Simple Perfection (Perfection #2)(54)

"I'm planning it. Has to be special."

Jace sighed. "Yeah, I'm planning it, too. Bethy and I've had a hard summer but things are looking better. She's stopped running off to bars. I think she just had a dark time there for a while. She's been spending time with Blaire and Della again. That helps."

Jace hadn't shown up on my doorstep upset about Bethy in two months. I was hoping things were better. "Good. Glad you two are working it out."

"Oh, shit. Is that Nan?" Jace said, pointing her out to me. "I thought she left and went to Paris for the summer. Seeing Nan is gonna send Grant into a tailspin again." Grant wasn't at the party; he was out of town. That was happening a lot lately. He would show up for a couple of days then leave again. I was just glad he wasn't wasting time with Nan.

"Grant has moved on. If Nan's back, then he'll be fine. She was a bad mistake. He knows that now."

Jace let out a low whistle. "She's with August Schweep. What, did she bring him back from Paris with her?"

"No. August is our new golf pro. We needed more than just Marco. When August hurt his rotator cuff his pro career was over. He wants to retire here, so he bought the Spencer house. He's working for me now."

"Looks like Nan is all over that."

"Good. At least it's not Grant."

Jace snorted. "Ain't that the truth."

I was going to get Della and take her for a walk. The dark beach was a great place to get her alone. Turning, I glanced out over the water and saw Bethy staggering out to the waves. She knew better than that. There was a red flag up. Had been all week. The riptides were intense and it was dark. You don't swim in the gulf in the dark.

"Jace, man, what's Bethy doing?" I asked, afraid to take my eyes off her.

"What is she doing now? She was drinking tequila shots earlier and I cut her off. She'd had enough . . . shit!"

"She's getting too deep," I said, taking a step toward the water. Jace took off running toward the water. I followed behind him. I heard someone scream from the crowd as Bethy's head went under the water. No. This couldn't be happening.

Jace dove into the waves and took off toward her. I pulled my shirt off, afraid it would slow me down, before I dove in after him. I wasn't letting my best friend go into this alone.

Bethy's gurgling scream filled the air.

"Relax, baby! Relax. Don't fight it. Please don't fight it. You'll go under and won't have the strength to rise back up," Jace was yelling as he swam toward her.

I saw him grab her just as the deathly pull of a rip current grabbed him. This wasn't happening. No.

"I need you to take her, Woods!" Jace yelled over the water's roar.

"Give me both your hands!" I shouted.

"No! Take her. I got this. Take her, dammit! It's strong!" Jace yelled.

How was I supposed to take her and leave him out there? "Come with me, Jace!" I demanded.

"Woods, listen to me---" His head went under and he came back up as he held a panicking Bethy in his arms. "You have to take her or we'll all die. I'm not gonna let her drown. Help me!"

I nodded. I had to do this. He could get out of the current. He was strong and he was smart. We had grown up knowing how to fight rip currents. I reached for Bethy as she screamed Jace's name.

"I love you," he told her as he let her go. She cried as she clung to my arms.

"Don't say that!" I yelled at him. "You're getting out of this. Don't f**king say that."

"Just get her out of here!" he yelled, pushing her away from him and toward me as he held on to her arm.

I could feel the pull getting closer. If I stayed here much longer I was going to get pulled into it, too. I wrapped my hand around Bethy's arm and pulled her out of the current, then tucked her under my arm and I started swimming back to shore.

Rush came swimming up to us and relief surged through me. I was going to be able to help Jace.

"Give her to me," Rush said as he reached for Bethy.

"Go get him," she cried as Rush pulled her from my arms.

I didn't wait for them to leave before I turned back around to get Jace.

But Jace wasn't there.

I glanced back at the shore to see if he'd made his way back up there and I'd missed it, but all I saw was Rush carrying Bethy out of the water.

I turned back to the dark waves. I was met with silence. Nothing.

He was just here. I just saw him. He isn't gone. It didn't happen that fast.

I went under and forced my eyes open in the salty water, but all I could see was the darkness. I needed light. I reached around me, feeling for anything. My lungs started to burn. Kicking up, I broke the surface and took a deep breath. I heard my name from the shore. They were yelling for me. I also heard Jace's name. I couldn't go back without him.

I went back under. I had to find Jace. I couldn't lose Jace. Not like this. Not now. We were supposed to be grumpy old men together. I fought back the panic starting to set in with each second that I couldn't find him. I swam underwater and fought the pull of the current as I reached out for some sign of him. Anything I could get my hands on.

When my lungs couldn't take it anymore, I swam back to the top, only to be taken back under by a wave before I could breathe. I wasn't going down like this. I had to find Jace.