When I Fall in Love(83)

Liza stepped away from the door. “That’s part of the plan too, Raina. But men will let us down. Only God won’t.”

She didn’t want to argue with Liza, but God had let her down plenty of times. And hello, He’d let Liza down too. After all, wasn’t her aunt still single and approaching forty? No thanks.

“I don’t know when I’ll be back,” Raina said, heading for the door.

“I’ll be at the parade, cheering you on,” Liza said quietly, and Raina had to turn around and go back for a hug.

She felt more of Jesus here with Liza than she ever had at church.

A banner flapped in the wind over Main Street, packed with cars, pickups, motorcycles, and a slew of out-of-town competitors practicing in the bay. The annual dragon boat festival lured teams from Canada, Minneapolis, and as far away as Milwaukee to compete. Thankfully, the Evergreen team only had to win the local division, comprised of maybe seven homegrown teams.

All manner of dragon boats—with intricately carved heads painted green or red, bearing sharp wooden teeth and etched manes, their boat bodies painted to resemble scales—floated in the harbor. It looked like Deep Haven had morphed into a medieval moat of legendary aquatic monsters.

Music drifted from the stage set up in the park, a few kids dancing to the beat of a folksy hometown band. Raina walked down the sidewalk, searching for the lime-green shirts of her teammates. On the way she spotted the downtown team, shop owners and the mayor, in their hot-pink shirts, and another team from the east end of the county, the Moose Valley team, in their denim blues.

“Raina!”

Her name floated on the scant wind, and she turned, found Claire waving to her from a cluster of other members. John and Ingrid, who also waved, and Kyle, Jensen, Emma, Darek—and there, Casper. He sat on a rock, looking at a clipboard.

She picked her way through the crowd. “Hey, everyone.”

Casper looked up, met her eyes.

Yeah, her world could come to a screeching halt with his smile.

“Just in time. We’re the fourth boat team in the parade. We all have to stop in front of the judges’ booth and do our team chant. It’s not judged, but it stirs up the competition.”

Emma climbed onto a rock. “Let’s run through it!”

Raina lifted her voice in one accord with the group, caught up in the camaraderie, the power of the team.

They had the win locked up. Especially when Casper climbed up beside Emma, pumping his fist in the air, raising a spectacle as if they were truly Viking warriors going to sea, to battle.

After the chant, he came off the rocks, grinning. “Hey,” he said.

Then he kissed her. Right there in front of everyone and . . .

Yes, this night would be perfect.

She’d never participated in a parade before—especially a small-town parade. They lined up around the block in the parking lot of the senior center. Emma led them out, keeping beat on a drum strapped over her shoulders, rousing team spirit. Raina carried one end of the team banner, opposite Casper, and behind them, each teammate held a dowel affixed to one part of a long Chinese dragon, light green, modeled after their boat.

She glanced over now and again at Casper, who grinned at her. Oh, Captain, my Captain.

They stopped in front of the judges’ booth to chant, and by the end of the parade, she never wanted to leave Deep Haven.

She could become a Christiansen, grow old here with Casper. Live happily ever after. She just had to make sure no one ever discovered her mistake with Owen.

Casper found her after they tucked away their parade paraphernalia, the team dispersing into the party. “Ready to dance?”

“Yes.” She would just ignore the twinge in her stomach that refused to go away. And the sense that if she didn’t get something to eat soon, she might . . .

“Are you okay? You look kind of pale.”

“I think it’s the heat. And I haven’t eaten much today.”

He slipped his hand under her elbow and led her to a bench. “Sit here. I’ll get you a drink of water.”

But she wanted to dance. Still, the sight of Casper running off to the local cheese curd vendor, asking for water on her behalf, seemed enough.

He cared. He really cared.

But her head started to swim all the same, and she lay down on the bench. Just . . . for . . . a . . . moment . . .

“Raina! Wake up . . . Raina . . . Okay, everyone make room.”

What? Raina opened her eyes, realized she’d fallen asleep—or passed out? She tried to push herself to a sitting position, but nausea rolled over her.

In front of a crowd of gawkers, she left her meager lunch on the sidewalk.

Gross.

But Casper didn’t seem to mind. “Here, drink this,” he said, helping her to a sitting position. He crouched in front of her. “An ambulance is on its way.”