he thought about how much he’d neglected it he felt bad at letting his grandparents down.
He should have done something about this before. Or taken up the offers so many people had made to buy the cottage from him and Caitie. Instead he’d let it fall to ruin, too busy caring about his career to worry about the legacy two people he’d loved had left him.
“Hey, man, I thought that was you,” a voice called through the door, pulling Lucas’ attention away from the detritus in front of him. “I saw the front door open and wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
Lucas turned to see Griffin Porter standing at the front door, one hand curled around the lintel; the other holding onto a surfboard whose tip was resting on the stoop. He was wearing board shorts, no top, and the ocean was still clinging to him. His hair was wet, his beard wetter, and his body glowing in the Californian sun.
“Hey.” Lucas smiled and walked over to him and the two of them shook hands. The pair of them couldn’t be any more different to look at. Lucas’ cropped black hair and freshly shaven face was a stark contrast to Griff’s more rugged look, and yet they had so much in common. Lucas had known Griff for years. They’d been as close as they could be at school, hanging around in a group together with their friends, Jackson Lewis and Brecken Miller. Jackson was a businessman now – running his own high-tech start up right outside of town, and Brecken had left California when he was seventeen. Out of the four of them, Griff was the only one who remained in the heart of the town, running a Whale Cruise Business on the weekends and all week during the summer. The rest of his time he spent surfing in the cool Pacific Ocean.
“Wow,” Griff said, looking over Lucas’ shoulder to the inside of the cottage. “You were right, this place needs a lot of work.” He shook his hair and droplets of saltwater flew in all directions. He reminded Lucas of a dog drying itself after a swim.
“Yeah, it’s pretty neglected.” Lucas’ voice held a hint of regret. “But hopefully I can change that now.” Chief Simons had been right about one thing – renovating this cottage was definitely taking his mind off his job. He would be spending the next few days drawing up plans and working with Frank Megassey on all the tools and fittings he’d need.
“You want to come take a look?” Lucas asked Griff.
“Why not?” Griff propped his board up on the side of the cottage and stepped through the doorway. Lucas took him on a quick tour – the space so small there really wasn’t that much to see. The two of them discussed his plans for updating the tiny bathroom and kitchen, and what type of paint would be best for the interior of the house. Then Lucas grabbed them both a soda from the ice cooler he’d brought with him, and they sat on the front stoop, overlooking the golden sand.
“Remember when we used to come here after school?” Griff asked him. “Me, you, Jack and Breck? We’d surf for hours until your grandma yelled at us to come and get a drink.” His lips curled up. “They were good times, weren’t they?”
“Yeah, they were.” Lucas nodded. He lifted the can of soda to his lips, taking a big mouthful. It tasted good, but nothing like the homemade lemonade his grandma used to make.
In the distance he could see a surfer paddling to hit an oncoming wave. When was the last time he’d been out on the surf? He could barely remember. Too busy saving lives to think about living his. Maybe that was the problem.
“How often do you go out there?” he asked Griff, inclining his head toward the water.
“Most days if I can. It’s gonna get harder once I’m running the daily boats, but I’ll still try and hit the waves in the early morning.” Griff gave him a lopsided smile. “I guess I’m the one out of all of us who never grew up.”
“Does Jackson not join you?” Lucas asked. “I thought he still liked to surf.”
“He comes when he can, but he’s busy, ya know?” Griff shrugged, running a fingertip along his overgrown beard. “Mostly it’s just me.”
He didn’t look too sad about it. Why should he? He was living the life they all thought they would. There was a time when all four of them lived for the waves. Now, they had to work for a living instead.
“Maybe I’ll come out with you some time. I’m a bit rusty though.”
“It’s like riding a bike, or so they tell me. You never forget once you’ve done it.” Griff grinned at him. “You should come out this week. The swell is great right now. I’ll message you when I’m next going out.”
“Yeah, that’d be great.” He rubbed his finger along his chin. It had been a while, but right not the thought of riding the waves sounded like bliss. No need to think, no need to worry. Just him and the ocean.
“It’ll be like old times.” Griff rubbed his hands together. “We can surf, grab something from the beach café, and then if you’d like I’ll come and give you a hand with your renovations. I’m pretty handy with a saw.”
“I’d really appreciate your help.”
A sharp sound cut through the air, coming from the counter on the far side of the kitchen. Lucas recognized it right away. His pager – the one they’d issued him at the Angel Sands Volunteer Fire Department. He shot up and ran into the cottage, grabbing the pager and reading it quickly.
Incident at Angel Sands Elementary School. Emergency Crew required.
“I gotta go,” he told Griff, grabbing his keys from the hook next to the front door. “It’s a call out.”
“Of course,” Griff said, standing up and grabbing his board. “I’ll catch you later. You want me to lock up?”
“It’s already done.” Lucas slid his key from the lock and gave a wave to his friend. “I’ll talk to you soon. And don’t forget to let me know about the surfing.”
The adrenaline was already shooting through him and making him single minded in his thoughts. The drive to the firehouse would take five minutes. Getting his protective clothing on and climbing into the engine would take another three. That was eight minutes before they could even head toward the school – he really had no time to waste.
Within seconds, he was on his way.
While Rachel was calling for help in the school building, Ember found herself standing at the bottom of the playhouse, craning her head to see Carter on top of the roof. Or half of him, at least. His bottom half was wedged in the chimney, she guessed.
Not that he looked upset about it. In fact, he was loving the attention, wiggling his body as he waved at all his classmates looking up at him. A big smile on his face.
