A Saltwater Christmas (The Southern Isles #1)

Chapter Six

I t took forty-five minutes to drive to the overgrown green island that had just one narrow asphalt road, a camp, and a lighthouse. When they pulled into an old gravel parking lot and got out, they immediately heard voices calling out in beats like a metronome. “Tulip!” Silence. “Tulip!” Silence. “Tulip!”

So, they hadn’t found her yet.

Allie and Joey walked past an old camp building down the slope to the water and found Dottie sitting in a jon boat flanked by one small and one large fishing boat. She knew from the group text that Sam had come over on the boat with Dottie and Fred. Probably the smaller one, considering the large boat was called the Saltwater Duke . “Dottie?” Allie called out. “You okay?”

She looked up and nodded, her blue beanie slumping down over her brow. “I’m focusing,” she said. “Feeling her vibration. She’s near water, but it’s not the ocean.” Dottie spread her arms across the width of the boat and lifted her head to the sun. Even though Allie had many questions, she kept quiet so the woman could concentrate. Dottie then stood so suddenly, the boat lurched and rocked. “Dammit,” she said. “She’s in the creek.” She sat back down before she fell into the water and typed madly into her phone. Allie and Joey’s phones dinged at the same time.

“She’s in the creek somewhere. Dang girl is obsessed with finding shark teeth. She came out here looking. I know it.”

From the top of the hill where an old brown building stood, sunny-haired Jessa came running. “Thank y’all so much for being here!” she said, somewhat out of breath. “Mama’s right. Last year, Tulip knit 478 beanies and now she’s moved on to shark teeth. Tootie’s had it in her mind to find a megalodon tooth for months now. Probably heard she could find one out here and couldn’t wait.”

“The school said her cell phone’s in a box in the science teacher’s class,” Dottie said. “Now we know we can’t track her, so we better spread out wide.”

“Come on, y’all,” Jessa said, leading the way. “The creek’s out this way. I used to come to this camp every summer, so I know this place better than a pirate making a treasure map.”

“Like the back of a plan,” Dottie said.

“Hand, mother,” Jessa corrected. “I know it like the back of my hand.” She pointed to a path leading into the woods. “Pass under the bridge and keep walking till you see the lighthouse, then head away from the beach. When y’all see the white birch tree, you’re getting close.” She jogged a few feet away before stopping again. “I’m gonna check the beach in case Mama’s wrong about the creek. Her visions can get close to the truth, but they hardly ever land right on it.”

“Weird and wacky,” Joey whispered. “Dottie thinks she’s psychic.”

“Oh,” Allie said softly. It was strange that a girl as perfect as Jessa had a mother like that.

They walked together toward the path and underneath the bridge, keeping quiet so they could hear any possible shouts for help. Occasionally, they called Tulip’s name, but all they heard was the distant whoosh of the ocean, birds chirping, and a soft wind rustling through the trees and saw palmettos. Allie hadn’t actually been too worried until that moment. What if they didn’t find Tulip before nightfall?

“Are there alligators here?” she whispered.

Joey nodded. “You wanna know how to tell if there’s an alligator in the water?”

She nodded.

“It’s wet.”

“The water is wet?” It took her a second to clue in. “Oh, you’re saying they’re everywhere.” She shivered and scanned the top of the water for bugging eyes watching them. Alligators were one thing they most certainly did not have in Nashville.

Joey moved a branch from the path and waited for her to pass before releasing it to snap back. “But you know what the most dangerous animal is, right?”

“Coyotes? Bears?”

“Humans.”

Even though he was clearly enjoying freaking her out, the word still stabbed like a knife. It was the first time it occurred to her that something really, really bad might actually have happened to the awkward young girl she’d met on her front porch—the lanky teen with a terrible bowl-shaped haircut who hid behind Jessa. What if she wasn’t alone? What if something truly awful had happened to her? Allie shivered. What if it was happening right now?

She picked up her pace, and Joey followed. Soon, she was running full out, scanning the woods for a view of the lighthouse or a white birch tree. She didn’t know what she would do if she found Tulip with some sort of human or reptilian monster, aside from scream as loudly as she could. But at least that was something—at least Tulip wouldn’t be alone.

Finally, she heard the faraway sirens of the local sheriff—hopefully, they were flying down the tiny asphalt road at top speed. It felt like every passing second brought them closer to doom. “Tulip!” she yelled, panic and urgency in her voice. She struggled to keep up the pace with so many sticks and weeds on the path, but she was a runner, she could do it.

