resurfaced to my mind. For a moment, I wondered why I resisted heeding his warnings.
“See, you got nothing. Come on over here,” Damien coaxed. He moved to the rear of the canoe, bracing his arms along the edges. Heaving a sigh of frustration, I took a step into the canoe. The boat trembled beneath me and I stepped back.
“It’ll be ok, Allie,” Damien said. “I won’ t let it tip over. Do you believe me?”
I shook my head. “It’s out of your control. You can’t make promises like that because you can’t control what the lake or people around us are going to do, or something I might do that would prove otherwise.”
“Well, then you’re just going to have to take a risk then, aren’t you?”
Risk .
Something about his word c hoice made me hesitate further, but with nothing left to back up my argument, I put another foot into the canoe, bending over to hold onto the edges. The canoe rocked back and forth, threatening to tip. I slipped my other leg inside and turned around on the bench so my back was facing Damien.
“Ok, grab your p addle,” Damien instructed. I stuck it in the water while Damien untied the rope. He pushed the canoe off the dock. We glided along the smooth water with the initial wobbling ceasing, but the further we ventured from shore, the more anxious I became. This felt worse than the other day on the speedboat. I didn’t like being so low to the water, vulnerable to the waves that rippled our way from the motors in the distance.
Damien’s voice broke t he silence. “So, is that guy a potential boyfriend?”
I laughed out loud. “Hardly. He’s a friend of my stepbrother, who likes to pretend he has to look out for me. He has a bunch of younger sisters and seems to think it’s his duty.”
“He seemed a little more concerned than the brother-type.”
I looked over my shoulder. “Well, he’s not. He’s sort of into my friend Brooke. Although, I think he’s into just about any girl that walks across his path, but don’t tell her that. He’s just kind of like that.” I laughed again. “And so is she when it comes to guys, so I suppose they’re perfect for each other?”
Damien didn’t comment , but I could tell there was something on his mind. Wasn’t there always? And I never seemed able to pry it out of him.
“What about you?” I asked. I turned around in my seat so I was facing him, laying the paddle across the canoe. Damien seemed wary.
“What about me?” He stroked his paddle through the water to keep our momentum.
“You haven’t told me a nything about yourself. I’ve seen you enough times that you’d think I’d know something about you. But I don’t. Including why you keep showing up.”
Damien seemed taken aback by my statement. “Why I keep showing up? I didn’t realize that was in question.”
I was thrown off by the wa y his eyes ran across my face but, for some reason, it only added to my sudden crankiness. “Well, it is, actually. I feel like you have some secret agenda to carry out, like you’re hiding something.”
Damien shook his head , his eyebrows pinched together. With thinning composure, he asked, “What do you want me to say?”
“I want to know more about you. You know more personal details about recent events in my life than even my own family knows. Yet, any time I ask you something about yourself, I get stonewalled. Why is that?”
Damien put his own paddle down in the canoe. “ I’m just kind of a private person. I don’t like to talk about myself.”
“And you think I do?” I folded my arms. “That’s not a fair answer.”
“It’s a little complicated.”
“Whose life isn’t complicated?” I retorted. “I can’t figure you out. For example, why would you bring me out here in a canoe, especially after I told you I hate the water?”
Thi nking about it again, I gauged our distance from the shore. If the canoe sank right now, it was a long swim back to dry land.
An instant wave of panic hit me. My
“See, you got nothing. Come on over here,” Damien coaxed. He moved to the rear of the canoe, bracing his arms along the edges. Heaving a sigh of frustration, I took a step into the canoe. The boat trembled beneath me and I stepped back.
“It’ll be ok, Allie,” Damien said. “I won’ t let it tip over. Do you believe me?”
I shook my head. “It’s out of your control. You can’t make promises like that because you can’t control what the lake or people around us are going to do, or something I might do that would prove otherwise.”
“Well, then you’re just going to have to take a risk then, aren’t you?”
Risk .
Something about his word c hoice made me hesitate further, but with nothing left to back up my argument, I put another foot into the canoe, bending over to hold onto the edges. The canoe rocked back and forth, threatening to tip. I slipped my other leg inside and turned around on the bench so my back was facing Damien.
“Ok, grab your p addle,” Damien instructed. I stuck it in the water while Damien untied the rope. He pushed the canoe off the dock. We glided along the smooth water with the initial wobbling ceasing, but the further we ventured from shore, the more anxious I became. This felt worse than the other day on the speedboat. I didn’t like being so low to the water, vulnerable to the waves that rippled our way from the motors in the distance.
Damien’s voice broke t he silence. “So, is that guy a potential boyfriend?”
I laughed out loud. “Hardly. He’s a friend of my stepbrother, who likes to pretend he has to look out for me. He has a bunch of younger sisters and seems to think it’s his duty.”
“He seemed a little more concerned than the brother-type.”
I looked over my shoulder. “Well, he’s not. He’s sort of into my friend Brooke. Although, I think he’s into just about any girl that walks across his path, but don’t tell her that. He’s just kind of like that.” I laughed again. “And so is she when it comes to guys, so I suppose they’re perfect for each other?”
Damien didn’t comment , but I could tell there was something on his mind. Wasn’t there always? And I never seemed able to pry it out of him.
“What about you?” I asked. I turned around in my seat so I was facing him, laying the paddle across the canoe. Damien seemed wary.
“What about me?” He stroked his paddle through the water to keep our momentum.
“You haven’t told me a nything about yourself. I’ve seen you enough times that you’d think I’d know something about you. But I don’t. Including why you keep showing up.”
Damien seemed taken aback by my statement. “Why I keep showing up? I didn’t realize that was in question.”
I was thrown off by the wa y his eyes ran across my face but, for some reason, it only added to my sudden crankiness. “Well, it is, actually. I feel like you have some secret agenda to carry out, like you’re hiding something.”
Damien shook his head , his eyebrows pinched together. With thinning composure, he asked, “What do you want me to say?”
“I want to know more about you. You know more personal details about recent events in my life than even my own family knows. Yet, any time I ask you something about yourself, I get stonewalled. Why is that?”
Damien put his own paddle down in the canoe. “ I’m just kind of a private person. I don’t like to talk about myself.”
“And you think I do?” I folded my arms. “That’s not a fair answer.”
“It’s a little complicated.”
“Whose life isn’t complicated?” I retorted. “I can’t figure you out. For example, why would you bring me out here in a canoe, especially after I told you I hate the water?”
Thi nking about it again, I gauged our distance from the shore. If the canoe sank right now, it was a long swim back to dry land.
An instant wave of panic hit me. My
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