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I hesitate. Not because I don’t want to see Dan—if anything, that’s the problem.

“It might be awkward,” I say carefully, my voice lower now. “We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.”

Chloe tilts her head. “But you said yes to the finals.”

“That’s different,” I say quickly. “That’s about you. That’s something I wouldn’t miss.”

She opens her mouth to argue, but I raise a hand gently. “It’s not that I don’t want to see him. It’s just… I don’t think he’ll want to see me.”

Chloe gives me a sympathetic smile, softer now. “You don’t know that.”

I offer a half-hearted shrug, not ready to let that thought settle. “Maybe. Or maybe he’s just relieved not to have to explain me to his friends and family. I sort of burst into his life, made a mess of things, and left.”

She frowns. “That’s not how I see it.”

“Well, I did announce his acting comeback without telling him, remember? And almost got you killed on a boat.”

“Almost.” She grins. “But instead, you saved me.”

I exhale, torn. “It’s just… if I show up, I don’t want it to look like I’m trying to wedge myself back in. Or make it about me. I don’t want to ambush him.”

Chloe steps closer and gently links her arm through mine. “It’s not an ambush. It’s a seat in the audience. That’s all. You’re not storming the stage.”

I smile at that, but the nerves don’t fully dissipate. There’s too much I haven’t processed. Too much left unsaid between Dan and me. But maybe, I think, being in the audience is a way of saying something without having to say anything at all.

“Please, Rachel?” Chloe pleads, her eyes wide and imploring. “It would mean so much to me. And I know Dad would love to see you too, even if he won’t admit it. He’s been moping around ever since you left Biddeford. I think he misses having someone to banter with, you know?”

I sigh, feeling my resolve crumble in the face of Chloe’s earnestness. “Alright, alright. I’ll come to the live recording.”

Chloe lets out a squeal of delight, throwing her arms around me in another exuberant hug. “Thank you, Rachel! This is going to be the best surprise ever!”

Chloe pulls back from the hug, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I should probably get back to my friends,” she says, glancing over her shoulder at the group of girls waiting nearby. “But tap in your number and I’ll text you the details for tomorrow, okay?”

I nod, taking her phone and adding my number to her contacts. “Sounds good, Chlo. And congratulations again on winning the heat. I’m so proud of you.”

Chloe beams, her smile as radiant as the sun. “Thanks, Rachel. And I’m really sorry about asking you to go out in the boat with me. You saved my life.” She gives me a final squeeze before turning to rejoin her friends, her ponytail bouncing with each step.

I watch her go, my heart swelling with a bittersweet mix of emotions. It’s probably a good thing she didn’t wait for a response. I probably would have burst out crying. Chloe’salready halfway back to her friends when she turns, gives me one last wave, and mouths,Thank you.

I nod, managing a small smile.

I return to the café, and I sit back down at my table, my coffee now lukewarm. I find myself replaying Chloe’s words in my mind. “‘I think he misses having someone to banter with, you know?’”

The thought of Dan missing me, of him feeling the same sense of absence that I’ve been grappling with, it’s both touching and terrifying.Does he miss me? Has he even thought about me since I left?

But then I remember the way he looked at me in the boathouse, the intensity in his gaze, the unspoken words that hung in the air between us. The want. The desire. The way my heart raced and my skin tingled, like a current of electricity running through my veins.

Those daydreams are quickly put to rest when I remember how furious he was that we’d taken the boat out. That I had risked his daughter’s life and all of this within forty-eight hours of announcing his acting comeback without bothering to ask for his permission first… No, of course he hasn’t thought of me since. If he has, it’s not with longing or regret… It’s with relief that I’m no longer around.

How can I let Chloe down gently? The poor girl doesn’t understand why going tomorrow is a terrible idea. How could she?

I take a long sip of coffee, steeling myself. I’ll go to the recording. For her. To show up, like I should have done the first time. I’ll sit quietly, stay out of the way, and applaud when I’m supposed to.

No expectations. No drama.

TWENTY-TWO