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“Why are you nervous? I’m the one up here ten feet above the water.”
“Just get it over with.”
John scooted his way along the tree until he got to the rope. Then he got onto his knees and slowly stood up, balancing on the limb. He reached for some branches above his head to steady himself. Then looked at her again.
“Are you sure the water is deep enough?”
She nodded. “Yes. Scott’s been jumping in since he was a kid.”
“From up here? Or from the rope?”
“From the rope. Scott isn’t quite as macho as you apparently are.”
He grinned. “Macho or stupid?”
She laughed. “I guess we’ll find out.”
John took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Okay. Here goes.” He took another breath and held it, then leaped from the branch.
Ember was holding her breath too as she went to the edge of the water. She didn’t release it until she saw John come up out of it.
“Holy shit.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Damn cold.”
“Come to shore, please.”
He went back under for a moment, then came up and started swimming away from shore.
“Where are you going?” Of course, he didn’t answer, and she watched as he swam out about fifty feet, then stopped, turned, and headed back. When he was almost to shore, she went to grab the towel, then brought it to the edge of the water. It seemed time slowed down for a moment as he walked out of the water in his wet jeans. He raised both hands and ran them through his hair, them grinned at her. She snapped back to reality and handed him the towel.
He took it and dried his face and rubbed his hair, before putting it around his shoulders.
Ember took his arm. “Come sit by the fire, you crazy man.”
He laughed. “Man, that was exhilarating.” He sat on one of the stumps and rubbed his hair again, then held his hands over the fire. “I think it’s your turn now.”
“No. No way. No how.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
He shook his head and swiped at water that had dripped down from his hair onto his forehead. “Cold. Really, really cold. How is it so cold in June?”
“It never warms up. The cool nights keep the temperature down.”
“It is still June, right?”
“Yes. It’s the twenty-fifth.”
“So, Fourth of July is coming up?”
“Yes. And Schaeffer Mills has a great fireworks show. They do it at the end of the lake near town, and they shoot them off the floating platform at the public swimming beach.”
“Wow. Sounds nice. Can we go?”
