“Darek? No, it’s Casper.”
Liza went back to her drawing. “He’s a charmer, that one.”
Oh? Raina sat at the table, the smile in her day dimming.
“It’s not that he’s a womanizer. It’s just that, out of all the Christiansens, Casper inherited the Casanova gene. He’s dated a small population of Deep Haven girls, and although none of them would speak a word against him, I fear he’s left too many pining.”
Raina swallowed down the darkness pitching her throat.
Liza got up, went to the fridge, and opened it. “Not that he does it on purpose. I’ve seen that smile. Oh, boy, right?”
She gave a small nod as Liza pulled out a bag of baby carrots.
“Casper is a great guy, raised by this wonderful Deep Haven legacy family. I’m just saying . . . guard your heart, honey.”
Raina stared down at those silly swim shoes, wishing she wasn’t so needy, so terribly gullible. Wasn’t the girl who gave her heart away with the slightest hint of attention.
“But you’ll love dragon boating. It’s a blast.” Liza had put some carrots in a baggie and now handed them to her. “Just don’t go in the drink. It’s still pretty cold.”
Cold. Yes, well, she probably needed to put her emotions in deep freeze anyway. Just until they could find a cure for her addiction to heartbreak.
“Who else is on the team?” Liza sat down again.
“Um. This deputy guy, Kyle, and a cute girl named Claire—”
“Ah, I’ll bet Jensen is paddling also. And Emma?”
Raina lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know.”
Liza leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. “But you will, Raina. You’ll make friends, and you’ll see—you belong in Deep Haven. We’re a family here, and it won’t be long before you’re one of us.”
Raina tried to answer with a smile.
But she hadn’t belonged anywhere, hadn’t had a family for so long, that she’d forgotten what it felt like.
And frankly, she wasn’t getting her hopes up.
Today he reclaimed the helm of his life.
Casper stood along the long, low pier that anchored his dragon boat in the Deep Haven harbor and imagined himself crossing the finish line, leading his boat of twenty paddlers to victory.
The sun sparkled on the deep-indigo water of Lake Superior, droplets turning to diamonds, the air cool and tangy with the scent of fresh-cut lawn. Seagulls cried greeting, and a hint of campfire smoke from the harbor campground tinged the air.
He wasn’t sure why winning this year’s race had surfaced such an inexpressible need in him, but he could almost taste the success.
Finally.
He went down to the boat, checking the seats, the drum. He’d already tested the rudder and repainted the head and tail last week, after he transferred the boat to the cement slab that had once held the resort’s garage. Thankfully, they’d stored the Evergreen vessel with other local dragon boats in community storage or they would have lost it to last year’s fire.
But it emerged, fierce and bold, armed with a fresh coat of paint and ready for victory.
Just like Casper.
He climbed out of the boat, gathered up the life jackets and paddles, and set them on the grassy shoreline, then looked up at the sound of a couple car doors slamming.
Kyle and his wife, Emma, walked across the parking lot, dressed in shorts and T-shirts, water shoes. Behind them were Kyle’s parents, Eli and Noelle, similarly attired.
He’d dug deep for this year’s team—it wasn’t easy to cajole twenty people into giving up their time to practice, especially on a Saturday. He’d cast the net wide, starting with his own family, then out to his father’s best pal, Nathan, and his family, and then to Jensen, Darek’s best man, and his wife. Then wider to Emma and Kyle, who played in Claire’s band. Finally, he’d roped in Pastor Dan and Joe Michaels and their wives.
Nineteen. He was short one paddler.
And then he’d come upon pizza girl Raina Beaumont. Eating his pizza, no less, and he had to smile at that.
She’d mustered up with them, joining in their plans to paddle to victory. He’d invited her to practice today, and a big part of him hoped she showed up.
And not just because he needed people. Yes, it might have something to do with her long, raven hair and golden-brown eyes, but also the way she seemed to adopt his enthusiasm for the race.
If he could inspire a stranger, maybe he could inspire the team.
Although she didn’t seem like a stranger. He’d seen her around town, and she’d looked familiar—and then it came to him. The wedding.
He couldn’t dig out of his mind the memory of her words as he’d walked up to the car: Oh, for pete’s sake, I know, okay? Go away, Owen!