A loud bark answered her. “Cuppie!” she called, stopping so she could hear better. “Sam?”

Cuppie ran straight for her at full speed, fur flying and mouth open. As soon as she got to Allie and Joey, she made a full circle around them before heading back the way she came. “You want us to follow you? Good girl,” Allie said as they all fell into step. “Sam!” she yelled again.

“Up ahead!” he answered. “I’ve got her!”

Sam came into view carrying a soaking wet girl. “Is she okay?” Allie asked as she caught up to him.

Tulip smiled despite the tears running down her dirt-streaked face as Sam answered, “Broken ankle.” Allie heard the strain in his voice and noticed the tilt of Tulip’s body. Sam was barely able to hold her legs aloft with his injured left arm.

“We were so worried,” Allie said. She put her arms underneath Tulip’s legs. Sam shifted, allowing her to share the load.

Mud covered Tulip’s jeans and purple shirt. “Mama’s gonna have my hide.”

“Most of all,” Allie said, “she’s going to be so, so happy that you’re alive.”

“Yeah.” Tulip had one hand on her belly, and it looked like there was something big underneath it. “I got one,” she said when she noticed Allie looking.

“A shark tooth?”

She nodded. “Megalodon,” she said and held up a large black tooth twice the size of her hand. “It’s thirty million years old.” She sniffed deeply. “I got a thresher and an orange tiger too.” In the arm she had around Sam’s neck, she opened her fist to show two tiny, pointy versions of the huge triangular tooth.

“I texted the group. They’re coming,” Joey said, taking his eyes off his phone long enough to notice Allie and Sam smashed together, holding Tulip. “I can carry her,” he said.

Allie felt Sam stiffen. She knew he didn’t want to give up carrying Tulip. “We’ve got her,” she said. “You want to go on ahead and help guide them in?”

Joey frowned, but he did as he was told.

“Nice guy,” Sam said.

His words didn’t sound genuine. They sounded jealous.

“Joey works with my sister,” Tulip said. “He makes good spaghetti.” She flinched. “I’m hungry.”

“We’ll get you something to eat as soon as we can,” Allie said.

“Can I pet your dog when we get back to camp?” Tulip asked. “She found me.”

“She did,” Sam agreed. “Buttercup’s got a good nose, and she especially loves scratches on her head and under her collar.”

Tulip’s voice went high-pitched, outside of the softened fearful and pained tone from just a second ago. “Want some scratchies, old girl?”

“Goll dang it, Tulip!” Dottie’s voice bellowed from the path ahead.

“I’m sorry, Mama,” she yelled. “I slipped in the mud.”

Fred followed behind her, fast-walking with a toothpick in his mouth and the coat of his Santa suit unbuttoned and flapping behind him.

“Hey, Uncle Fred!” At the sight of him, Tulip burst into tears.

He ran up and gently took her from Sam and Allie. “You okay, sweetheart?” He kissed her on the head, and she nuzzled into his neck, looking more like a little girl than ever. “You scared us something fierce.”

“My ankle hurts.”

“It looks like it does,” he said.

“Don’t be too nice to her, Dewayne,” Dottie said. “She’s in trouble.”

“She can be in trouble later.”

“Did you see where I was, Mama?” Tulip asked.

“I did.”

Fresh tears streamed down her face. “And you sent the dog to find me?”

“No, that guy did.” Dottie pointed at Sam before leaning in to hold her daughter’s face. She planted an aggressive kiss firmly on her forehead.

Jessa and Duke walked up together. She’d clearly hung behind to stay with the older, slower man. Jessa was nice like that. “Don’t ever do that again, Tootie!” she said. “You know I can’t live without you.”

“It’s like you always say about asking for help,” Tulip said to Jessa as her big sister smothered her face with kisses.

“That’s right, darlin’,” Jessa said. “You’ve got to have your people.”

“It took all of us to find you,” Sam said.

It was a strange feeling for Allie to be a part of that group, even if only temporarily. They were tight. They were each other’s go-to, their backup, and their first call. How nice it must be.

The crowd moved together toward the camp, and Allie tried to walk anywhere but alongside Joey or Sam. Tulip chatted and held tight to her uncle Fred the whole way. “Jess, did you get my phone from school?”

“No, she did not,” Dottie answered for her. “And don’t you plan on seeing that phone for a while now, ya hear?”

“Mama!” The tears started all over again, but this time much louder.