The Dating Pool

Sharp banter. Small-town sparks. A summer romance that refuses to stay dry.

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 like it's delicate. When he tells me they don't need a pool, I prove him wrong. Not because I care what he thinks. Obviously. I just happen to hate being told no.

The more I push, the more he pushes back.

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.

Falling for him definitely isn't.