They Said Man on the Ship Was My Destiny—I Said No Chapter 05
A red coat settled over my shoulders — brand-new, still holding the warmth of its folds.
A voice came from above — low, steady.
“Clara, sorry to keep you waiting. I’m a little rusty with the oars. It’s freezing out here—put this on. I’ve been gone a long time and don’t really know the customs anymore, but my mom and grandmother made this. They said the girl on the boat is supposed to wear red today.”
He didn’t wait for an answer — just turned, settled at the bow, and pulled on the oars. The boat lurched forward so hard I stumbled back into my seat.
“Hold on — we’re moving.”
I pulled the coat tight and stayed low, not daring to shift my weight.
My first time on a festival boat. Everything about it felt new.
The boat shot forward — just like it had arrived, cutting through the water like a blade, there and gone before anyone could react.
The crowd on the platform barely had time to register it. By the time Preston looked up, I was gone.
He threw himself onto his boat and rowed after me. Audrey stood on the shore alone, her face flushed, blinking back furious tears.
She clung to Preston’s mother. “Mrs. Vance, look what he’s doing! I drew red for him, and he just left? How could he do this to me!”
Preston’s mother was already unraveling.
She turned to my dad. “Mayor Hayes, our kids are engaged — you know that. We’ll set up the reception right now. Today, even.”
She needed my dad to say yes — needed it like air. Because how else could the girl who spent seven years chasing her son just walk onto another man’s boat without looking back?
All she’d ever wanted was to knock the fight out of me — just enough to make me manageable. She never thought I’d actually leave.
The hollow look on Preston’s face as he’d rowed away wouldn’t leave her. For the first time, she felt the weight of what she’d done.
She shouldn’t have listened to Audrey. Clara was the daughter-in-law she’d chosen — the one she’d already claimed.
My dad’s voice turned to ice.
“Where was all this concern an hour ago? You wanted to play by Riverbend’s rules — fine. Clara drew red, Clara got on a boat.”
“That’s the rule. You said it yourselves — rules are rules. Now you get to live with them. You’ve known about the engagement for seven years. Seven years, and you never once planned a wedding. Why is that?”
Every word landed. Preston’s family had nothing.
They didn’t dare answer.
“Seven years together, and you were still rigging her slips. You don’t get to say her name again.”
My dad seized Preston’s brother by the wrist, tore a fistful of white slips from his grip, and hurled them into the air.
The white slips caught the wind and fell like rain. Preston’s family wanted it both ways — keep Audrey on the boat, keep me on the hook. Have their cake and eat it too.
“My daughter isn’t something you get to put on a shelf and take down when it suits you. The engagement is off. As of today, our families are done.”
My dad walked back to the shore after that. He stood there waiting — waiting for me to ride the winding length of Willow Creek and come home.
Preston’s mother could barely stand, her whole body shaking. Audrey reached out to steady her. She shoved her away.
“Go. Just go. When Preston gets back, he’s going to blame you for all of this. Get out of here before that happens.”
She exhaled long and slow. She knew her son. If he came back without me, he’d tear this town apart looking for someone to blame.