wrong about the dumping part. I backpedal hard. “I guess I can stay a little longer. I mean, I do have something else to do, like I said. I didn’t make that up. But if you want me to stay…”
“I want you to stay.”
“For real?”
He leans in closer and I think: He’s going to kiss me. It’s going to happen. He’s going to kiss me on the lips in front of the Ferris wheel. But instead of lips, his finger moves gently over the corner of my mouth. “You had a little crumb there. Must have been an escaped Dipping Dot.”
I blush. That was almost a kiss. It made my legs go weak. “I’m a messy eater.”
“It’s settled, then. You’re staying?”
I nod.
“Good. Because this isn’t the secret spot. This is just the boardwalk.”
Again he checks his watch. “It’s time.” He reaches out like he wants to take my hand and I start to give it to him, but we both change our minds at the same instant. He walks quickly, and I take giant steps to keep up.
“Come on,” he urges.
At the far end of the boardwalk, behind the Logger’s Revenge ride, there’s a hole in the chain-link fence that cordons off the boardwalk from the cliff above the river that empties into the ocean. Using both hands, Brendon widens the opening so it’s just big enough for me to squeeze though. When I’m on the other side I do the same for him, and then we’re both standing on a high, narrow cliff ledge.
“This is where you tell me, ‘Whatever you do, don’t look down,’ right?” I say.
“Not afraid of heights, are you?”
I shake my head and give a nonchalant smile, even though I am not thrilled about being suspended twenty feet above the water on a ridge that’s not much wider than my shoes.
“Don’t worry. It’s safe. I’ve done this a lot. Follow me.”
With Brendon in the lead, we inch along the cliff and follow the steady downhill slope toward the open ocean. I don’t look beneath my feet and I keep my back pressed against the solid rock wall for security. When we get close to the bottom, Brendon waits for a wave to recede and then he jumps onto the only small patch of sand that’s momentarily dry. Everywhere else, there are nasty-looking boulders.
Then it’s my turn. He must sense my hesitation, because he holds out his arms—“Want some help?”—and as much as I want those arms around my waist and my hands on his neck, I also want to do this on my own. I don’t like being a helpless girl. Because I’m not. I’m a Fury. I should be able to jump a few feet. I tell him I’m fine on my own, and he gives advice:
“Time it right. Avoid these big rocks. Wait. Wait. Now! Jump!”
My knees buckle a little and the legs of my jeans get splashed, but other than that it’s a perfect landing. I did it. Just offshore, though, I see another wave build and break. I glance left and right, wondering how we’re going to avoid getting soaked or even bowled over. I panic as a flood of white, swirling foam rushes at me. Brendon’s hand takes mine and pulls me backward with the water pursuing quickly.
It stops because it hit a barrier. We’re in a cave, a small one but big enough for two to squeeze in tightly. I have my second attack of giggles of the day, and I’m normally not a giggler. Maybe it’s the relief of not drowning. Or noticing that overhead, a dozen orange sea stars framed by clumps of dark seaweed cling to the ceiling. Maybe it’s because I’m gripping tight onto the sleeve of Brendon’s flannel shirt so we can both stay balanced on the same boulder, and there’s no place else to go.
“Welcome to my humble secret spot,” he says. “Like it?”
“It’s amazing! How did you ever find this place?”
“Coincidence.”
“There is no such thing as coincidence, young earthling. There are only karmic lessons from the cosmos. Maybe you were supposed to find it.”
“Yeah, well, I did a total klutz move surfing, and the cosmos ripped my board away from me. The current took it into here. I paddled after it. The cave is underwater most of the time—except for a short period when the tide is super low like it is today. I come here when I want to think.”
“Think about what?
I catch him looking at me out of the corner