After Mel and Dan had spent an hour walking the trails through the park with the three dogs, Lucy noticeably began to slow down. Dotty and Dixie were both still full of energy. With Lucy resting in Mel’s arms, they began the walk back to the beach area where the dogs could play and splash in the water. Today, Dan was going to teach Mel how to kayak, while Lucy hopefully napped on the blanket he provided. With the dogs temporarily tied to the bench next to their beach blanket, Mel and Dan pulled the kayak off the SUV and carried it to the water’s edge. He showed her how to use the paddles. Dan always carried two sets of paddles when he went out, and he gave Mel the option of using either set.
“The wider blades will give you more acceleration, but they’ll have more resistance cutting through the water. The narrower blades use less effort per stroke, but you’ll have to paddle more.”
“I’ll take the narrower blades. I don’t intend to go anywhere fast. I’m just going to paddle around the area. Give me Lucy. She can lie on the bottom of the kayak so you can play with Dixie and Dotty.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, just hand me a towel so she can lie comfortably on it. We’ll be fine.”
“Okay, here’s the towel. Find a safe spot for her to snuggle in. Here you go.” Dan handed Lucy to Mel, and the pup snuggled in under her feet. Just center yourself and sit low. Don’t go out very far. Remember the klutz thing you told me about. Be careful.”
“Okay, no problem. This will be easy peasy.”
Dan walked Mel out, pushing the kayak until it floated on its own. He kissed her before releasing her to the large pond. “Okay, stay centered and paddle around. Get the feel of it.” He watched as she paddled farther out into the water, then he went back to throwing Frisbees to Dotty and Dixie. He glanced in Mel’s direction several times, apparently trying to keep his eye on her and the dogs. “Mel,” he called out, cupping his hands around his mouth, “Come back this way. You’re too far out.”
She was in her glory with little Lucy sleeping comfortably under her legs. This isn’t hard at all. I’m going to get my own kayak so we can go out together. I can’t wait to learn other new activities with Dan. If I can zip-line, I can do most anything.
Suddenly, a pedal boat with three teenagers in it was heading in her direction. With the sun glaring in their faces, and Mel low and centered in the kayak, they obviously didn’t see her. Mel began to turn the kayak around to head back to Dan when she heard voices closer than they ought to be. She screamed when they broadsided the kayak, flipping it over in water twelve feet deep. She went under, with Lucy wrapped in the towel and sinking as well. Mel popped up, yelling for help and looking everywhere for her pup. The kids, who weren’t wearing life vests, stayed on the pedal boat, reaching out and trying to grab Mel’s arm.
“Damn it, I can swim. Where’s my dog? Do you see my dog?” Panic engulfed Mel as she screamed for help. Her voice echoed across the pond and caught Dan’s attention. “Dan, Lucy’s under water. Help me. I can’t find her. Lucy, Lucy.” Mel dove under water, trying to find her beloved pup.
Within seconds, Dan was swimming across the pond as fast as he could and came to Mel’s aid. “I’ll find her. Get up on that pedal boat with the kids. Grab the kayak’s rope and pull it out of the way. I’ll find Lucy, I promise.”
Mel climbed up on the pedal boat, sobbing for Lucy. The kids looked in every direction, trying to guide Dan to anything they saw. Something finally popped up out of the water, thirty feet to Dan’s left.
“There,” one of the teens called out, “I think that’s the dog.”
Mel jumped up to get a better look, shielding her eyes from the glare on the water. “Dan, over there,” she yelled, pointing to what the kids were sure was Lucy.
Dan swam as Mel yelled. The dog turned toward the familiar voices and swam frantically right into Dan’s hands. He cupped her in his arms as he swam on his back toward the pedal boat. “I have her, Mel. I have Lucy.”
***
Back on shore, exhausted and coughing up pond water, Mel embraced her pup and comforted her in the blanket. Dan sat by Mel’s side, his arm around her as she continued to cry. “If anything had happened to her…”
“Shhh… she’s okay, honey, just a little scared. Lucy’s a dog. Dogs can swim. I promise you, she’ll be fine. How are you? I bet you swallowed plenty of that nasty pond water.”
“Dan, you saved her life. I’m so stupid for insisting she go in the kayak with me. Look at the trouble I caused. I’m so sorry for putting everyone at risk.”
“You were doing fine. I had my eye on you, and I was really impressed. You caught on quickly. The kids were negligent, not you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I made you come out in that pond swill and find Lucy,” she said with the tiniest smile.
