Page 58 of Unspoken Love

“Alright, racers!” the volunteer shouted through a megaphone as they all lined up at the flags, fighting to keep the boards pointing in the right direction in the waves. “You know the drill. Around the flag buoy and back! First one to tap the finish line wins bragging rights, several gift cards from local businesses, and this snazzy paddle-shaped trophy!”

“I want that trophy,” Nate muttered.

Faye smirked. “Then paddle hard, baby.”

A cheer went up as the countdown began—“Three! Two! One! Go!”

Water splashed and boards rocked as everyone launched forward. Faye dug in with smooth strokes, the cool ocean breeze whipping through her braid as water splashed her, cooling her off further. Nate was right beside her, keeping pace surprisingly well. They veered around a few competitors. More than half of the contestants were in the water within the first minute. They passed a wobbly teen who’d started strong but was quickly fading, and surged toward the buoy neck and neck.

At the turn, Nate leaned into it and edged ahead.

“Oh no you don’t,” she growled, and paddled harder.

The race back in was a blur—laughing, splashing, the sound of cheering from the docks.

With a little over twenty people still in the water at this point, it was almost impossible to get a clear shot to the beach front. Still, they somehow cleared a path together and reached the shore in tandem, their paddles hitting the dry sand at nearly the same time.

“Who won?” Nate asked, breathless.

The volunteer looked between them, then shrugged. “I think we’re calling it a tie.”

“A tie?” Faye scoffed, trying to settle her own breathing. “I definitely hit first,” she joked.

“You cut me off at the buoy,” he countered with a grin. “Sabotage.”

“You’ll survive.” She laughed, tossing her wet braid over her shoulder as she climbed out of the water.

They were both soaked, breathless, and grinning like idiots.

Back on shore, someone handed them a pair of tiny paddle-shaped trophies along with the promised gift cards. Nate held his trophy up triumphantly. “Victory looks good on me.” He laughed.

Faye rolled her eyes, but her smile was genuine. “We should make a shelf just for these,” she said as he hugged her.

“For all our future joint wins?” He leaned down and kissed her, and cheers erupted around them.

She bumped her shoulder into his. “Only if you keep letting me win,” she said once she leaned back. “I know you pulled back at the last second.”

“Nope. You beat me fair and square.” He winked.

As the crowd dispersed and the next beach event got underway, they dried themselves off and she put her sundress back on. Then they wandered back up the beach toward the town square—laughing, teasing, and basking in the kind of joy you couldn’t fake.

“Think it’ll slow down later?” she asked looking around at the hundreds of people enjoying themselves.

“Not likely,” Nate said with a grin. “But I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than with you and a town full of over-caffeinated locals waving sparklers.”

She bumped her shoulder against his. “Just wait ’til the fireworks.”

“Oh, I have big plans when they start going off.”

“Oh?” she asked as he pulled her into a slow dance as the music played. She laughed and almost stepped on his feet several times. She had never danced with anyone but didn’t want him to know that, so she tried to keep up.

“Yeah. I brought a blanket and plan on lying in the grass with you, kissing you as the sky explodes.”

She sighed and rested her head against his chest. “How many of these have you been to?” she asked, absently.

“Well, since I’ll be twenty-eight in two weeks”—he tilted his head as if he was doing the math—“I guess that makes it twenty-seven. Twenty-eight if you count the time I was still in my mother’s stomach.”

She laughed. “So it’s a family tradition?”