A Christmas to Remember by Thomas Kinkade Read Free Book Online Page A

didn’t smile back. She poured herself a cup of iced tea from Charlotte’s cooler and drank it down quickly.
    Oliver looked completely different today from the way he had the night before. Though unfortunately, no less attractive.
    He wore khaki Bermuda shorts, boat shoes, and a short-sleevedcotton sports shirt, dark blue with vertical grey stripes. His shirt hung open, revealing his bare chest; he was more muscular than she would have expected. The wind tossed his dark hair in all directions, and sunglasses hid his eyes. She could still feel him watching her every move, like the heat of the sun on her bare skin.
    “Why don’t you sit down, Lily? You must be exhausted.” Charlotte jumped up from her chair. “Here, sit in the shade a while and cool off.”
    The chair in the shade did look inviting. But Oliver sat on the blanket right beside it, his arms folded loosely around his long legs. She was angry at the idea of him following her and afraid of what she might say.
    She had plenty to talk to him about. But not in front of Charlotte and her friends.
    “I do need to cool off. I think I’ll take a swim.” Lillian grabbed a towel and headed for the water.
    Charlotte wasn’t much of a swimmer, and Lillian knew she wouldn’t follow. Neither would any of the others. Penny and Bess were too busy flirting with Oliver, and he wasn’t even dressed for swimming.
    “The water’s rough today, Lily. Be careful,” Charlotte called after her.
    Lillian nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
    The surf was rough. The wind was strong and the waves were coming in close together, peaking high and breaking with lots of spray and foam. There were no lifeguards on this stretch of shoreline, but Lillian wasn’t concerned. She had been swimming in the waters of Cape Light and Newburyport all her life. She was a strong swimmer who knew how to handle herself in the surf.
    She waded in a bit until the water swirled around her hips, then dove in, slipping under the breakers. She popped up on theother side and floated. Even at this relatively calm point, the waves rose and fell quickly, lifting and dropping her into deep ocean troughs.
    The rough, cold water quickly cleared her head and cooled her temper. She felt ready to return to the group on the blanket. After a few moments, she turned on her stomach and did a breast stroke, swimming back toward the beach.
    But while it had been easy to get into the water, it was another matter to get out. She bobbed up and down in the big waves, waiting for the chance to ride one to shore. But the waves were coming in so close together and from several different angles. She could bob around here until midnight, Lillian realized. There would never be a really good time to make her move.
    She waited for the next big wave and started swimming madly, feeling it sweep her into the shore, just as she had planned. She noticed the group on the blanket watching her and as she reached the shallow water she tried to get up and exit the water as gracefully as she could, despite the load of sand—and maybe even a few small crustaceans—that had been swept down the cleavage of her suit.
    Lillian rose on wobbly legs and shook out her hair. Foamy whirlpools swirled around her legs. She started to walk out of the water, while the sand beneath her feet was sucked from under her by the outgoing wave.
    The last thing she saw was her cousin, leaping out of her chair, her expression terrified. Charlotte yelled something to her. Lillian couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the ocean, but Charlotte was pointing madly and Lillian glanced behind her to see what Charlotte was pointing at.
    A wave had crept up behind her, and the swell of water was now towering over her head. Lillian turned and tried to dive into itbut she wasn’t fast enough. The wave smashed down on her, knocking her off her feet. She fell face-first into the water and immediately tried to push herself up. But it was impossible. Tons of water