Holiday Spice & Everything Nice

by Conn, Claudy

  Brittany wasn’t sure if Grady was being evasive or if the family relationship was really that bizarre, but she squeezed his hand and encouraged him to continue.

  He cocked a questioning eyebrow. “Are you ready for this?”

  Brittany wasn’t sure. “I guess we’ll have the answer to that, after I’ve heard the story.”

  Grady stared out at the sea. With a pensive scowl on his face, he began, “Since it’s not my tale to tell, I’m only going to give you the general gist of it, but don’t worry,” he said, smiling once more, “if you ask Erika, she’ll be more than happy to fill you in on all the gory details. She has no problem letting all the family skeletons out of the closet.”

  He released her hand and scratched his arm uneasily. “Erika’s biological father is a man named Larry Wright. He’s this old dude who lives a little way down the street from us. I guess he didn’t know about Erika until she was around eight or so. Up until that time, Terence believed Erika was his. From what I understand, the two dads were messed up in some kind of custody battle with Erika’s mom, but that it all ended amicably. Erika is supposed to split her time between the dads, but since they live so close to each other, she wanders in and out as she pleases. Everyone is cool as long as both dads know where she is.” Grady suddenly laughed. “Now that she’s thirteen, Erika thinks she’s all grown up. Last week, she tried to stay out all night with one of her giggly little girlfriends. She told the dads she was staying with the other one, but Terence can read her pretty well. He nailed Erika’s ass before the outdoor concert she wasn’t allowed to attend had barely begun. Erika was pretty embarrassed when both Terence and Larry showed up to haul her butt home.”

  Erika was lucky. As long as Brittany had all her work finished, she couldn’t imagine her father taking the time or caring enough to come and find her. Of course, all bets were off the table if she failed to complete even one of her assigned tasks.

  Brittany wondered if her dad was on his way to Hawaii to take her back home. She wouldn’t go. She was eighteen. He couldn’t make her. Before her panicked thoughts had a chance to turn her into a blubbering idiot, something Grady said popped into her head, and swung her right back into the conversation. “Did you say Larry Wright?”

  Grady nodded. “Why?”

  “As in Marissa Wright’s father?” she shrieked.

  Grady chuckled. “I told you it was complicated.”

  Brittany was young when Annie was in her teens, but she still remembered the beautiful blonde who honked the horn of her sleek convertible and waited for Annie to race outside. Brittany was pretty sure she understood, but she had to confirm her suspicion. “Are you saying Erika’s real dad is also the father of Annie’s best friend?”

  Grady wrapped an arm around her. “Early one morning, a few years back, it was sheer craziness around here when the story came to light. Annie and Terence are great, but for a while, my mom and dad forbade me from going anywhere near the strange family across the street.”

  Brittany couldn’t sit still. She jumped up and walked to the water’s edge. Small waves pulled the sand from under her feet as she tried to digest this new information. Annie’s family was messed up, but somehow they found a way to fill their home with love and security for Erika. The thought seemed unfathomable.

  Before yesterday, Brittany believed Annie had come down in the world. Her sister gave up a successful business to be with Terence Javier and his daughter. It seemed straightforward, but Annie’s life was a complex mess. She was raising a girl who wasn’t related to her or her husband, but she loved Erika anyway.

  It irked Brittany that Erika had love and support from so many people who weren’t obligated to give it. Britt’s mom and dad were supportive when she was a child, but somewhere along the line, they grew distant, and Brittany was left to figure out a way to meet her needs by herself.

  Her own sister, a blood relative, hadn’t been there for her. Annie poured love all over Erika, and a flash of anger surged through Brittany’s veins. She turned back to Grady and yelled childishly, “Annie isn’t so perfect!” The surprised look on Grady’s face kicked her resentment into high gear. Annie practically adopted the orphaned kid across the street, but she hadn’t given a thought to her baby sister. Annie loved everyone, except her. Brittany was on the verge of throwing an immature temper tantrum, but she was beyond caring. She glared down at Grady, still sitting in the sand. “And what makes you so special? Why does Annie love you and not me?”

