Cole drove us a little ways into the marsh before finding a spot to cut the engine. He used the trolling motor to guide us quietly toward the shore, and Cam began scanning the shoreline with his huge flashlight that was more like a small spotlight. I was sitting in the middle of the boat with Cole behind me doing the driving and Jacob and Cam toward the front.
"Mais, look right der," Cam said, emphasizing his Cajun accent to be funny. We all looked in the direction the flashlight was pointing, and I could see it right away. There were two little round reflectors shining back at us.
Cole and Cam worked as a team. Cole brought us smoothly to the place where we could reach the frog with a net. "I'm gonna keep the light on his eyes," Cam said, looking at Jacob. "Take that net, and get up under him with it."
Jacob swiveled so he could grab the net and do as Cam said. I watched as he carefully roped the frog from underneath and in a somewhat faster movement, he pulled the net out of the water.
There was a huge bullfrog sitting in the bottom of the net when he brought it out of the water. I looked at it for a second thinking it was a big one, and then it crossed my mind to wonder what Jacob thought about such a thing.
I glanced at him, and couldn't believe what I saw. He was smiling as he pulled in the net. It wasn't a huge smile, and I could only see the side of his face from where I was sitting, but there was an unmistakable upward sweep of the mouth. I leaned to the side in an effort to get a better look at his face, but he was too busy checking out their catch, and he turned away as he situated the net so he could look inside.
I knew he was capable of smiling. I stared at the bottom of the boat wondering why I felt bittersweet feelings about it. As funny as it seemed, I was sort of jealous that a stupid old frog had been the one to cause him to smile when I couldn't.
I sighed and smiled to myself knowing these thoughts were ridiculous. Cam let out a Cajun sound of approval, which was a loud, high-pitched, "Eww-wee," as he stared at the frog near his feet in the bottom of the boat. "Dat's a good one!" he said, still exaggerating the Cajun accent for Jacob's entertainment as he gave him a high five.
I watched curiously to see if Jacob would smile again, but his face seemed to remain neutral as he high-fived my cousin—although I couldn't really see that well from where I was positioned.
They repeated this process until we had eight frogs in the container by my feet.
"I'll teach you how to clean them," Cole said once we decided to make our way back to Jacob's dock.
"I thought we'd just throw them back," Jacob said. "I don't want you to show me just to show me if we're not gonna do something with the meat." He paused. "I don't think I need to know, anyway. I don't think I could do the boat and the light and everything by myself."
"We'll go with you, but you can just go out on foot when you're by yourself," Cam said. "It's almost easier that way. Just put on some waders and go out into the marsh on foot. You just need a flashlight and a bag to put your frogs in. You don't need a net or anything."
"So, I just shine the light, and walk right over and pick them up?" Jacob asked.
Cam nodded. "Yep. As long as you keep that light on their eyes."
I had watched this and several exchanges happen between Jacob and my cousins, and I had been tempted to chime in every time, but I never did. I was enjoying seeing him interact with them too much to interject and worry about how he would respond to me.
Cole parked near the dock, and they tied up the boat. Knowing it would have to be done, I started gently tossing the frogs out of the boat one by one. They were all nice sized frogs, and I smiled at my own urge to kiss them before tossing them back into the water.
"What you smiling at?" Cole asked, glancing back at me after he stepped onto the dock.
"These frogs," I said. It had been a while since I said anything, and it took me a second to find my voice. I cleared my throat. "These frogs," I repeated, since it barely came out the first time. "They're happy y'all decided not to eat them."
"I like the idea of it," Jacob said, "and it's fun to go catch them. But I'm not sure I really want to clean and eat them."
"Tastes like chicken," Cam said.
"Not to me," I said, scrunching up my face a little.
"Are you scared of them?" Jacob asked.
"No, I'm not scared of them," I said, dropping the last one overboard. "I just don't like the taste. It's like sandy, fishy-tasting chicken."
"They have frog legs at Ty's sometimes," Cam said. "I'll get you some next time so you can see for yourself."
Cole reached out to help me climb out of the boat and onto the dock.
"I didn't tell you thank you for that," Jacob said. I assumed he was talking to Cole for bringing the boat or taking him frogging, but when I regained my balance enough to look at him, I could see that he was looking at me.
Cam and Cole both turned to head up the dock to the shore, leaving Jacob and me standing there.
"Me?" I asked, feeling completely flustered by our proximity.
"Yeah," he said. "Those fried things were really good. One of them had cheese in the middle."
"Boudin balls," I said.
"Exactly," he said. "It looked like they took that boudin stuff and made a fried ball out of it."
I nodded. "Boudin balls," I said, seriously. "That's what they're called. And you're welcome. I'm glad you didn’t just feed it to your dog." I stared at him for a few seconds before starting to walk up the long dock toward the shore. Jacob fell into stride beside me. We trailed my cousins by about twenty feet, but we were walking slowly, so they left us behind.
"You were quiet," he said as we walked. I hadn't said more than a few words the whole time, so he was stating the obvious.
