No wonder she longed for people, the team, community.
“Casper says that you are living with your aunt Liza,” Ingrid said, finding warm coals.
“She’s my dad’s sister. He wrote to her and asked if I could move in after . . .” She shook her head. “My dad was dying, and he was worried about me.”
Her dad was gone too?
“What about your brother? Is he in the Cities?”
She held her marshmallow over the fire. “He died a few years ago.”
Oh. Casper glanced at his mother, who was watching Raina with a look of concern. His dad wore a grim expression.
“I’m so sorry, Raina.” He hadn’t meant to stir up all this pain.
She sat there, roasting her marshmallow, watching as the skin rose dark and caramelly, puffy. “Thank you. I’m trying to put it behind me.”
“Do you plan on staying in Deep Haven long?” John asked.
Casper frowned at him.
“I like it here. So far.”
“Dad?”
“I was just wondering if we could count on her next year. For our dragon boat.”
Oh.
Raina laughed. “Only if Casper is captain again.”
He let himself smile at that.
“But if I could, I’d stay here forever—oh!” Her marshmallow flamed and she yanked it from the fire, shook it. It flew off her stick, landing in the dirt.
“That’s okay. I did that one of the first times I roasted a marshmallow too.” The voice came from behind them, light and cheerful. Casper turned to see Ivy and Darek walking down the path.
“Daddy!” Tiger launched himself at them and Darek caught his son, twirling him around.
“I didn’t expect you back until later this week,” Ingrid said, wrapping Ivy in a hug. Ivy wore the sunshine of Cancún on her skin.
Darek came up behind her, Tiger over his shoulder. “Tropical storm,” he said. “They evacuated us three days early.” He set Tiger down. “But maybe I’m back in time to check on Casper’s progress with this year’s dragon boat.”
John had finished roasting his marshmallow and now made it into a s’more, crushing it between two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. “We finally learned how to paddle without upsetting the boat.”
“You swamped a dragon boat?”
“It’s not that hard to do,” Casper muttered. “They got out of rhythm.” He wanted to glare at his dad. Whose side was the guy on?
“Maybe I should take over. Ready to declare mutiny, Dad?”
“What? Are you kidding me?” All eyes turned to Raina. She had found her feet. “You can’t just come back here and take over. Casper’s been working hard, and he deserves your respect.”
Darek stared at her. “Who are you?”
“I’m . . . I’m his first mate.”
“His . . .” Darek looked at Casper, then suddenly started to laugh. Casper didn’t know how to respond.
Raina did. “What is it with you arrogant Christiansen men who think you can just use people? Casper has been working to get this team going, and you can’t trample over him as if his feelings don’t matter!” She stormed past Darek, up the path, toward the driveway.
Casper scampered after her, seeing Darek’s smile dim as he passed. “Raina!”
He caught up with her next to his truck.
“I . . . I don’t want to be here right now.” Her eyes were red as if—
“Are you crying?”
“Can you take me home?”
He nodded and reached for his helmet. What exactly had just happened?
“No. Not on the bike.” She went around the truck and got into the passenger side.
Oh. Okay. He got into the truck, pulled out.
Casper drove in silence as Raina folded her hands on her lap. Were they shaking? Finally he asked, “What happened back there?”
“He just made me so angry, to mock you like that. Especially after you’ve worked so hard. It’s not like you tried to swamp the boat. You put your faith in us and we swamped it.”
He frowned, not quite seeing it that way.
She sighed. “Okay . . . I guess I overreacted.”
“I’ve never had anyone overreact for me before.” He reached for her hand. “I kind of like it.”
She glanced at him. “You do?”
Enough to wish they’d brought the motorcycle. He ran his thumb over her hand. “Yes. Would you like to see the sunset again?”
She nodded, her right hand wiping her cheeks. “Very much.”
Safe. The word reverberated through him. As he held her hand, feeling it warm in his, his father’s words came back to him about Jesus fixing her broken places.
Please, Lord. Use me for good in this woman’s life.