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She couldn’t believe this.
She was sailing down the river.
Angela paused from rowing to adjust her life vest. It felt like it was riding up in the front. As she tugged on the bottom of it, it didn’t seem to move. Perhaps it hadn’t ridden up on her. It was just uncomfortable.
She knew she should relax. It was a beautiful sunny day, and under any other circumstances, riding along the river would be idyllic.
But the truth of the matter was that she’d decided that she couldn’t go through with the marriage. She couldn’t marry someone who wasn’t certain about their future. She tried to tell herself that it was best she’d found out the truth now before they’d saidI do, but the thought gave her no comfort.
“Angela, if you don’t row, we’ll never win,” Carter said from behind her.
She wasn’t so sure she wanted to win because winning the canoe race would mean sitting across a dinner table from Carter. There wouldn’t be any distractions like the beautiful scenery or the other canoes with people calling out greetings to them.
While they were in the canoe, she was facing forward instead of looking into his expectant gaze. She knew this was hard for him. It was hard for her too. But if they weren’t meant to be, it was best to find that out now instead of later.
She plunged her paddle back into the water and gave a stroke with more force than she had previously. Suddenly, the canoe started to turn to the side.
She paddled again. They kept drifting off to the side—kind of like their relationship had drifted off the course somewhere along the way. She didn’t know if they’d ever get back on track.
“Angela, what are you doing?” Frustration rang out in Carter’s voice. “You have us going sideways.”
Before she could say anything, the canoe jerked to a halt. What in the world? They were in the middle of the river. How could they be stopped?
She stuck her paddle in the water. Only a couple of inches into the water it struck something solid.
“What happened?” Carter asked. “Why are we stopped?”
“I don’t know.”
Just then, another couple waved as they sailed right past them in some fast-moving water. They’d fallen into fourth place. Angela was pretty certain she didn’t have to worry about winning the race.
Now she had to worry about getting to the end of the race. She rested her oar against the rock and pushed. But the canoe wouldn’t budge.
“Let me see,” Carter said.
“No. I’ve got this.” She didn’t need any help.
Angela would get them unstuck. She just needed some more leverage. She stood up. The boat rocked to the side. She managed to keep her balance. Now all she had to do was put more pressure on the oar when she pushed.
“Be careful,” Carter called out.
Angela didn’t respond. She spread her feet apart and pushed with all her might. The boat tipped.
She lost her balance. The next thing Angela knew, she was in the cold water. Unable to touch the bottom, she sunk below the water’s surface. Working her arms and legs, she came to the surface sputtering and gasping for air. It took her a second to realize what had happened. She blinked away the water from her eyes. Her gaze sought out Carter. She attempted to swim to him.
“Carter!”
He leaned over the edge of the canoe, stretching out his arm to her. “That’s it! Swim over. I’ll help you in the boat.”
Her arms moved, but she didn’t seem to make much progress. In fact, she was being pulled farther from him. She got swept up in a current. Her heart raced.
“Carter! Help!”
No. No. No. This can’t be happening.
The current dragged her down river—farther and farther from Carter. This was supposed to have been a fun weekend—a chance to reconnect. Now what was going to happen? She was going to drown? She kicked harder against the current with no success.
By then, she’d lost sight of Carter. She turned in the direction the current was carrying her. Her head bobbed up and down in the water. When she rose above the water, she gasped for air. Then she was plunged back down beneath the water’s surface as the water splashed over her head. Her lungs burned with the need for oxygen.
