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He nodded. “Yeah, my shrink keeps telling me that.” He leaned back down and relaxed next to her. “It doesn’t stop me from wondering what she’d look like now. If we would have grown up close.” He glanced over at her and she was looking at him strange.
“I was just thinking all of that about Amber.” She turned on her side and he did the same until they were looking at one another. Their elbows sunk into the sand as they leaned on them. “Like, if we’d be friends or if we would have grown apart.”
He nodded. “I have a buddy who hasn’t spoken to his younger sister in ten years,” he said with a shake of his head.
“Like, who does that?” she wondered.
“People who take family for granted. I guess it’s true, you don’t know what you’ve got…”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “When Amber disappeared, all I could think about was how I’d stop wanting to play with her. I was at an age where kids in my play groups were new and exciting.”
“Your twin was an old toy?” he asked, understanding. “I always thought that my younger sister was a pain. I was always asked to watch her, and she made it difficult to like her when she didn’t like the things I did.” He felt the twist in his gut, remembering.
Robin reached over and took his hand in hers. “No matter what we think now, our young minds tortured us into thinking it was all our fault.”
He nodded and glanced around. “Which is when I chose my path.”
“And here we are.” She shuffled until she was sitting up again, hugging her knees to her chest. “You’ve chosen to help others, while I…” She closed her eyes.
He laid his hand on her shoulder. “Are doing the same. Vacations are a crucial part of any adult’s mental health.” He motioned to the couple from earlier, who were now sitting in the sun laughing and joking with one another. “When they arrived, they were both so stressed. Now, not even almost losing their things could damper today’s joys.”
Jade smiled. “You’re right.” She nodded. “You’re right,” she said again, then she motioned to one of the waitstaff that serviced the beach. Just like all the others, she wore tan shorts and a shirt bearing the resort’s logo.
“Yes, Miss Oswald?” the woman asked.
“See that couple there?” Jade motioned to the pair. “Next round of drinks is on the house.”
The waitress nodded and quickly crossed the sand to get them whatever they wanted.
“That was nice of you,” he told her.
“It’s the least we can do.” She smiled. “It does feel good to help people. You must get a total high of endorphins when you save someone.”
He was silent for a moment. “It has its ups.” He thought of all the downs that came with rescuing kids from their abductors.
Yes, seeing them free from the abuse was a good thing. But he knew that they and their families would need years and years of counseling if they hoped for any hint of normalcy ever again.
“How about another swim? We don’t have to go as far as before, but I need to cool off,” he suggested.
“Sounds good,” she said, and they both headed into the water.
“What about you? How does it work with your time off? If you live here…” He waited as they headed deeper into the water.
She stopped waist deep and turned to him, then sank below the water until her shoulders were just above the surface. His feet sank in the soft sand as he knelt down next to her.
“I’m always on call. But if I’m unreachable, Diane will handle things.” Jade shrugged as she avoided a shallow wave.
“She seems pretty vital to the whole place,” he suggested, moving a little closer to her.
“She is. The Emerald is her baby. Or so she’s told me her entire life.” Jade smiled. “It’s her family, her lifeline. It was for my parents there for a while too.”
“And now?”
“Now, I think they’re purposely taking a step back. But down underneath, I think it’s killing my dad to be away from here.”
“And your mother?” he asked as their knees bumped.
“She’s tired of it all. She misses having a home. A place where, as she puts it, she can have visitors stop by that don’t need to fly in or book rooms.”
