Page 57 of One More Time

Hannah followed me down to the harbor. I showed her the gravel path that led to the beach away from the docks. “I used to hike all the time when I was younger,” I explained as we walked.

“Tessa said this is a good spot to see the sea lions,” Hannah said.

“It is. They often rest on some rocks in the water.” We picked our way over a rocky section of the trail. “This isn’t an official trail. When the tide comes in, the water closes it off for a few hours.”

I could see the tide was rolling in, but I guessed we had a few hours.

“That’s kind of cool,” Hannah said after a moment.

“That’s why I’ve always liked this trail. The view is incredible, and it’s never a busy spot.”

We traveled in silence for a little while and crossed over the area the tide would eventually cover when it came in. Even though I hadn’t planned on this for today, I enjoyed the hike and needed the fresh air and scenery to break me out of my funk. With the trail following the shoreline, it offered a gorgeous view.

“Almost there,” I said when I recognized the landmark on the trail that would lead us to the area with some rocky clusters in the water.

As soon as we came around the corner, nature gave us a show. Some seals lounged in the sunshine on one big rock, with sea lions farther ahead on another boulder in the water.

Hannah bounced on her toes. “Oh wow,” she breathed. “They’re amazing.” She looked from the seals to the sea lions. “Wow, sea lions are seriously big.”

I chuckled. “They are.”

“Are they here often?”

As we stood there, a curious seal occasionally poked its head out of the water near the shoreline as if checking on us.

“Pretty often. It’s a good sunny spot, so I assume they like it.” I glanced at my watch. “We should probably go soon. We need to make sure we’re back well before the tide comes in too far.”

Hannah took a few photos with her phone camera before we began walking back. We rounded a corner in the trail along a rocky section. Hannah took a step and slipped. In a matter of seconds, she had fallen halfway down the gravelly bluff.

She let out a startled and pained cry.

“Are you okay?” I called down.

“I think so. I hurt my ankle. Just give me a minute,” she called up.

A moment later, she began to climb up before letting out a yelp. “McKenna?”

“Yeah?”

“Something’s wrong with my ankle. I think it’s broken.”

I could hear the tears in her voice. I knew I could get to her. Except the tide would be coming in sometime soon. If she couldn’t walk, I didn’t know how I was going to get her off the cliff with a broken ankle. I slipped my phone out of my pocket and swore when I saw the single bar for reception.

“Shit,” I muttered.

“Hannah, you stay right where you are,” I called down in my most comforting voice.

I crossed my fingers and prayed as I called. The call dropped as soon as I heard one ring. I quickly texted my brothers. I figured Rhys would respond first because he tended to monitor his phone closely.

Hannah is with me. I took her down to see the sea lions. Check with Tessa about it. It’s the trail near the harbor through the tall grass. Hannah thinks she broke her ankle. I’m not sure I can get her all the way back by myself.

After I hit send, I made sure my phone was securely zipped into my pocket. It was spring, and we were both dressed comfortably for now, but I knew the temperature would start dropping this afternoon. I hoped my text went through.

I made my way carefully down the rocky slope. There were bushes here and there for me to grab onto. I stopped beside her, holding the base of a small tree.

“Can I see your ankle?” I asked.

She was seated on her hips with one foot propped against a sturdy boulder. She held the other foot up. She had rolled up her pants and loosened her shoe in the time that it had taken me to send that text and scramble down to her. Her ankle was already swelling. I couldn’t tell if it was broken, but the swelling concerned me.

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