Page 136

“There’s lemonade if you’re thirsty.” I placed the lemonade down on the wooden planks.

With one hand, he lifted the drink to his lips. “Haven’t had fresh squeezed lemonade in a while.” He placed it down and patted the seat next to him. “Sit.”

“Any bites?” I asked, reaching for the bag of sliced bread I left out earlier.

“Not yet.” He watched me rip off a small portion of the sliced bread, roll it into a tiny ball, and add it to the hook. “You don’t use worms or other live bait?” He gestured to the tackle box.

“No. I’m a simple girl.” I threw out the fishing line. “In my experience, the trout, bass, and sunfish love the bread. Have you tried using it before?”

“Nope. Maybe they just love you.”

What about you? Do you love me?

Ismiled. “Let’s see who catches the first fish.”

I sat beside him with our arms touching. Silence thrummed between us, and it was such a lovely moment.

“Why do you enjoy fishing?” I asked.

He lifted a shoulder. “I fish because I’m not just catching fish.” His eyes were on the gleaming lake. “It teaches me patience. I’m discovering myself while being with myself, you know?”

I bumped my shoulder into him. “You’re so poetic, you know that?”

He let out a soft laugh. “I guess life can be poetic if you learn how to look at it that way. Why doyoulike fishing?”

No one had ever asked me that question. But then again, I hadn’t gone fishing with many people. I ripped off a small piece of bread and tossed it into the lake, offering free food to the fish.

“Part of it is what you just described. Spending time alone with myself is precious. It’s like having the fish nibble my trouble away. But I often look at my reflection in the water. There are moments when I miss my mom or am sad about life, and I wonder if the water could remove the sadness and change my reflection. You know, like the water could somehow put a smile on my reflection?” A fish nibbled on the bread I’d thrown into the water and disappeared. “But I realized if I wanted to see the smile, I had to changeme—the inner me. It had nothing to do with the exterior world. I had to smile to see that reflected in the water. When our perception changes, everything else changes.”

He nodded slowly while staring at the water. “That’s a wise fishing analogy—and you callmea poet?” He bumped shoulders with me as something flickered in his eyes. “Sylvia emailed me saying she didn’t want the car anymore.”

“Really?” A small smile curved my lips.

“She also wished me luck with my new girlfriend.” Amusement gleamed in his eyes. “Know anything about that?

“Maybe she was inspired to be nice after we had a little chat about eyeliner.”

“Do I want to know?”

“It’s best you don’t.” I stared out at the trees across the lake.

“So when are you going to do the pimp roll for me?” He elbowed me.

Here comes the long overdue conversation.

“I’m sure you can do it better than me.” I sighed. “It was so out of my comfort zone, but I did it for a specific reason.”

“A reason you failed to inform me about.” The serious expression matched the tone. “I was so worried about you, but I was also angry and sad.”

The sadness and disappointment in his voice prickled my skin. A bug landed on the lake's surface, creating a circular ripple as it hopped along.

“I didn’t want to bother you. You were working and?—”

“Iwantyou to bother me about everything and anything. Iwantto be the first to know.” He swallowed. “Do you know how heartbroken I was to know the woman I love had put herself in danger without telling me? What if something happened to you? I was terrified I could lose you.”

My heart hammered as love erupted like a million butterflies flapping within me.

He secured the fishing rod in the pole holder and gripped my face. “I love you, Tulip, and it makes me feel insignificant when you leave me out.”