Page 32 of The Maine Event (Romancing the Workplace #2)

FIFTEEN

My limbs are numb. The frigid water doesn’t feel as cold, which I know isn’t a good sign. I struggle to keep Chloe’s head above the waves. And my own. Panic threatens to overwhelm me. I force it down. I have to be strong for Chloe.

“Just hold on to me,” I tell her, my voice shaking. “We’re going to be okay.”

Chloe’s little hands cling to my neck, her breath coming in short gasps. I can feel her shivering against me. The poor thing must be terrified.

I look around wildly, trying to get my bearings. I can’t make out the lighthouse anymore. But I think I can make out a dock, similar to Dan’s, there a cruiser moored blocking the view of the house. If we can just make it there…

A sharp crack makes me jump. Chloe’s flailing leg has hit something—the nameplate from the boat. Rebecca . The letters glint accusingly as it bobs on the surface.

“Chloe, grab that!” I shout over the wind. “It’ll help you float!”

Together we lunge for it. I manage to snag a corner and shove it under Chloe’s arm. She grips it like a lifeline.

I’m running out of energy. It doesn’t feel like I have anything left in the tank. I. Must. Press. On.

I will myself to stay calm. One kick at a time. That’s all I can focus on. One kick, then another. Ignore the burning in my muscles. Block out the cold seeping into my bones. Just swim.

Chloe whimpers and I hug her closer to me. “Your dad will find us,” I promise, praying it’s true. “He’ll be looking for us. We just have to make it to shore.”

I squint into the fading light, gauging the distance to the dock. Too far, but we have no choice. Gulping air, I start kicking for land, Chloe a trembling weight against my chest.

Please let us make it, I beg silently. Please. Dan, where are you? We need you. Chloe needs you.

I grit my teeth and keep swimming.

The swell is more violent now. They’re small waves really. But their size is irrelevant. They’re slapping against my face as I struggle to keep my head above water.

“Keep kicking, sweetie,” I urge, trying to sound calm despite the panic clawing at my throat. “You’re doing great. We’re going to be okay.”

But even as I say the words, doubt gnaws at me. The shore seems impossibly distant, a mirage shimmering in the gathering dusk. My arms and legs feel like lead, each stroke an agony of effort.

Chloe’s grip on the nameplate slips and she cries out in alarm. “Just let it go!” I tell her, tightening my hold. “Just hold to me.”

She nods, her face pale and pinched. She’s so young, so vulnerable.

I have to save her. Nothing else matters. Not the pain, not the weariness, not the fear. Chloe is all that matters.

With a burst of determination, I renew my efforts, pulling Chloe further on top of me. “Kick your legs,” I tell her, demonstrating. “Like you’re riding a bicycle. Hard as you can, okay?”

She obeys wordlessly, her small sneakers beating a rhythm against the water. I join her, propelling us inches at a time towards safety.

It’s grueling work, fighting the currents that want to drag us under. The water stings my eyes. My lungs burn with every gasp.

But slow stroke by slow stroke, kick by labored kick, the dock creeps closer. I fixate on it, pouring every ounce of fading strength into reaching it.

Just a little farther. Keep going. Don’t stop. For Chloe.

I’m not sure how long we flounder together, suspended between hope and dread. Time loses meaning beyond the ragged rhythm of our movements and the drumming of my pulse in my ears.

There’s only the cold. The currents. Chloe. The distant dock. And the single, unrelenting thought: We have to make it.

We have to.

A frantic yell from Chloe jolts me out of my semi-delirious struggle.

“Dad!” she screams, her voice ragged. “Dad! Help us!”

I turn my head, following her gaze, and nearly weep with relief at the sight of Dan’s car driving slowly along the coastal path. He jumps out, scanning the water, looking for us.

Hope surges through me, electrifying me. I join my voice with Chloe’s, shouting his name with what little strength I have left. “Dan! Dan, we’re here! Help!”

At first, he doesn’t seem to hear us, striding back towards his car, about to drive off. A knot of anguish twists in my chest. He can’t leave. Not now. Not when we’re so close…

“Dad!” Chloe shrieks again, desperation etched into the single syllable.

Finally, miraculously, his head snaps towards the water. I see the moment he registers our plight, his body going rigid with shock. Then he’s running, sprinting towards the bank of the river with a speed that would put an Olympian to shame.

He doesn’t hesitate for an instant when he reaches the edge, kicking off his shoes and shrugging out of his jacket in one fluid motion. His phone and wallet hit the ground a split second before he dives into the water, cleaving the surface in a clean arc.

I nearly sob with relief as he swims towards us with powerful strokes, closing the distance in heartbeats. Moments later, his strong arms are around us, holding us up as he treads water.

“I’ve got you,” he says roughly, his eyes wild with fear and relief. “I’ve got you both. You’re okay.”

He checks Chloe over frantically, searching for any sign of injury. She clings to him, small hands clutching his shirt. Satisfied that she’s unharmed, he turns his attention to me.

“Are you alright?” he demands, his grip on my arm almost bruising.

I manage a shaky nod, too overwhelmed to form words. He seems to understand, pulling me closer until our foreheads touch, all three of us tangled together in a desperate embrace.

Gently, he pries Chloe off his chest and settles her on his back. “Hold on tight, kiddo,” he instructs. “Like when you were little, remember?”

She obeys, looping her arms around his neck and burying her face between his shoulder blades. With his hands free, Dan reaches for me, guiding my arms around his waist.

