Page 76 of Make Me Dream of You

The hairs on my neck prick up, all my senses going on alert as dread tightens in my chest.

I race to where I saw her last.

There’s no trace of her. No waves. No air bubbles.

I dive down.

I can’t see anything.

There’s movement.

It’s Wood. He brushes against me as he dives below me.

Then I see her, tiny air bubbles swirling around her hair like a halo.

She’s not moving.

I swim faster than I ever have in my life, barely able to see in the dark water. Hooking her around the middle, I shoot to the surface. As soon as I do, gasping for air, Wood takes her over his shoulder and swims back to the beach.

I don’t like not having her in my arms. She’s not okay. I need to make sure she’s okay. But Wood is literally a champion swimmer. He can swim with her in one arm faster than I can with two.

He has her laid out on a blanket by the fire when I get out of the water. I snatch up two more blankets and cover her, dropping to my knees by her side.

“Call 911,” I bark at him.

He runs for his phone.

Her lips are blue.

I don’t think she’s breathing.

I press my cheek to her face, hoping to hear her, to feel warm breath on my skin. But she’s cold.

A blood-curdling scream breaks behind me. Frantic footsteps in the sand as Bex and Jake run up to us. Bex is yelling, “What’s happening?” already crying.

“I know CPR.” Jake kneels next to us, and I scramble away to make room.

Bex is hysterical, sobbing, crumpled on the other side of Livvy as Jake starts to administer CPR.

I can’t do anything but watch.

Her body is so still.

I take her hand. Her fingers are freezing and limp. Minutes ago, they were wrapping around my hand so tight, warm, holding on to me. Trusting me.

I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight. I should have stayed right next to her and made sure. Kept her safe. How did I let this happen?

My stomach is so tight it hurts.

He rips the blankets off her and places his hands between her breasts for chest compressions.

I want to vomit.

I don’t know if I can watch.

I close my eyes, squeeze her hand, and prepare myself for the sickening cracking sound to come next.

There’s a raspy gurgle. I open my eyes as Jake is turning Livvy onto her side. She heaves, water gushes out of her mouth and into the sand, and then she starts coughing and taking pained, wheezing breaths.

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