“I’ll figure it out,” John said. He turned and stopped Casper with a hand to his arm.
Casper stilled. “I know I can’t fix her, Dad.”
His dad lowered his hand. “Good. But that’s not what I need to talk to you about.” He took a breath. “I don’t know how to ask you this, but . . . is everything . . . okay with her? And you? I mean, I see you getting closer. You’ve been a gentleman, right?”
Casper stared at him, not sure—“We haven’t even kissed.” It felt weird saying that to his father, but having someone keep his emotions, his desires in check might help. “But yeah, of course. Why?”
John shook his head. “It’s what she said about all us Christiansen men . . .”
“Arrogant. I assumed she was referring to Darek.”
His dad’s mouth tightened to a grim line.
Casper clamped a hand on his shoulder. “I promise, Dad, I’ll be a gentleman.”
But his dad’s expression, his words, dogged him into his room, the shower, out again.
Go away, Owen!
The memory of her voice that day on the road reverberated back to him as he pulled on a T-shirt. He shook his head at the memory. Maybe his ornery kid brother had cut her off on the road or even snuck into the kitchen at the wedding and stolen food.
Or, as he first guessed, hit on her. Which only churned up a strange heat in his chest.
Especially at her word used at the campfire. Arrogant?
What did that mean?
He put it out of his mind, picked up an extra helmet, and headed to town.
Raina sat waiting on the front steps, a backpack over her shoulder, wearing capri-style jeans, a white shirt, and a jean jacket.
She took the helmet, slipped it on, and climbed onto his bike as if it were as natural as a sunrise.
Women confused him.
Then she slipped her arms around his waist and leaned in.
They confused him a lot.
“Where to?” Casper said.
“Paradise Beach.”
She knew about Paradise Beach? He gunned it out of town, heading up the shoreline, the sun lazy as it sank behind them, casting long, shaggy fingers of shadow across the road. The lake had calmed, turned to a whisper on the shore.
He stopped at one of the many inlets to the lake along a stretch of pebbled beach named for its agates and view.
Raina got off, using his shoulders to steady herself, then led him out to the shore. Sitting, she pulled two turkey wraps, a couple bags of chips, and bottles of soda from her backpack. She opened a Tupperware container filled with cookies.
“You just whipped this up?”
“I made the cookies yesterday. But yeah.”
He reached for a wrap. “Impressive.”
She grinned at him, peeled the plastic off the other wrap. “We’re going to win, you know.”
“The other teams are really good.”
“But we’re awesome! And with you as our captain, we are so going to win.”
“Well, I’m no Darek, but we’re getting faster.”
“Casper! You’re an amazing captain, a thousand times better than Darek.”
He took a bite of his wrap. “You didn’t paddle under him. He has three championships under his belt, is legendary around here.”
“You’re next.”
“I don’t know. It’s hard to carve out your own legend when you have brothers like Darek and Owen. One is the town hotshot, the other the hockey hero.”
“And you—what are you?”
Her question stumped him. He’d never exactly known. “I am the brother in the middle. I was always either following in Darek’s shadow or setting up Owen for the win. I guess I’m still trying to figure out where I belong.”
Her voice turned low. “You’re the best brother, in my opinion.”
He didn’t know why, but her words found soft soil and burrowed in, sweet and nourishing.
She smiled at him, the wind teasing her black hair around her face. He fought the urge to catch a strand, press it between his fingers.
His voice fell soft, almost a thought more than words. “What is it about you, Raina? Where did you come from? How is it that you simply appear one day in my life as my champion? You’re so . . . undefeatable. You make me believe we’re going to win.”
Her smile dipped a little, and she looked down as if embarrassed.
“Did I say something wrong?”
She shook her head. “I just . . . You make me feel like I’m a part of the team.”
He frowned. “You are a part of the team.”
“Like you want me on the team.”
He did want her on the team.
And then he got it. It wasn’t about just being a part of a community. It was about being chosen by him. Wanted by him.
His gaze traced from her eyes to her mouth, and his throat suddenly got very dry. He reached for a bottle, uncapped it. Drank a swig of soda.