“Well, the water does get tested regularly, so I don’t really think it’s pond swill, but I know what you mean. I was worried about you, too. It probably wouldn’t hurt to talk to the park ranger about those kids and the water quality. If you need a round of antibiotics to make sure, I’d rather be safe than sorry. I want you to feel comfortable whenever you’re with me. If there’s anything you don’t want to do, just tell me. I’d never force you to take part in any activity just because I like it.”
That comment reminded Mel of zip-lining a few months back with Jax. With Dan, she felt safe and confident enough in herself to be honest with him. She knew he would be okay with anything she wanted or didn’t want to do. He was a mature and caring man who had her best interest at heart.
“Come on, honey. Let’s get out of here. I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day. I’ll talk to the park officials on our way out.”
Dan stopped his vehicle at the guard shack and talked to the ranger. Mel waited in the car, still remorseful about the ‘what ifs.’ With Lucy snuggled and sleeping in her arms, Mel reminded herself that once more, she’d faced her fears, and the end result was okay. With Dan by her side, she realized that he’d help her through anything. He seemed as invested in their blossoming relationship as she was. She was safe, he was safe, and Lucy was, too. She was sure they could count on each other from that point forward.
He handed Mel the water quality report as he climbed back into the vehicle. “I looked over the last inspection report with the ranger. The lake is a typical retention pond that doesn’t have fresh water running through, but the report shows the water quality is safe. The ranger suggested drinking a lot of fresh water for a few days to wash anything you swallowed out of your system. No more pond swill.” He smiled, leaned across the seat, and kissed Mel. We’ll keep the report on hand in case you start feeling sick. We can show it to a doctor if we need to go that route. How’s the kid?” he asked as he started the car and pulled out to the main road.
“She’s obviously okay since she’s snoring up a storm. Thankfully, she has a small head and likely a small brain. She’s probably forgotten the whole incident already and won’t be mentally scarred for life.”
Dan shook his head and laughed. “You’re something else, Melanie Davis. You’re a brave and crazy girl mixed into one pretty cool woman.”
“You think I’m brave?”
“Of course I do. You really amazed me out there.” He looked in the back where Dotty and Dixie lay sleeping. “I guess they had their fill today, too. Let’s go to my house and change out of these wet clothes. We can lounge by the pool in a couple of cozy robes while everything is being washed.”
***
The constant drone of three snoring dogs on the patio made them laugh. Mel and Dan lounged on side-by-side chaises, wearing thick terrycloth bathrobes as they sipped iced tea.
“I’ll admit, I love your yard. It’s so peaceful and relaxing.”
“I paid good money to get that Zen effect. Do you think it worked?” He reached across the small table between them and took Mel’s hand.
“I think it’s perfect, and so are you. It’s funny how in the course of just a few months, my eyes have really opened. I actually think I’ve matured, too.”
“In what way?”
“You won’t judge me? I can be honest and candid with you?”
“Absolutely. If this relationship is going where I hope it goes, honesty between us is very important.”
“Okay, good. A few months back, I didn’t even know if I wanted to be in a relationship. After several attempts at dating, I realized it was just as important to understand what I didn’t want in a man as much as what I did.” Mel adjusted the belt on her robe then placed her hands in her lap. “To me, it isn’t really a relationship if you’re trying to convince yourself that it is. A real relationship should feel right, come naturally, and mostly, it shouldn’t be a lot of work. I have to be comfortable with the man I’m with. It can’t be about only pleasing him. I have to please myself, too. A younger guy isn’t going to do it for me, and someone who lives halfway around the world won’t either. The man I’m going to fall in love with needs to live close by and has to be mature enough for me to trust him.”
“Sweetheart, from the day I met you, I knew there would be something between us. I just wasn’t sure what it would be. As far as I knew, you could have been married or already in a relationship with some lucky guy.” He reached out and stroked her cheek. “You pulled at my heartstrings, Mel. You have an honesty and a curiosity that’s infectious. You’re charming and genuine. I knew when I met you that I wanted to get to know you better. I was hopeful. I’m ready for a real relationship with you, if you’ll have me, dogs and all.”
“I’d like nothing better.” Mel stood, walked around the table, and lay next to Dan on his chaise. She kissed him, then rested her head in the crook of his neck.
They fell asleep on the chaise with their arms wrapped around each other. The sun peeked through the trees and warmed their skin as they slept.