Clallam Bay (A Fresh Start #2) (12 page)

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t know. Guess ‘cause it’d be weird for him, ya know? Sitting around listening to all us reminiscing about a man whose death is the only reason he’s here.”

Right.

“But it’s not like we haven’t asked him. We do every year. He just chooses not to come.”

“Well, what about Cade?”

“Mom doesn’t allow him to come. So naturally, he tells her he’s staying with a friend and comes anyway.”

I smiled at the pile of packs on his back. I bet he was super sweet with that kid without even trying. Cade seemed to gravitate toward him. I’d witnessed it at that incredibly uncomfortable dinner. Wherever Coll was, Cade wasn’t far.

“And it’s not weird for him, hearing you guys talk about a man who’s not his father?”

“Nah. I think he enjoys it. If not for the stories, then for the fishing.”

“And the brotherly bonding.”

“Yeah. That too, I suppose.”

Coming to a stop just outside a grassy nook in the trees, Coll dropped the equipment. “This is it. Not too shabby, huh?”

Yeah. It was a real Four Seasons.

While Coll grabbed the supplies to set up the tent, I awkwardly stood on the sidelines, occasionally calling out a “you need help with that?”

Each time, Coll turned me down, letting me know he had it and I could just sit back and relax, have one of the Diet Cokes he had packed me while sitting on one of the damp tree trunk type benches surrounding the fire pit. I would have killed for a warm blanket and some hot cocoa.

“So, it’s always just you guys that come out every year? No wives? No girlfriends? Girls that are just friends?” I pried for the sake of prying. I needed some assurance about as much as I needed the conversation while I twiddled with little sticks I picked up off the ground. I was pretty sure I was dying. Was it normal not to be able to feel your toes?

“Nope. You’re the first.”

Oh.

Well, that was flattering. But then I went and ruined it by starting to wonder things like the first what? The first girlfriend? The first girl that was just a friend? What? Which one was it?

Snapping a twig, I threw it down and stood.

“Okay, I can’t just sit here and watch. Tell me what to do.”

“Oh. Uh, okay. You see that metal pole behind you?”

I turned and pointed at what I thought he was talking about.

“Yeah, that one.”

I felt immensely proud of myself.

“Now see the loop in the corner of the tent down there by your foot? Yeah, that one. Stick the end in there and feed it through to the other side.”

I did as he said, holding the stake while he made his way around, hammering the rest of the poles into place.

It was nice feeling useful. Plus, the more I helped out the warmer I got. I had nearly broken a sweat right before we gathered up our rods and fishing supplies and headed over to set up by the river bank.

I stood idly by, watching Coll out of the corner of my eye as he hooked his bait. I took pity on the little worm, grimacing as it wiggled and writhed in protest of its violent end. Poor little guy.

“You need me to hook yours or you got it?”

Was he kidding? Did I look like I knew what I was doing? No way was I touching one of those things.

“Uh, I think you better do it.” I handed over the rod. “It’s my first time.”

He smiled as he took it. “Better be gentle then,” he teased, and heat flourished from my belly so hot I actually started to sweat. Collecting my hair, I pulled it over my shoulder to let the breeze help hit my neck as he, uh … baited my hook.

I rolled my eyes downstream then turned back to squint up at him. He stepped behind me, causing my muscles to tense when he reached around to place the rod in my hands.

“The cast can be pretty tricky,” he said, his voice surprising me by how close it sounded. His palms were warm on my hands. “If you’re not careful, you can hook yourself. Everyone I know’s done it. Even me. But I’m not gonna let that happen. Hurts like a bitch. Here, put your finger on that button.”

I did as he said and he moved his grip to my wrists to pull my arms slightly back and to the right, letting the line fall behind us.

“Casting is a back and forth motion, like this.”

Maneuvering my arms, he rocked the line forward then back, forward then back.

“On the upswing you’re gonna let go of that button.”

“Okay.”

“You ready?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, the back of my head rubbing against his chest. “I’m ready.”

Together we brought the line back then whipped it forward. I released the button like a pro, dropping the hook straight into the water on the first try.

Holding back a squeal, I vibrated in place, and he placed a kiss on the top of my head before stepping away to pick up his own rod.

Even though there were a thousand questions I still wanted to ask, I stayed silent like you were supposed to when waiting for the fish to bite.

Patience had never been a virtue of mine. It took all I had just to try and teach a classroom full of first graders the difference between a rectangle and a square.

That was no easy feat and neither was this—just standing here, waiting for something to happen while my arms got tired.

Glancing over at Coll’s hands, I watched his tendons twitch with every little movement. Those hands had seen a lot. They were skillful and strong, all while staying gentle and kind. I’d felt them over my clothes many times and across my bare skin just a few. I wanted to know how they felt against the more sensitive parts of my body. Rough yet somehow soft, maybe. Probably.

But then I’d think about where they’d been. Who they’d touched. And it would make me not want them on me anymore. But only a little bit. I still mostly wanted them on me.

