After a while, we lie on our backs and float and let the rain land on us. We keep giggling for no reason. It seems like years since I did that. Just giggled because of the wonder of something.

“Let’s make a star,” Micah says. He directs us to put our heads near each other and then hold hands, spreading our legs out wide. I don’t think we look much like a star, but it’s fun to hold on to one another like this as the rain splashes our faces. I feel special. I know we aren’t the only ones who’ve ever done this, but being alone out here, with no one else to see us but the grumpy lifeguard, I feel like we are experiencing something that’s just for us. Something that we’ll remember, no matter what happens after this terrible day.

The lifeguard’s whistle blows again, and she waves at us to come in.

We listen for thunder when we get back to the beach but don’t hear anything.

“She’s no fun,” Ivy says grumpily.

“She’s just jealous,” Micah says.

“We should go,” I say.

We stuff our wet towels into our backpacks and walk up the beach.

“Have a good day,” Ivy calls to the lifeguard as we pass by. “And I don’t mean that sarcastically!”

“Gee, thanks,” the lifeguard says sarcastically.

Micah cracks up, and we all run to our bikes.

I grab his hand and stop him.

“What?” he asks.

“Thanks for coming here with us,” I say. “It was nice to forget for a while.”

He smiles, a little sadly. “That’s what friends do.”

I smile a little sadly back. “Right.”

“C’mon, you guys!” Ivy yells. “Let’s go home!”

Home is where the heart is, I think again.

For now, anyway.

Chapter Twenty

It’s hard to ride our bikes as the rain picks up and pounds the pavement. I squint to try and see. We finally pull over and drag our bikes under a big pine tree to wait for the rain to let up.

“This is wild!” Ivy says excitedly. “I love adventures.”

“You’re a goofball,” Micah tells her.

Ivy does a strange little dance and then toots.

“Seriously?” I ask her. “Nice touch.”

“It was my Lucy interpretation,” she says.

I start to laugh and then remember that the Townsends’ animals are outside in this rain!

“We have to get back now!” I say, after telling them what I’ve done.

“They’ll be fine,” Micah says. “A little water isn’t going to hurt them.”

But I feel panic rising in my chest. “I’m going to get in so much trouble if Mr. Townsend finds out!”

“Rachel, relax. Most animals get left out in the rain all the time.”

“But not these animals. They’re pampered! And what if it starts to thunder?”