  • • •

  GRADY WANTED TO hug Brittany and offer her comfort, but something told him she needed to vent. He had first-hand experience with that. After he lost his parents, the only thought in his head was why me. Apparently, Brittany was suffering from the same affliction. He didn’t know what Britt was going through, but he knew Annie, and he was certain Brittany’s estimation of the situation was way off base.

  Brittany continued to storm back and forth across the beach. She stomped her foot angrily. “I want to throw something,” she wailed, “but all you have is sand!”

  Grady held up a finger and raced back toward a grove of palm trees. “I’ll be right back.”

  If the younger version of his boss wanted to throw something, he was going to make it happen. Walking off the trail to a rocky outcropping, he bent down and scooped a few handfuls of lava chunks into his shirt.

  He returned and handed one to Brittany. “If this isn’t enough, there’s a lot more where that came from.”

  Brittany’s turquoise eyes and scowling brow, looked at his stash. She snatched a rock out of his hand and chucked it into the Pacific.

  Grady was impressed at the distance of her throw. He doubted he could beat it, but he was determined to try. All but one piece of lava dropped into the sand. Determined to make his Little League coach proud, Grady wound up, lunged forward to get as much momentum on the pitch as possible, and fired it off.

  He was right. His rock didn’t come close to reaching the same distance as Brittany’s. “You have a heck of an arm there,” he praised.

  His compliment only angered Brittany more. One by one, she picked up the rocks and threw them furiously into the water. Each toss was followed by a frustrated grunt. Her long amber hair flew with outrage each time she reached for another stone.

  When the pile grew low, Grady raced back for more. He made three trips to the lava pile before Brittany showed signs of slowing down.

  After the last chip of cooled magma left her hand, Grady gripped her fingers and pulled her down the beach. “Run with me.”

  Brittany only hesitated a moment before she fell into step behind him.

  In just a few strides, she was alongside Grady and on the verge of passing him. Brittany had already outthrown him, but there was no way she was going to outpace him. Grady kicked it up a notch, but Brittany easily kept up. He looked over and saw a mischievous glint in her eye and knew he had been challenged. “You think you can beat me?” he dared. “Okay, little girl. Bring it!”

  Brittany laughed and slowed to a halt. “Stop,” she cried, “you win.” Her hands were propped on her knees and the girl was breathing heavily.

  Grady trotted back. “Feel better now?” he asked.

  A flash of tawny hair with red highlights flew past him and Brittany called out over her shoulder, “I will as soon as I whoop your butt.”

  Grady laughed and sped off after her long legs and short shorts. Brittany was more like her sister than she would probably care to admit.

  Having made great strides in closing the gap, Grady began to eat the sand Brittany was kicking up behind her. He spit the fine granules out of his mouth and backed off to let her have the win. Brittany needed it more than him. Her pity party appeared to have dissipated and he didn’t want to spoil her fun.

  That was his story and he was sticking to it. He might have been able to beat her, but it would have required a lot of hard work.

  When Brittany realized her competition had given up, she made a wide U-turn and
jogged back through the surf. Grady changed course and locked in on his target. She might be able to throw farther and run faster, but that was where Grady drew the line. He needed a little payback. Brittany was going under.

  He waded out knee deep and waited for his prey to join him.

  • • •

  BRITTANY SAW THE gleam in Grady’s eyes and knew he had something planned. Well, let him try, she thought. Her body had grown strong and quick with all the manual labor she performed, and her mind had never been slow. Just like Annie, Brittany spent as many hours as possible away from her house and the abusive parents who dwelled within its walls. The friends she hung out with were a rowdy bunch whose only interest in life was getting high and having fun.

  For the most part, Brittany passed on the highs and focused on the fun. It had been sorely lacking in her life, and she’d been desperate to make up for lost time. Brittany was the jokester of the group. One prank after another was played on her unsuspecting pack of loveable oddballs.

