The Dating Pool
RAMONA
Sugarpine Lake was supposed to be practical.
A break from job hunting. From scrambling for stability. From pretending I have everything figured out-for me and my daughter. No risks. No men who make it hard to breathe. But in a town built around water, there isn't a single swim program for the kids. I'm a former swimmer with a toddler who already loves the shoreline.
That feels like a problem worth fixing.
Then I meet Graham Casanova.
He runs the town's only camp and daycare like it's delicate. He tells me they don't need a pool. I just happen to hate being told no. The more I push, the more he pushes back.
And somewhere between late-night run-ins and arguments that feel suspiciously like flirting, I realize I'm not just fighting for a pool. I'm fighting the way my pulse stutters when he stands too close. The way his voice drops when we disagree.
This was supposed to be practical. It's starting to feel dangerous.
GRAHAMPeople think I'm stubborn. Overprotective. Too cautious.
I built this camp on routines. On head counts. On rules that don't bend.
Ramona sees opportunity.
They don't see the way the lake can still make my chest go tight.
The way some memories don't fade just because you refuse to look at them.
I see risk. History. Things I never quite made peace with after a tragedy ten years ago.
She wants to make waves.
I've spent years trying to keep the surface still.
We strike a deal.
Now we're stuck working together all summer-pretending our arguments don't spark like something reckless. Pretending I don't notice how easily she walks toward the water. Pretending it doesn't shake something in me that I thought I'd buried.
But the truth?
The only thing more dangerous than the water... is the way I want her anyway.
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