Caleb was staring out at the ocean, lost in thought, when Rivka suddenly tugged on his hand and pointed toward an ice cream cart farther up the beach.
"Caleb," she said quietly, "I want ice cream."
He glanced over. The cart was not far, and he would still be able to see her from there.
He reached over and ruffled her hair. "Okay. I'll go get you some. Stay right here, all right? Don't wander off."
Rivka gave him a bright nod. Caleb got up and headed toward the cart.
A trail of seashells caught Rivka's eye almost immediately, and she started following them without thinking, moving farther and farther down the shoreline until she was no longer in Caleb's direct line of sight.
When she bent to pick one up, her foot bumped into an empty bottle. She looked up. Not far away, someone was si
