Page 32 of Summer Showdown
"I care about you too," I said, the words inadequate but true. "More than I expected to. More than is probably wise for either of us."
Around us, the pre-race preparations continued. Families positioning themselves along the shoreline for the best view. Participants checking their decorated kayaks one final time. The air smelled of lake water and sunscreen, cotton candy from a nearby vendor, and the sweet perfume of the flowers adorning the wedding arch in the distance. Life continuing as though my world wasn't shifting beneath my feet.
Wade looked out at the water, then back at me. "So what happens now? You go back to Chicago tomorrow and that's it? We pretend none of this happened?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "I haven't figured that part out yet."
"The board meeting—is it in person?"
"They've offered a video option, but James—my mentor—strongly suggested I attend in person."
Wade nodded slowly, processing. "And what do you want, Lark? Not what your firm wants, not what your mentor expects. What do you want?"
The question caught me off guard. No one had asked me that in a very long time, not even myself. What did I want? The partnership I'd been working toward for years? The life I'd built in Chicago? Or something else entirely?
"I want—" I began, then stopped, the answer not as clear as it should have been. "I need to clear my name. I can't let Andrew win by default, not when I did nothing wrong."
It wasn't exactly what Wade had asked, and we both knew it.
"Fair enough," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "We should get ready. The race starts in twenty minutes."
The mayor's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, announcing final preparations for the regatta. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Lake Challenge Regatta, the crown jewel of our Summer Splash Festival! Today is especially meaningful as it serves as the perfect prelude to my wedding with the remarkable Edna Twinkleberry. From courtroom adversaries to life partners—proof that in Wintervale, true love can find you when you least expect it!"
I caught Wade's eye, the irony not lost on either of us. Now whatever had begun to blossom between us hung by a thread, threatened by my imminent departure.
"Wade, I—"
"Let's just focus on the race," he said, cutting me off with a gentleness that somehow hurt more than anger would have. "We can figure out the rest later."
We lined up our kayak at the starting point, surrounded by other elaborately decorated vessels. Edna and Theodore's cat-themed kayak complete with whisker detailing and paw prints stood out among the competition. Despite the tension between us, I couldn't help admiring how beautiful our own creation looked—Wade's careful carvings complemented by the woven wildflowers we'd gathered together.
We settled into the tandem kayak, my position in front, Wade's strong presence behind me. The physical proximity that had once sent thrills through me now felt weighted with heaviness.
The starting horn blared, and we pushed off from shore with the other competitors. For the first few minutes, we paddled in sync despite the emotional discord. But as we rounded the first marker, I could feel our rhythm faltering.
"You're rushing your strokes," Wade said from behind me, his voice tight. "Stay in coordination."
"I know how to paddle," I snapped back, instantly regretting the sharpness in my tone.
"Not saying you don't, but we need to work together or we'll—"
"I get it, Wade." My paddle sliced through the water with more force than necessary, sending a spray over the side of the kayak. "Teamwork. Communication. All the things I'm apparently terrible at."
We fell silent again, our paddling increasingly disjointed. Other kayaks pulled ahead as we struggled to maintain ourcourse. I could feel Wade's frustration radiating from behind me, matching my own growing distress.
"Is this how it ends?" he finally asked, voice low enough that only I could hear it over the water and distant cheers. "You pull away when things get complicated?"
"That's not fair," I said, twisting to look back at him and disrupting our balance further. "You knew I was leaving eventually. That was the whole arrangement."
"The arrangement changed when you spent the night in my bed," he countered. "When you let me see parts of yourself you keep hidden from everyone else."
"I never promised to stay!" The words burst out louder than I intended, drawing glances from a nearby kayak.
"I never asked you to!" His voice matched mine now, our movements completely out of sync. "I just asked for honesty. For you to admit what's happening between us instead of running away from it!"
Our kayak veered sharply as we argued, heading off course toward the shoreline. I realized too late that we were approaching the wedding setup—the flowered arch, the rows of white chairs, the carefully arranged garden path.
"Wade, watch out!"
