“Oh, hello, Dom-a-prick,” Trish said flatly. The nickname was terrible, and never came out of the mouth smoothly, but she used it every time the opportunity presented itself. Isaac figured it had about as much chance of sticking as his Captain Sparks moniker for the blacksmith.

As for Dominic, he’d chosen the wise route of pretending he never heard it. “Howdy, Trish. Howdy, Sadina. Isaac.” He nodded with each name, but couldn’t stop the glimpse of sobriety that flashed across his face when he came to Isaac. To his credit, he wiped it away quickly. The thing Isaac needed most in this world was for the pity parties to cease, forever.

“Always a pleasure to see you,” Isaac said, who sucked at trying to match his friend’s sarcasm.

“That it is, that it is.” Dominic rolled his eyes with exaggeration, as if this had become the most awkward conversation ever. It kinda had.

“Who brought the kayaks?” Sadina asked.

Trish answered. “Miyoko just dragged them down the path. I was supposed to help her, so . . . I hope she didn’t fall and break her neck.”

“Yikes,” Sadina replied. “Let’s go.”

They went.

Miyoko had made it about halfway down then given up. Five kayaks were lashed together with thick twine, and she’d been going downhill as she dragged them, but it still seemed a big job for one person to do alone.

“You guys were hoping I’d done all the work, huh.” It came out as a statement, not a question.

“Dammit, yes,” Trish replied. “We should’ve waited ten more minutes. Live and learn.”

“Where’s everyone else?” Miyoko asked. Sadina had told Isaac that Carson and a few others from the west side were supposed to meet them as well. Ten in all, two per kayak.

“They might be down there, already,” Sadina answered. “Or late as usual. Who cares. Let’s just get these boats moved. It’s not gonna be daylight forever.”

“Plus, I got a toothache,” Dominic added.

“What does that have to do . . .” Trish was so perplexed that she couldn’t even finish.

“And I have to pee.”

To his credit, he was the first one to grab the lead twine and start pulling.

An hour passed. Isaac had recovered from the jolt of Sadina rescuing him from the Forge, when the truth of his running away had hit him hard and fast, along with all the memories that caused it. The work of getting the kayaks down to the ocean, untying them, getting them ready to launch, all the laughs and conversation—he felt as well as he had in weeks.

“Dude,” Trish said, “I thought you had to pee.” Dominic had positioned himself at the front of one of the kayaks, sitting like a schoolboy waiting for Teacher.

“Not anymore,” he said with a wide grin.

“You do realize the ocean is not a toilet?”