"I was just watching y'all," I said. There was a slight tinge of melancholy in my voice, even to my own ears. I didn't mean for it to come out that way; I was just taking everything in and trying not to seem to overzealous.
"Something wrong?" he asked after we walked a little ways in complete silence.
I glanced at him, and he turned to look at me. "No," I said, with a little sarcastic smile that said I knew he didn't really care.
"One day, you're trying to hug me and bring me food, and the next, you'll barely say two words to me," he said.
"I'll still hug you and bring you food," I said. I glanced at him and smiled, but I knew he could tell I was being cautious.
"All right, then," he said.
He stopped walking, and I took a couple of steps without him before turning to see what he was doing. We were in a dark section of the dock, but I could still see that he was looking right at me.
"What?" I asked.
"You said you wanted a hug," he said.
"I said I would still give you a hug and bring you some more boudin balls if you wanted. I never said I wanted a hug."
"Oh, okay, well never mind, I guess." He took a step forward like he expected us to continue on our way, but I could tell by the way he was talking that he was looking forward to a hug. I reached out to him when he tried to step around me. I took him into my arms, burying my face into his chest and squeezing him tightly. He smelled good, and I felt instantly comfortable and cozy. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me securely in place.
"You can't just stay out here by yourself for the rest of your life," I said without looking up at him. "You need human contact."
I felt and heard him breathe in and out the same as he'd done the last time I was in his arms. I had the distinct sensation that the physical contact was somehow recharging him—like he was drinking my energy in.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, pulling back after we stood there for a few seconds. "That was for you just now. You were the one asking for that."
I smiled and rolled my eyes at him as we slowly started walking again. "Whatever you say," I said.
"Alex, you all right?" I heard Cam yell from over by the truck.
"Coming," I yelled. I glanced at Jacob. "Did
you need them to help you move something?"
He shook his head. "We don't have to do it tonight."
"They won't mind."
"It's out in the yard," he said. "It'd be easier during the day."
"Oh, okay. I was hoping it was something in your house."
"Why?"
"Because I want to go in there," I said in a matter of fact tone.
He glanced at me with some underlying amusement in his expression.
"I saw you smile at that frog," I said.
He looked at me sideways. "I didn't smile at any frog," he said.
"Yes you did," I said, pushing at his arm a little. "You were cheesin' it up at that first frog you pulled out of the water."
"I was not," he said.
I shrugged and shook my head at him. "You can think what you want to think, but I saw it with my own eyes."
"You're acting like I don't know how to smile."
"You don't," I said. "That was the first time I saw you do it."
"Maybe I'm a little rusty at it," he admitted.
We had climbed onto the shore and were making our way to Cole's truck by this point.
"I'm gonna bring the trailer back to Dad," Cole said when he saw us walk up the bank. "Just park the boat on his dock sometime next week, if you don't mind."
"Tell him I'll have it there by Wednesday, and thanks again for letting me check it out."
Cole nodded, leaning over the edge of the bed of his truck as he talked to Jacob. "I'll tell him. Did you need us to help you move something?"
"Thanks, but I think it'll be easier during the day. It's no hurry. I'll get you to help me next time."
Cole gave him a nod before focusing on me. "Are you ready?" he asked.
I nodded and started toward the truck. I had only taken one step when I felt Jacob reach out and gently touch my arm. I glanced at him as we continued walking.
"Thank you," he said.
I gave him a little nod and smile, and focused again on the path in front of me. I felt speechless, like anything I said right then would be inadequate.
"For what?" I whispered before my cousins could overhear us. I needed to clarify what he was thanking me for so I could do it again.
He shot me a sincere but still serious expression. "Human contact," he said, finally.
By the time he said it, we were already close enough to my cousins that I couldn't say anything back without them overhearing.
"Okay, so I'll bring you some of those tomorrow," I said, as if it was just part of the conversation we'd been having.
Jacob glanced at me curiously, but I just smiled and acted natural.
"I'll come by at five o'clock. Open the gate, if you don't mind."
I knew my cousins were staring at us and hearing everything I was saying, but I just stared straight up at Jacob, wondering if he would go along with me or call me out.
"Tomorrow, huh?"
"I thought that's what we said," I said, casually.
"Yeah," he said, nodding.
"Five o'clock?" I asked.
A second's hesitation.
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll see you then. Open the gate if you don't mind."
Within a couple of minutes, I was on my way back to Aunt Debbie's with Cole and Cam.
"What was all that about?" Cam asked as we drove.
"What?"
"You telling him to leave his gate open and all that."
"I didn't want to have to walk around it," I said.
Cole sighed like he was doing his best to remain patient. "You can't be pushing yourself on him," he said. "Mom's doing the same thing, and I think Mrs. Reeves and Mrs. Simon have both been out there. Y'all just need to leave him alone."
"You heard him," I said. "He said he wants me to come by. I'm gonna bring some boudin balls from Ty's."
Thankfully, Cole didn't say anything else about it. He dropped me off at his mom's so I could get my car, and I went inside to say thank you and goodnight to Aunt Debbie and Uncle Steve before heading home.