  Grady’s ploy to lure her deeper into the warm tropical water was obvious. As a San Diego native, Brittany wasn’t a stranger to surf and sand. A rip current boiled a few feet behind Grady. If she could somehow get him into it, he would be whisked out to sea.

  A devious grin formed on her lips. She wanted to keep a poker face, but the smirk wouldn’t go away. Her scheme was probably just as apparent as his, but she didn’t care. Grady wanted to play, and she was prepared to beat him at his own game.

  She opened her arms for a hug and Grady stepped willingly into her web. He danced her closer to the churning undercurrent. Brittany threw her head back and laughed. They both had the same thing in mind.

  Intent on using her womanly wiles to distract him long enough to take his mind off the game, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled his body against hers. Brittany smiled and looked up into Grady’s laughing, green eyes.

  The tables turned when Brittany felt her body tingle beneath Grady’s touch. Caught up in the sensation, the smiles dropped from their faces. Grady pressed the length of her torso tight against his.

  Brittany’s head tilted and her lips parted. His salty lips touched hers and Brittany was lost. Every fiber of her being wanted to open up to him. Her pelvis ground against his and she felt his growing need. Not giving a thought to the riptide so close behind them, Brittany jumped up and wrapped her legs around Grady’s waist.

  The young man stepped back to support her added weight. The sand beneath his feet swept away. He lost his balance and the couple fell into the riptide.

  Grady’s limbs began to flail and Brittany quickly realized the error of her ways. Panicked, he climbed on top of her as he struggled to stay above the water. Brittany felt the current pulling them further out to sea. That alone would not have given her cause to worry. Riding the rips had been a favorite pastime, once she learned how to do it properly, but her lungs were burning. She wouldn’t be able to hold her breath much longer. Breaking free from Grady was the only way either of them would survive.

  Brittany dove deep.

  Desperate to remain on the surface and not be pulled under, Grady released his grip and Brittany was able to slip away. The undercurrent grabbed her, whisked her past Grady, and popped her up safely out of his reach, several feet in front of him.

  Oxygen raced into her lungs. After several gulping breaths, she turned her focus back on the boy who almost drowned her. Terror bulged from his eyes and his arms thrashed the water uselessly. “Grady!” she called out. “Calm down. The rip will release us in just a minute.”

  “I can’t be out here!” he wailed. “I can’t do this.”

  A light bulb went off in Brittany’s head. She finally understood. Erika told her how his parents died in a boating accident and that he hadn’t been in the ocean out past his knees since. Grady hadn’t planned on throwing her in the rip. He only wanted to dunk her.

  Grady’s fear was too great. He wasn’t capable of helping himself. It was up to her to get them both out of this mess.

  Lessons from an old lifeguard boyfriend raced through her mind. Not allowing someone else to drown you was lesson number one. Brittany successfully managed that part. Lesson number two was how to rescue said victim, who had just held you under and almost killed you.

  It was a tough one to accomplish. When every fiber of your being wanted to reach out and touch the terrified swimmer, you had to force yourself to stay clear until they were exhausted and no longer posed a threat.

  Brittany looked back at the beach. The undercurrent took them more than a hundred yards off shore, but she could feel its hold easing. Grady was still floundering, but he too was slowing down.

  “Are you feeling better, Grady?” she yelled. “I’ll get you back on solid ground, but I can’t come close until I’m sure you won’t climb on me again.”

  His eyes told her he accepted defeat. He was tiring and decided to let the ocean take him. Grady had given up.

  “Don’t you dare die quietly, GRADY BARLOW!” Brittany swam closer. “We are only about a football field away from the beach. Get a grip.”

  Grady slipped under, but Brittany was ready. She dove after him. The murky water hindered her sight, but she no longer felt the clutch of the churning rip. Luckily, she bashed smack dab into his body and managed to grab hold of his shirt. Once she kicked their way to the surface, she floated him on his back.

  His eyes were closed, but his chest was rising and falling with each breath he took. Grady had simply fainted.