Squinting out a glare from the water, I looked away, nearly losing the rod when it jerked in my hands.

“Uh, Coll.”

“Yeah?”

I tightened my grip when it jerked again.

“What’s happening?” I asked, briefly looking over at him again.

He smirked out over the river. “You caught one.”

“I did?”

“Yep.”

“Okay. So what do I do?”

Winding his line in, Coll sat his rod down on the rocks. “You reel it in,” he said as he stepped behind me.

You don’t say.

“All right. How?”

Placing his hands back over mine, he squeezed gently.

“Reeling in a fish is like a game of tug of war. You gotta tug.” He pulled back on the rod. “Then reel.” Placing my hand on the handle, he gave it a spin. “Tug and reel.” He stepped back. “Go ahead and give it a try.”

Determined, I squared my shoulders and spread my feet, giving it a good tug and reel like he said.

“Good. Do it again.”

I did as he said, giving it another good tug and then another and another until the fish popped out of the water, wiggling and writhing on the end of the line. It was a lot easier to reel it in once it was hanging defenseless in midair. The closer it got the more disappointed I felt.

“That’s it? That puny little thing put up that much of a fight?”

Huffing a laugh, Coll caught the fish to unhook it from the line. Once he stuck his thumb in the fish’s mouth, I had to look away.

“They might be little but they’re strong just the same. Take ‘em out of their element and they’re defenseless. See?”

I turned back as he held the fish up, and we watched as it gaped and wiggled, quickly draining itself of its energy.

“You want to throw him back or you want me to?”

My eyes shot up to his face then back down at the fish. “We’re just going to let him go?”

“Sure. But what makes you so sure it’s a him?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s slimy and gross. Just like a boy. At least that’s what all the girls in my class say. It’s cootie season, you know.”

He smiled down at me. “All I know is this little guy’s gonna die if you don’t decide soon. So what’ll it be?”

Scrunching up my face in disgust, I reached out for the fish.

“You want your hands to move down the fish from head to tail or you’ll get scaled.”

“Scaled?”

“Cut.”

“Oh.” I cringed again.

“And see those long slits on the side? Those are the gills. You wanna try and not touch those.”

“Okay.” I reached out again, nearly dropping the fish as it slipped slightly in my hand. It took everything I had not to make the typical girly sounds. But a small, surprised squeak escaped me when I bent down to release it and it gained a second wind, trying to flip and flop then finally wiggling free with a plop. I wiped the gross off on my pants as I stood.

“So do you always let them go?”

“Nah, that one was just so small it wasn’t worth keeping.”

“Oh.” Well, that was disappointing.

“But you did good. Better than most girls on the first try.”

“I thought you didn’t bring girls on this trip.”

“I don’t.”

“But you have taken them fishing?”

“A few.”

Ah …

The question of how many almost slipped out. But I didn’t think I wanted to know the specifics.

“And have you gotten into fights over any of these other girls?”

“A few.”

Uh huh.

“So is that just the norm for a guy like you?”

“A guy like me?”

“Yeah, you know …” I teetered on calling him sexy but knew he’d enjoy it way too much. “Popular …”

His eyebrow peeked out from behind his glasses.

“How is that feeling, by the way?” I asked, sort of changing the subject. I’d been meaning to ask about the extent of the damages all day. He probably thought I didn’t care. Which was far from the truth.

“Not too bad.”

“But it’s bad?”

Glancing out over the river, he sniffed then shrugged.

“Can I see?”

He took off the glasses then rubbed his nose on his sleeve before looking over at me.

I sucked in a short breath through my teeth as I reached up to touch his face. “Jesus. He got you good. Does it hurt?”

“Only when you touch it.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Nah, I’m kidding.” He chuckled. “It actually feels pretty good when you touch it.”

“It feels good when I do this?” I pushed on the bruise a little and he winced.

“Yeah.” Looking up, he met my eyes. “It feels good anywhere you touch me.”

My stomach dropped to my toes then snapped back up like a bungee cord. Man, he was good.

“So, you wanna keep tryin’?”

It took me a minute to gather myself and suppress all the feels. “What?”

“Fishing. You wanna keep tryin’ to catch something bigger?” He gave me a devilish grin. “S’up to you.”

I shook my head. “It’s your trip.”

“So?”

“So, that makes it up to you. Do you want to keep trying?” Shielding my eyes from the setting sun, I looked out over the river, hoping beyond hope he couldn’t tell that all my insides had splattered into piles of goop. “Do we even have something else to eat if we don’t catch anything?”

The Doritos Alyssa and I had eaten earlier were starting to wear off and I was getting hungry. Or maybe that pang was from him just telling me he thought it felt good whenever and wherever I touched him.

“Yeah, I brought hot dogs and
Doritos
. Your favorite.”

That was all he had to say to snap me out of it for the moment. Picking up my rod, I pointed in the direction of camp. “Well then, what are we waiting for? Lead the way.”

