The Secret of St Claire

by Robin Alexander

  “I know.” Rose tossed the part she’d taken into the trash can. “And you were ignoring me. The weather’s supposed to be in the mid-seventies and sunny. Go fishing or shopping, do something relaxing.”

  “I was doing something relaxing. Did I look stressed while drinking coffee with my feet propped up?”

  “Something beyond these walls. Go feel the sun on your face.” Rose grumbled something under her breath as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “Call Nicole, I’ll bet she’ll enjoy getting out.”

  “You call her. See if she wants to go shopping with you.”

  “Mighty testy this morning. Is that what a little wine does to you?” Rose snatched the corner of paper that Lindsay was still trying to read and tossed it into the trash with the rest.

  “If anybody’s testy, it’s you, grumpapotomous.”

  Rose looked like she was going to retort and laughed instead. “Grumpapotomous, I like that.” She took a seat next to Lindsay. “There’s nothing wrong with living a little, baby.”

  “I live just fine.” Lindsay folded her arms.

  Rose regarded her silently for a moment. “You live for me and Alexis.”

  Lindsay shrugged. “You did the same with me and Dad.”

  Rose shook her head. “Your father and I did things together. We went out to the movies, restaurants, and we had romance. He used to—”

  “Whoa.” Lindsay held up both hands. “Don’t take me there.”

  Rose laughed and swatted Lindsay on the leg. “I was going to say he used to take me someplace interesting once a week so life wouldn’t get stale.”

  Lindsay refolded her arms. “Are you afraid I’m gonna get bored and pull up stakes here in search of something more exciting? Is that what this is all about?”

  Rose stroked Lindsay’s cheek. “It would break my heart if you and Alexis moved away, but it would devastate me if you were resigned to living only half a life just to satisfy me.” Rose smiled sadly. “You’re the same way with Alexis. You teach her to think for herself and be independent because one day she’s going to want to spread her wings.”

  Lindsay took Rose’s hand into her own. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Wake up. You’re a smart woman.” She pulled away, stood, and picked up the phone. Lindsay watched her curiously as she dialed and waited. “Hey, darling, we have an opportunity for overtime tomorrow, are you interested?” Rose smiled. “Yep, you’ll be opening. Great, thank you.” Rose ended the call and began dialing again. “Hey, Deana, this is Rose. Is Nicole available? Yes, thank you.”

  Lindsay’s jaw sagged as she looked at her mother incredulously.

  “Good morning, sweetie,” Rose said without looking at Lindsay. “My daughter was just complaining that she wanted to go fishing tomorrow, but there’s no one to go with her.” Rose listened for a second and laughed. “Oh, Lord, no. I’d be fishing with a bare hook because I wouldn’t touch the bait.” Rose grinned as she listened to Nicole. “Well, I think she’s going to borrow Mike’s boat, so you’ll need to be at the house by seven. Stop your whining, it’s not that early, you sissy. Okay, sweetie, see you tomorrow.”

  “Mother!”

  Rose wagged a finger at Lindsay and said, “shut up,” as she dialed again. “Hey, Mike, how’s my baby? Well, that’s wonderful, but how’s Alexis?” Rose listened for a moment, then laughed. “I’m glad y’all are having a good time. Will you be taking the boat out tomorrow? Lindsay wanted to borrow it. About six thirty? Great. Thanks.”

  Rose hung up the phone and turned to Lindsay with a look of accomplishment. “You’re going fishing tomorrow. Bring sunscreen, you can still get a burn this time of year.” Rose started to walk away, then turned. “Pick up the boat at six thirty, Nicole will meet you at the house at seven. As for the rest,” Rose winked, “I think you can figure out that much on your own.”

  *******

  On the other side of town, Nicole leaned on the counter in front of Deana’s desk and rested her chin in her hand. “You fish, don’t you?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Deana said with a grin.

  “Can you teach me? Apparently, I’m fishing tomorrow, and I have no idea how.”

  Deana giggled. “Well…we’ll need a rod and reel. I assume you don’t have one.”

  “No.”

  “If you’ll cover the desk, I’ll run home and get mine. You can use it tomorrow if you want.”

  Nicole looked at her watch. “How far away do you live?”

  “About three blocks from Ms. Juneau.”

