I pulled on the damp braid. “He’s trying. That’s all he can do, right?” I turned toward him. “I never did thank you for picking me up that day.”
Dylan shook his head. “No need to thank me.” He pulled out onto the street and made a u-turn. “I’ve got your back.”
“Right back atcha,” I said.
Dylan chuckled. “You seriously didn’t say that.”
“I did, and I stand by it.” I flipped my braid over my shoulder. This was nice. The last few days had been tough. Joking with Dylan felt natural. I touched the pages in my bag. I’d debated about whether to bring the song or not. It wasn’t bad for my first time writing. I wondered what Dylan would think of it.
“What did you want to do today?” he asked with one hand on the steering wheel and the other under his chin.
I pushed the song out of my mind. As much as I wanted to sing with him today, I also wanted to do something else. Anything else. I just wanted to live for the moment. “Have you been out on the lake?”
“No,” Dylan answered. “You know someone who has a boat?”
I smiled. “Not a boat, a kayak.”
“I can honestly say I’ve never kayaked before.” He stopped at a red light. “Where to?”
After giving him directions, I regretted not going home for my swimsuit. My shorts and tank would be fine. Dylan was in shorts and a worn concert shirt. We could leave our flipflops in a locker at the rental shop and buy water shoes. I needed a new pair anyway. He turned up the radio and sang under his breath to an old rock song. The more I thought about it, the more I needed to get out on the water. Dylan parked in the mostly empty lot.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Not even a little bit.” He grinned.
I reached out and patted his cheek. “Such a wuss.”
Dylan’s hand covered mine. He pressed my fingers against his cheek. The joking disappeared in a nanosecond. His gaze held mine. The heat steamed the car. I wanted to lean toward him, but I was frozen. He turned his head, his eyes still on me, and kissed my palm. My body turned to jelly. The heated air caused beads of sweat to form at my hairline. I wanted to reach out with my other hand. I wanted so many things in that moment. Then he let go and climbed out of the car.
What the hell just happened? And can it happen again?
Dylan paid for the kayak, and I stowed our stuff in the locker. My thoughts were a jumbled mess. He even bought us water shoes. I stood by like an idiot in a daze.
“You driving?” Jack, the owner of Jack’s Rentals, asked. He was a good ole country boy with silver hair and a leather complexion. Jack spent as much time on the water as he could and the sun had leathered his skin. He slow chewed his gum and eyed Dylan.
“Yeah, why?” I pulled myself out of mental stupor and took the paddles off the counter.
“Not sure he could is all.” Jack glanced at me with a smile. “Stay away from Barker’s point. Heard someone was shooting at the birds.”
“Sure thing.” I handed Dylan a paddle. “Anything else, Jack? Or do you enjoy scaring my friend?”
Jack laughed. “I enjoy scaring your friend, but I’m serious about Barker’s Point. Your daddy would kick my ass if I didn’t warn you.”
My stomach rolled. Jack knew Dad couldn’t kick anyone’s ass. I took the small cooler we bought and filled with water and sandwiches off the counter with shaky hands.
“Thank you, sir,” Dylan said, offering Jack a hand.
Jack glanced at Dylan’s hand before taking it in a firm, overly aggressive shake.
Rolling my eyes, I walked out the door. The kayaks were lined up along the building. Jack’s son Brady smiled when he saw me. He was a younger version of his father, only his skin was sun-kissed instead of sun-destroyed.
“Hey, Cami,” Brady said. “You want the usual? It’s kind of slow. I could go out with you.”
“Not today.” I glanced over my shoulder just as Dylan came around the building. “Need a two-person sit on top.”
“Oh, sure,” Brady said. He unlocked the kayak. “Need help carrying it down?”
I handed Dylan my paddle. “Sure.”
Brady and I hauled the green plastic kayak down to the dock. We eased it into the water. I set the cooler into the center of the open kayak and stepped in, settling into the back. Normally I hated sit-on-tops, but it seemed like the smarter choice with Dylan’s inexperience. If we tipped, he wouldn’t have to pull his legs free. Not that I intended to tip us over.
Dylan handed me a paddle then got into the kayak. He almost tipped us then.
“Why are you in the back?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Because she can steer and she knows the water,” Brady said. He smiled at me. “Have fun, Cami.”
“Thanks. We will.”
I shoved off the dock, guiding us out into the lake. Dylan sat still with his paddle on his lap. The water lapped against the side of the kayak in a gentle lullaby. I loved the water. Motorboats and jet skis were fun, but kayaking was my favorite. The peace, the quiet, the time to think. We stayed near the shore, but far enough away to not bottom out.
“Cam?” Dylan said.
“Yeah?” I steered us out to avoid a downed tree ahead.
“What do I do with this?” He lifted the paddle.
I almost laughed, but something in the tone of his voice told me that would be unwelcome. Maybe he was embarrassed. I instructed him how to paddle. It didn’t take long before we found a rhythm and cruised the lake faster than I could’ve done on my own. Dylan laughed as we passed a family of ducks. I steered us into a small cove that was normally a favorite of fishermen in the
