In some ways, I was ready to return home to Sunset Harbor. The last time that I’d been there was three years prior, and I’d been in and out so quick I hadn’t had time to visit anyone.
This time would be different. Whether I visited people didn’t matter. Traveling around in a small town the size of Sunset Harbor, I was likely to run into someone at some point.
And that list of folks I didn’t want to run into was small. Comprising one person.
Lake Chambers.
The only reason I wasn’t ready to return.
Although I knew he now owned the Durham Dragons, I also knew that his home was still in Sunset Harbor. There was no way that I wouldn’t see him again after all this time.
Ten years. That’s how long it had been since I’d seen him last.
It was strange how someone could go from being one of your closest friends to that guy all in one summer. Unfortunately, he didn’t reciprocate the intensity of the feelings that stirred up within me during the summer before our senior year.
I’d pushed those feelings down to protect my heart and our friendship. However, that only went so far because jealousy rose within every time I saw him with another girl during our senior year. And going off to college hadn’t made it any better.
Every summer, he returned, and so did I, still struggling with those same feelings.
But the last summer, when things came to a head, that’s when I knew that I needed to break the cycle.
Upon hearing of a position with Burlington, Fairfield, and Wake, a software firm in New York, I immediately applied for it. It had been my father’s suggestion to move, and I’d jumped at the opportunity. I’d only requested that my father not intervene since he and Robert Burlington and Cathy Wake were old friends.
I needed to know that I could get the position on my merit. And I had. I’d left Sunset Harbor and hadn’t turned back.
What baffled me at the moment was when I realized my palms were clammy, and my mouth hung open, and I was struggling to breathe.
All of this at just the thought of seeing Lake Chambers again. God forbid I ran into him. I had no idea how my body might react.
CHAPTER 2 – LAKE
I STRUGGLED TO MAINTAIN even breathing, emotional control, and an impassive expression on my face.
A gut punch.
A jab to the nose resulting in a stinging sensation.
My head whirling as a dizzying sensation settled all around me.
I fought through the fog of memories that threatened to overwhelm me. Shocked at my body’s response. I hadn’t expected this at all.
But neither had I expected to see her. Or the resulting feelings.
It was odd how, after all this time, those same emotions came rushing back, stomping over everything in their path.
Guilt. Shame. Laughter. Desire.
Ten years. That’s how long it had been since I’d lain eyes on her. And yet, with how my heart pounded in my chest, you’d think it was just yesterday.
The voice speaking beside me forced me to shift my attention back to the current moment.
“Mr. Chambers, the Dragons had a winning season last year until we reached the championship, and everything seemed to fall apart in the last game. Just when we thought Durham would bring home the trophy, the Seattle Strikes dominated the last quarter. Are you predicting a winning season again this year, and if so, what plans does the team have in place to ensure we bring home the championship?” Nancy Yarborough of WSKH-6 asked.
Looking beyond her into the crowd, I watched as my players and coaches worked the crowd. Realistically, I was second-guessing if I’d seen who I thought I’d seen. How in the hell could my feelings still be this strong after all this time? After all, I’d done.
“We’ve made some important staffing changes, recruited Ahsan Morton, who took the Atlanta Thundercats to the playoffs two years straight and won both. He’s looking for another championship ring, and I know he and Omari Johnson will make a strong leadership to get our team what we’re looking for. There will be some adjustments to our strategy this year we didn’t implement last year to address gaps in our defense. But I will not divulge those secrets,” I chuckled, running my hand through my hair.
“There has been speculation, Mr. Chambers, that the truth behind the team failing to gain the championship win is because of your age. Suggesting that perhaps you’re not mature enough to make decisions the team needs to win. What do you say about that? Does being thirty-three, the youngest NBA sports franchise controlling owner, have anything to do with this?”
“No, it doesn’t. I say that whoever feels that way knows nothing about ball or business. I’ve had this team for three years, successfully turning it around. When I purchased the team, we were about to lose it to Tennessee. I made many changes in the first year that were unpopular, and people condemned me for it. Those same changes put us in the championship last year. This year, I’ve made more changes that will assure us of the championship next year.”
“You sound certain of that, Mr. Chambers.”
“Just as certain as I am that today’s festival is going to be a great success,” I said, redirecting her attention to the purpose of her interview.
I was ready to end it.
“Speaking of this festival, the Durham Dragons puts it on annually for the community of Sunset Harbor. Can you tell us what led to this decision?”
Even as I formulated my response, my eyes were already scanning the crowd. I’d lost her as quickly as I’d spotted her.
Perhaps it was my eyes playing tricks on me. She hadn’t returned since she’d left a decade prior. But why, after all this time, would I imagine seeing her? No, it