“Carter, are you okay?” Ember called up to him.
He waved down at her, grinning. “Hey, Miss Kennedy, look at me. I’m Santa and I’m coming down the chimney. Ho Ho Ho.”
The children staring up at him started to giggle. Carter let out some more Ho Ho Hos to entertain them further.
“It’s May,” Ember called up at him. “You’re a little early.” She took a deep breath. “Shall we get you out now?” Ember asked him. “You can come back when December’s here.”
“Yeah, otherwise these girls and boys won’t get any toys.”
Oh joy. Now he was quoting Christmas songs at her.
She opened the front door of the playhouse and looked inside. The only thing she could see were Carter’s legs and feet dangling in the pretend-fireplace. From the looks of things, he was well and truly wedged in the small chimney.
“Carter, how did you get up there?” she asked him.
“My reindeers flew me here.”
She took a deep breath, not that it helped much. Then somebody tugged on her sleeve.
“Miss Kennedy?”
“Yes, Sally?” Never had she been happier to see such a sensible face.
“He climbed up the back. He used the windows like a ladder. I saw him.”
“Tattletale,” Carter yelled at her.
“Thank you, Sally.” Ember patted her shoulder. From the corner of her eye she could see Rachel coming out of the school building, followed by Principal Sawyer. When they reached her, she turned to them, a grimace on her face. “Do you think I should climb up there?” Ember asked them. “To see exactly how bad it is?”
“I think that’s a good idea.” The principal flashed her a grim smile. “And Rachel, can you move all the children into the cafeteria, please? I’m sure the other teachers will help. I’ve called the fire department as a precaution, though I’m sure we’ll be able to sort this out ourselves.” She rubbed her chin, still staring up at the roofline. “I need to call Carter’s parents as well.”
The grin disappeared from Carter’s face. “Please don’t call my mom.” His bottom lip began to tremble. “I want to get down now.” He started to struggle, his arms flailing wildly. “I can’t get out. I want to get out.”
Running to the back of the playhouse, Ember kicked off her shoes. There was no way she’d be able to climb up with those heels on. Grabbing onto the corner of the building, she hitched her skirt up and put the ball of her foot onto the bottom window shelf.
Here went nothing.
There were a few children still milling around. From the corner of her eye she could see them pointing at her. Taking a deep breath in, she tensed her arms and pulled herself up until she was balancing on the window.
“Don’t fall, Miss Kennedy!” one of the children shouted. She could hear Rachel call them away. Carter turned around, craning to see what was happening, but the way his body was wedged stopped him from being able to see her.
“Miss Kennedy, are you there?” Any trace of bravado had disappeared from Carter’s voice. He sounded like the scared seven-year-old little boy he was. “Where’s everybody going? Don’t leave me.”
“I’m right behind you,” she told him, grabbing for the edge of the roof. “I won’t leave you.”
“Am I going to be stuck here until Christmas?” he asked her. “Is my mom going to be mad at me?”
“You’ll be out very soon, I promise. And your mom won’t be mad at you, she’ll be worried.”
“She gets angry when I worry her.”
Ember didn’t have an answer for that one. She was too busy leveraging her body upward, until she reached the apex of the roof. From her vantage point at the top of the playhouse, she could see all the children in the cafeteria. They were standing at the double height windows, watching her progress. A couple of them had their mouths open and were licking the glass. Ugh. Somebody was going to have some cleaning to do later.
The playhouse was taller than she’d realized. As she slowly crawled along the roofline, she could feel herself start to shake. She took another deep breath as she moved her hands and knees forward, until she finally reached the chimney.
Carter grasped for her, as if he was desperate for some body contact. “Miss Kennedy. You’ve saved me.”
She took his hand and he squeezed her palm tightly. She guessed he was afraid she’d leave him, the way all the children had disappeared.
“Okay, let me take a look at you. Check that everything’s okay.”
“Don’t let go of my hand,” he said, his voice panicked.
“I won’t. I’m still holding it, see?” Very slowly she looked him over, checking there were no injuries, and then she brought her gaze to the chimney. It was only a couple of feet wide, just enough for a small boy to crawl into and get stuck. Like the rest of the house, it was made of thick molded metal, not as easy to pull apart as wooden planks would have been.
She looked around the chimney for a weak point, hoping she could pull it out. But the thing had been made to last. She could tug and tug at Carter all day, and he still wouldn’t have moved.
“Sweetie, I think we’re going to need a bit of help to get you out,” she told him, trying to keep her voice calm.
Carter started to cry. Long, deep wails that cut Ember to the quick. Yes, he could drive his teachers crazy, and sure, he never knew when to stop. But he had a good heart, and was a lovely little boy, and his sobs made her chest hurt.
“Ember?” the principal called up from the bottom of the house. She must have been rattled – she rarely called her teachers by their first names in front of the children.
“Yes?”
“Do you think you can get him out of there?”
Ember took another look at the chimney before looking back down at Principal Sawyer. “I don’t think so.” And she didn’t want to risk him falling down inside the playhouse without anybody to help him. He could easily break a leg.
“Okay. I guess we’ll wait for the fire department then.”
Carter’s wails increased in volume, and Ember found herself kneeling up so she could hold him in her arms. “It’s okay, Carter. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Her knees already hurt from digging into the metal roof, and her stomach was starting to protest at the way she had to clench it to keep herself balanced. To top it all off, Carter wrapped his arms around her neck as tightly as a boa constrictor, sobbing into her white blouse.
One thing was for sure; it was going to be a long afternoon.