It was a short trek back to the tent. We could still see the river from where we sat by the campfire. The stars reflecting off the water made it look like there were two night skies. I was noticing everything just to keep my mind off touching him and him liking me touching him.

God.

The flames weren’t the only things growing between us. The tension was as thick as the smoke.

To put off any further impending touching, I enthusiastically reached out when he passed me a crisp hot dog and a mini bag of my favorite chips in the world, my last concern how much I looked like a pig right then.

Bullfrogs and crickets serenaded our silence as we ate, nearly thigh to thigh once he sat down beside me. I could tell the difference in my leg. I had the urge to straddle him for the extra warmth. The thought only warmed me in other places.

“You get enough to eat?”

Shoving the last of my hot dog into my mouth, I nodded.

“If you want more, I can make it.”

I swallowed and shook my head. “No, I’m good. Thanks.”

There was another awkward pause before I worked up enough courage to ask some more questions.

“So …” I drew out, rubbing down the tops of my thighs to my knees.

“Yeah?”

“What actually happened after I left last night?”

“What do you mean?”

It took everything I had not to roll my eyes. “I mean what happened after I left last night? When Tara followed you back into the bar. What happened with that?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing happened? No bands played? No drinks drank? No laughs were had?”

“Nothing happened with Tara.”

The forest went silent as relief ran through me. But I thought I hid it pretty well. “Oh, okay … Well, good.”

The crickets started back up as he stood and tossed our paper plates in the fire before putting it out. He dusted off his hands on his pants before reaching for me. “You coming?”

I looked at his hand for a moment before I took it and let him lead me to the tent where I crawled in behind him.

It was more spacious than I had imagined. The air mattress looked welcoming with its white, downy comforter turned down to reveal a set of flannel sheets. Mindful of the space heater, I sat down to take off my boots and slid under the covers still fully dressed.

“Warm enough for you?” Coll asked as he lifted his shirt over his head.

I nodded, my cheeks heating when he went for the buckle of his jeans. I looked away as he kicked them off like it was nothing then slid in beside me.

The temperature increased significantly with both of us under the covers. I was roasting.

“Is it possible to turn the heat down?” I asked, pulling my arms out from under the comforter. I plopped them down on either side of me, hitting the back of his hand with mine. I resisted the urge to jerk it back to see if he would first.

He didn’t.

Instead he played with my knuckles, making me sweat a hundred times worse than I already was.

“Heater’s on the lowest setting. I could turn it off but we’d regret it by morning. Best to get rid of some layers.” He picked at the wrist of my sweater.

I thought about it briefly before sitting up to pull my sweater over my head, taking my undershirt with it. Adjusting the tank I’d thankfully worn, I shimmied back down under the covers to remove my pants.

The ensuing silence was the most uncomfortable one yet. I couldn’t even fidget in fear that I would accidentally rub up against his half-naked body.

“So, all you guys stay in one tent?” I asked to try and help cancel out all the sexiness of the situation. His brothers, while all sexy, did nothing for him, I was sure.

“For the most part.”

Twisting my neck to face him, I gave him a look. “The most part?”

“Yeah. Kyle’s feet are usually sticking out the front.”

Just thinking about having my feet hang out in the cold all night gave me a chill. I shivered and pulled my legs in, accidentally running them up the side of Coll’s. He seemed unbothered by it, but my insides were a mess being so close to him with so little on. It was bad enough when we were fully clothed.

“So how was today?”

I cleared my throat. “It was good. I really enjoyed it.” Maybe not the fishing so much, but the having him teach me was nice.

“Make a regular out of ya, did I?”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“But you’d maybe wanna do it again sometime?”

“I don’t know, maybe. Are you offering to take me again sometime?”

“Maybe. Unless there was something else you wanted to do.”

My silence caused him to look over.

“What is it you like to do?”

Put on the spot, I panicked. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Turning to face me, he propped his head up on his palm.

I tried not to stare at his biceps. “No. Well, back home I went to a lot of museums, I guess. Took a lot of walks around the city.” Come to think of it, I didn’t have all that many hobbies or interests. I’d tried knitting once, but that had turned out to be a complete fail.

“So you like to stay active while learning, yeah?”

“Yeah.” I smiled over at him. “I guess you could say that.” He made my lack of interests actually sound pretty good.

“I can work with that. Not much to do around here but I always seem to find some way to spend my time. I learned everything I know by not having anything else to do. I could show you how to change a tire, your oil. We could learn how to fix that window together.”

“Oh, could we?” I teased him, and he smiled up at the tent.

“If you want.”

Funny thing was I did. I very much wanted to stand out in the freezing cold, assisting him with his structural upkeep. In a strange way it was sweet of him to offer.

“Okay. Yeah. I’d love to help you fix your window. I’m always up for learning new things.”

He turned to look at me, and it was my turn to look up at the tent.

“Ya know, it’s not too late for you to learn a new thing. Find something else to do with your life that you’d enjoy.”