  He was going to survive, but Brittany needed him awake and active. To avoid getting caught back up in the current, they would need to travel parallel to the shore before making their way back to the beach. Brittany was pretty sure she was strong enough to manage them both while they were in the water and buoyant, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to drag Grady up onto the sand.

  She’d find a way if she had to, but dead weight was much heavier than someone who could move even just a little.

  A shadow passed beneath Grady’s body and bumped against Brittany’s leg as she treaded water. She froze and understood the boy’s panic. There had been two early morning shark attacks off the coast of San Diego this year, and she and Grady entered the water at feeding time. Dawn and dusk were the two most dangerous times to play, surf, and snorkel, but it was also the time of day when the wildlife was most active and the water was at its best. The risk was higher, but the swimmer’s experience was amplified. She had never been frightened in the ocean before. It was her playground, her safe haven, now it was going to be her coffin.

  The shadow cruised by again. Brittany held her breath and waited.

  Grady’s body surged high in the water and was propelled forward. His torso remained intact and there were no blood or guts in sight.

  The curved backs of three gray forms crested the surface around them, their dorsal fins upright and threatening. Brittany envied Grady. In his unconscious state, he didn’t know what was about to hit him. They were in a school of sharks. Brittany wasn’t sure what threats inhabited the waters of the Hawaiian Islands. Back home, over twenty-four hundred great whites prowled the coastal waters. San Diego was not located within the deadly red triangle where most of the state’s great white shark attacks occurred, but sightings of the elusive beast were not unheard of.

  • • •

  TASTING WATER IN his mouth, Grady jerked himself awake. Before panic had a chance to consume him, he saw Brittany. The natural buoyancy of the salt held her head above the water. She was still. Her wide, frightened eyes darted furtively about the sea. Behind her, a small spinner dolphin leaped into the air and spun around before crashing back into the ocean.

  Brittany screamed!

  Grady laughed.

  He swam the short distance back to her. “Britt, don’t worry,” he soothed. “Look at them. They’re beautiful.”

  “They’re going to eat us.”

  Brittany’s arms reached out and grabbed his shoulders and Grady pulle
d her close. “No,” he cooed, “they’re dolphins. They just want to play.”

  One dolphin poked its head out of the water right beside them and gave Brittany a chance to see what they were up against. She let out a nervous laugh and brushed her hair away from her eyes. “We’re not going to die?”

  The words Brittany hollered at him before he passed out popped into his head. “We’re only about a hundred yards from shore, and we’re swimming with a pod of spinner dolphins. This is a great day, so get a grip.”

  • • •

  FOR THE NEXT hour, the dolphins entertained them with their antics, but in the seventy-five-degree water, their bodies began to chill. Gradually, Brittany and Grady made their way back to the shallows. The spinners followed. If the couple drifted too far apart, they corralled them back together until they were side by side once more. When Brittany’s feet touched the sandy bottom, the spinners disappeared from sight.

  She scanned the open ocean. The encounter had been exhilarating, more than that, it had been fun. Brittany wasn’t ready for the little dolphins to go. “I wonder why they left in such a hurry.”

  Grady was already beating a path to the beach. “Are you going to wait around to find out?”

  Remembering the threat of the shark, Brittany quickly followed.

  She dropped onto the sand beside him. “That was an experience I won’t soon forget.”

  Grady picked up her hand. “Do you realize that’s the first time I’ve swum in the ocean since my parents’ death?”

  “I kind of figured that, Mr. Panic-Man,” she smirked sideways.

  His surfer green eyes turned warm. “Thanks for not letting me drown.”

  Brittany squeezed his hand affectionately. “Thanks for not letting me.” She looked back out at the waves crashing more forcefully against the shoreline. “The tide is coming in. Do you think we were surrounded by dolphins the entire time or do you think they saved us from being shark bait?”

  “Stranger things have happened.”

  Brittany let off a shudder. “I don’t think I’ll be riding the rips for a while.”