Page 21 of Falls From Grace
Brynn, though, was miles ahead. Her jacket was already discarded on the lakeshore, her sneakers too, before she plunged into the frigid water. Savannah had splashed up to her knees in the icy lake when a pair of hands grabbed her by both arms and Noah held her back.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Brynn’s got him-” He resisted her struggling and wouldn’t let her go. She stopped fighting him when she saw he was right. About fifteen feet away, Brynn was upright again, Tucker’s head on her shoulder and pushing back through the deep water toward them. Time seemed to jump sideways all of a sudden and then her coughing, spluttering, frozen wet child was in her arms and she was crying hysterically and kissing his face, clutching at him, stumbling back to shore, while he cried, big, healthy, angry, frightened wails.
“You’re all going to get hypothermia!” Noah’s stressed voice was the first thing to break through - after seconds or minutes she wasn’t sure - and Savannah’s head snapped up to see Brynn, drenched right through and shivering violently on the lakeshore beside her.
“Boathouse,” Savannah managed, pointing in the direction of the building that was significantly closer than the house. As they began to stumble up the path in their drenched clothes and boots, Savannah suddenly realized.
“Megan!” she cried, turning around to look.
“She was looking at her phone,” Brynn said grimly. “She wasn’t watching him.”
“She freaked out,” Noah told them, looking far more sympathetic than Savannah felt. “She ran off after she saw us all come out of the water.”
The boathouse was unlocked but only slightly less cold than the outside world. The inside was dim and mostly filled with a small fishing boat and a collection of canoes, but they were out of the chilling breeze and there was one thing that would help.
“Towels.” Savannah pointed and Noah opened the cupboard, bringing over a stack of big fluffy navy blue and white striped beach towels. She gave him her phone and asked him to call Chester while she stripped her son of his icy wet clothes and wrapped his small cold body in a dry towel. She unzipped her jacket and tucked him in against her chest, wrapping him up tight and cradling him close. His sobs began to calm as he warmed and she kissed the back of his neck over and over, her own tears starting again, feeling beyond sick as she imagined what she’d almost lost.
She looked over and saw Brynn struggling out of her sodden jeans, wrapping a towel around her waist and pulling off her wet sweater and t-shirt. Her body was lean, tanned and strong and Savannah was overwhelmed with desperate appreciation for her. Brynn looked up and caught her staring as she wrapped a towel around her shoulders, her wet hair in long tendrils over her back.
“Thank you.” Savannah’s voice cracked and she could barely see for tears. Brynn walked over and sat right next to her on the low wooden bench.
“Hey,” she said, her voice light as she tucked a dark strand of wet hair behind her ear. “You doing okay there, little buddy?” Tucker lifted his head from his mother’s shoulder to consider her.
“I saw fishes,” he said softly.
“You sure did,” Brynn smiled. “Can you do a big cough for me?” Tucker obliged, then sniffed and laid his head back down, pressing his face into Savannah’s shoulder. “If you want we can get him checked out to be safe, but he’s going to be just fine.” Brynn found her eyes. “Okay, mama?
Savannah could only nod, her eyes overflowing again.
“Chester’s on his way. He said with a golf cart?” Noah looked nonplussed. Savannah spluttered out a mildly unhinged laugh. Chester to the rescue at five miles per hour seemed surreal. “Little dude okay?” Noah asked, worry lines appearing on his perfect forehead.
“Thanks to Brynn,” Savannah said, holding her baby tightly.
Noah sat down next to them and rubbed his wife’s shoulders over the towel as she shivered.
“Pretty lucky having a lifeguard on the beach today,” he said fondly.
“You were a lifeguard?” Savannah asked, recalling the total lack of hesitation as the other woman had plunged into the water.
“Malibu’s finest,” Brynn said wryly.
“When?” Savannah had so many questions.
“Up until about three weeks ago,” Brynn laughed.
“Oh!” Savannah gazed at her. She could suddenly see it: those long, strong, tanned limbs, her firm shoulders and abs, the sprinkle of freckles across her pretty nose. Brynn would look right at home on a golden beach in a sporty bikini, ready to save lives. She realized she was blushing and had been staring way too long. “Bit warmer in Malibu?” she managed, like an idiot.
“Little bit.” Brynn grinned back, wrapping her towel tighter. The sound of a golf cart pulling up was a welcome distraction.
Chester got them home in record time - as far as golf buggies went - and inside Lucille had the fire roaring and a whole tray of hot chocolates waiting. She fussed around with the air of a harried nurse and within minutes they were all installed near the fire, everything cold and wet removed, snuggled up in cozy blankets. Tucker was briefly whisked away and returned with a dry diaper and warm pajamas and his own small milky hot chocolate, which he slurped joyfully. He wriggled out of his mama’s lap and did the rounds, grabbing Brynn’s knees and grinning up at her bashfully, peering around at Noah, who picked up a cushion to play peekaboo. Apparently, it was the greatest day of her son’s life.
At some point, Chester disappeared and then re-entered.
“That was Megan departing,” he stated simply. “She said to tell you she’s very, very sorry and that she won’t be back.”
Savannah glared into the fireplace.
“Probably for the best,” she said shortly. She had a momentary vision of her hands around the young woman’s throat and blinked it back. She couldn’t imagine letting her son out of her sight ever again, and the realization that she would have to hire yet another nanny felt sickening. And then there was work. “That’s me out for at least a week,” she told Noah with a frown. In reality, it would probably be longer. She had an assistant who handled this kind of admin, but there was no way she wanted to trust her son with another nanny without some serious vetting and a supervised trial. “I have no idea how I’ll find childcare again at such short notice.”