“Hang on to me,” he orders softly. “I’ll get us to shore. Just hang on, Rach.”

I do, clinging to him like a lifeline as he strikes out for the shore, his strong body cutting through the water with determined grace. The solid warmth of him against me is an anchor, a promise of safety amidst the lingering chaos.

As we near the bank of the river, I let my eyes drift closed, exhaustion crashing over me in relentless waves. I’m dimly aware of Dan hauling us out of the water, of Chloe’s small form still clinging to him like a barnacle.

Then somehow, I’m sitting in the backseat of his car, still holding on to Chloe, the distant concerned drone of Dan’s voice, and the blessed relief of being alive.

We made it, I think hazily, surrendering at last to the beckoning pull of unconsciousness. We’re alive. We’re safe.

He saved us.

My eyes flutter open to the sight of Dan’s face hovering above me, his brow furrowed with concern. “Rachel? Hey, you with me?”

I nod weakly, my eyes opening. Beside me, Chloe is curled into a tight ball, her small frame racked with shivers.

“What were you thinking?” Dan demands, his voice rough with residual fear. “Taking the boat out like that without telling me?”

“I’m sorry,” I say, my throat tight. “We just wanted… I thought it would be fun.”

“Fun?” He rakes a hand through his hair, frustration emanating from every line of his body. “Rachel, that boat wasn’t seaworthy. I’d sanded it, painted it to make it look nice, but I hadn’t replaced the waterproofing between the boards. It was just for display.”

A sinking feeling settles in my gut as the magnitude of our mistake hits me. “I didn’t know,” I manage, my voice small.

“You’re lucky it wasn’t more serious,” Dan continues, his tone softening slightly. “All this time, you’ve been asking me to treat Chloe like a grown-up. Well, look what happens. She’s just a child, Rachel.”

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, blurring my vision. He’s right, of course. I’d been so focused on giving Chloe the independence I thought she needed that I’d failed to consider the risks.

“I’m sorry,” I say again, the words inadequate in the face of what could have been. “I never meant for this to happen.”

Dan sighs, the anger draining from his features as he reaches out to brush a strand of wet hair from my forehead. “I know,” he says. “But it did. And now we have to deal with it.”

He turns to Chloe, gathering her into his arms. She clings to him, her face pale and pinched. “Let’s get you both inside,” he says, his voice gentle but firm. “We’ll get you warmed up, and then we’ll talk about this.”

I nod, allowing him to help me out of the car.

The warmth of the house envelops us as we step inside, a shocking contrast to the chill that has seeped into my bones. Dan bustles about, grabbing towels and blankets, his movements efficient yet tinged with a lingering tension.

Chloe huddles on the couch, wrapped in a fluffy towel, her eyes distant. I long to comfort her, to assure her that everything will be alright, but the words stick in my throat. How can I make such promises when I’ve so clearly failed her?

“Get those wet clothes off now,” he says.

I accept a towel and a robe from him, and he turns and busies himself with Chloe while I strip, my soaked clothes land on the floor with a soppy thud.

“I’ll make some hot chocolate,” Dan announces, his voice cutting through the heavy silence. “Chloe, why don’t you go up and take a shower? As hot as you can take it.”

She nods, sliding off the couch and padding down the hallway in a robe much too big for her. I watch her go, my heart aching with the weight of my mistakes.

Dan returns with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, setting them down on the coffee table. He settles into one of the dining room chairs across from me, his hands clasped tightly in his lap.

“What were you thinking?” he asks, his voice strained. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that river is?”

I wince, the guilt washing over me anew. “I know. I’m sorry, Dan. I didn’t realize the boat wasn’t seaworthy. I just wanted to do something special for Chloe, to show her that I care.”

“By putting her life at risk?” His tone sharpens, anger flashing in his eyes. “I trusted you with my daughter, Rachel. I thought you understood how important she is to me.”

“I do,” I insist, leaning forward. “Chloe means the world to me, too. I would never intentionally put her in harm’s way.”

“But you did.” The words hang heavy in the air. “I can’t lose her, Rachel. Not like I lost Rebecca. I won’t survive it.”

My heart clenches at the raw pain in his voice. “I’m so sorry, Dan. I didn’t mean to. I thought I was doing the right thing. Clearly it wasn’t. I don’t know what else to say.”

“I know you didn’t mean to,” he says, his voice softening slightly. “But that doesn’t change what happened.”

Before I can respond, Chloe comes down the stairs, dressed in warm, dry clothes. She climbs onto the couch beside me, curling into my side. I wrap an arm around her, holding her close.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she murmurs, her voice small. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Dan’s expression softens as he looks at his daughter. He moves to join us on the couch, pulling Chloe into a tight hug. “I know, sweetheart. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Over Chloe’s head, our eyes meet. I have to look away. The shame. The guilt. The disappointment in myself…

I struggle to my feet, cinching the robe tighter around me. The exhaustion from the swim, the panic, the argument with Dan—it all crashes over me in a suffocating wave. I need to get away, to clear my head. I walk towards the door, each step an effort.

“Rachel, wait.” Dan’s voice halts me. “You can’t leave like this. You’re in no shape to go anywhere.”

I pause, not turning around. The concern in his tone tugs at my heart, but the sting of his earlier words lingers. “I’ll be fine,” I mumble, though even I don’t believe it.

“I’m really sorry,” I say as I open the door and head out of Dan’s life and Maine forever.