Chapter 8
I was so proud of myself for setting up a time to see Jacob again. If I hadn't done that, it probably would have been days or weeks until our next encounter. I thought about it a lot that night, and days or weeks just wouldn't have worked—that would have been completely unacceptable.
Sometime as the night went on, I came to terms with the fact that I had a crush on Jacob Fox.
It was easier for me to tell myself I was going over there to make him feel better or perform some other good deed, but it just wasn't the truth, and it was time I admitted that—even if it was just to myself. The fact of the matter was that I wanted to be close to Jacob—I wanted to get to know him. I wanted to be the one who made him smile and have hope in humanity (and maybe even God) again.
I had dated guys in my life, and I'd felt attraction before, but it was nothing like this. I had the urge to be near Jacob all the time, and I couldn’t quit thinking about him. Maybe that's what a crush was and I had just never had one before. Anyway, admitting to myself that I had more-than-friends feelings toward Jacob was actually freeing on some levels. I could stop telling myself that I was just going over there for a good cause, and start paying attention to more important things, like that I really needed to shave my legs and tweeze my eyebrows.
I was so excited about seeing him the following day, that it was difficult to sleep that night. The next day was Sunday, so Shonda wasn't working at Ty's when I got there. I was relieved because I knew she would notice that I had put some effort into my appearance, and I didn't want her to figure out what was going on. I shaved my legs and tweezed every single unwanted hair from my body. I never wore a ton of makeup, but I applied my maximum level, which was still pretty natural looking. Instead of going for my regular bun or ponytail, I wore my hair down and even ran a flatiron over it. I put on some sandals and one of my favorite summer dresses, a little blue sleeveless number that hit me about mid-thigh. Shonda would have totally figured me out.
I knew Ty's closed at 5 on Sundays, so I got there at 4:30 and placed an order for take out. I sat at the bar while I waited for it. The café section of Ty's was hooked to a tiny grocery store, and I could clearly hear the conversations of the people who came in to go to that side. I wasn't really paying attention to any of them until Caleb Reeves came in with a few of his friends.
I wouldn't have normally tuned into their conversation, but the first thing out of Caleb's mouth when the door opened was, "My dad said you should never trust a Fox." Caleb and the two boys he was with, all started busting out laughing as if Caleb's statement was the funniest punch line they'd ever heard.
I swiveled on my stool, and watched the boys as they entered the store, and headed straight for the drink coolers on the back wall.
"I'm not scared of him," I heard one of the other boys announce.
"Me neither," Caleb said. ''You better believe I'll go over there and tighten him up if he tries anything stupid."
"Eww-wee, son, we're gonna go over there and tighten that guy up!" one of the other boys said.
All three of them cracked up laughing like they were really big and bad—like they were the sheriffs of this town or something.
I knew in my heart they were talking about Jacob, and I could feel my face turning red. There was nothing I could do to stop myself from confronting them. Sitting there while they ran their mouths was simply not an option.
I might have already said that I hate confrontation. If I haven’t, then there it is. I hate confrontation. Which was why I was shaking and blushing as I got off of my barstool and headed in their direction. I was standing near them by the time they made their drink selections and closed the cooler. Caleb made eye contact with me, but quickly looked down to walk around since he thought I was just trying to get to the cooler.
"What are y'all talking about?" I asked.
"What?" he asked, glancing at me like I couldn’t possibly be talking to him.
"You boys,"
I said gesturing to them. "What were you saying just now?"
"Nothin'," Caleb said.
I leveled all three of them with a wild-eyed expression—one that said I didn't want to cause a scene but that I was capable of just about anything. "I heard you talking about Jacob Fox, and I'm going to tell you one thing right now. He's a good friend of our family's. Do you know who my family is?" I knew Caleb and his friends probably all wanted to work or had worked at my dad's store at one point. I usually didn't use my family's name to gain respect, but I made an exception this time. I was so mad and nervous that I wasn't really aware of what I was saying, anyway.
Caleb nodded, telling me he knew who my family was.
"Well Jacob is a good friend of ours, and we'll expect you guys to respect him and his privacy."
"We weren't even talking about him," he lied, turning extremely red as the words left his mouth.
"Don't lie, boy. And don't run your mouths about someone you know nothing about."
Caleb let out a huff, and shook his head as he walked around me. All three of them walked toward the register like dogs with their tails between their legs. They didn't say anything, but I knew based on their expressions that they were embarrassed about getting caught. It might not stop them from running their mouths, but at least they knew he had our family behind him, which, around here, meant something.
I honestly couldn't believe what I had just done. It was not like me at all to confront someone, let alone three teenage boys. Normally, I was wary of teenage boys and what they were capable of doing or saying, but not today. They needed to be put in their place, and I didn't hesitate to do it. I smiled as I crossed to the bar to pick up my food, which was now waiting in a bag by the register. I paid for it and hit the road, headed for Jacob's.
His gate was open when I arrived, which made me feel happier than it probably should have for something so insignificant. I was still smiling from the feeling the open gate gave me when I parked next to Jacob's pick-up truck and got out of my car.
Loved Bayou (Martin Family Book 1) Page 5