  Nicole took her keys out of her pocket and handed them to Deana. “Take my car, and if you scratch it, keep on going.” She lowered her voice. “Never come back.”

  Deana held the key ring as if it were made of gold. “Really?”

  “Hurry. Go, before I change my mind.” Nicole laughed as Deana scrambled out of the office with a high-pitched squeal.

  *******

  “I take it the hook shouldn’t be in your pants leg.”

  Deana shook her head and bent down to remove it from her jeans. “Not in the sink, the exam table, or the light fixture, just the trash can.”

  Nicole waved the pole around as she talked, making Deana’s job more difficult. “Do I really have to be that accurate?”

  “If you don’t want to blind Ms. Juneau, yes. Reel it in and cast again.”

  “Flick the wrist and release the button,” Nicole said as she did just that. The hook sailed through the air and landed within a foot of the can. “Ha! Did you see that?”

  “Sweet!” Deana patted Nicole’s shoulder. “Try again.”

  Nicole never did hit the can, but after what felt like a billion times, she consistently got within a foot of it.

  “Very good, now you’re ready for baiting and fish removal.” Deana took the rod and reel gingerly from Nicole. “I’ve been fishing with Ms. Juneau a couple of times, and she uses live bait. Since I don’t have any crickets or minners, we’ll have to improvise.”

  Nicole’s brow furrowed. “Minners?”

  Deana smiled. “You’d call them minnows. We’ve always said minners or shiners.”

  “Ah.” Nicole watched as Deana pulled a rubber fish resembling a minnow out of her tackle box.

  “You’re gonna wanna hook a live minnow through his back like this.” Deana pierced the rubber fish in the spine near the eyes.

  “Aw. I’m going to have to do that to a live little fish?”

  Deana frowned. “If you don’t like this, you’re really not going to enjoy what I do to the rubber cricket.”

  Nicole looked disgusted. “No, I’m sure I won’t.”

  “Okay,” Deana said with a sigh. “Artificial bait training.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lindsay was quiet on the drive to the lake and left Nicole to wonder if she was just tired or if something was bothering her. Concerned with learning how to fish, Nicole hadn’t stopped to consider that Lindsay had not been the one to extend the invitation. On some level, she couldn’t help but wonder if Rose knew more than she let on and was really playing Cupid. God help her if she was wrong. How would she react if they did get together as a couple and Rose’s intent was only to find a friend for her daughter?

  The truck slowed as Lindsay prepared to pull into a dirt drive lined with trucks and empty trailers. “Everybody and their left-handed cousin Earl is fishing today.” Lindsay made a turn and began backing up. “Have you been fishing before?”

  “Uh, yes, just recently.” That it was in her office was unimportant, Nicole hoped as she grimaced and looked out her window.

  “Do you know how to back a boat off a trailer?”

  “No,” Nicole said apologetically. “I’ve only fished on land.” Tiled floor to be exact.

  “No problem.” Lindsay maneuvered the truck and trailer until the boat was at the water’s edge. “I’ll back it off and move it to the dock. You can load the cooler while I find a place to park the truck if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all
.” Nicole hopped out and tried to act like she knew what she was doing. She grabbed the cooler from the rear of the truck and carried it down to the dock, watching Lindsay out of the corner of her eye.

  Lindsay walked around the boat and released straps and a bar from the motor. She climbed back into the truck and moved the boat into the water. Nicole watched closely, hoping to pick up a thing or two. With one leg in the boat, Lindsay cranked something, then climbed in effortlessly. She sat atop the backrest of the driver’s seat and turned the motor. A moment later, she pulled up beside the dock. “Let me tie off, then you can begin loading.”

  Nicole nodded as Lindsay secured the boat, then sprinted down the dock to her truck. “Flick your wrist and release the button,” Nicole said under her breath as she stepped carefully in with the cooler. So far so good, she thought as she looked down at what she was wearing. Jeans, a denim shirt over a T-shirt, boots, and a ball cap. Lindsay was dressed much the same, so at least Nicole felt like she looked like a fisherwoman.

  “Do you know how to swim?” Lindsay asked when she returned.

  Nicole felt her blood run cold as she looked at the dark water surrounding her. She’d seen Swamp People on TV and knew exactly what lived beneath the surface. “Why?” She tried to keep the panic out of her voice.

  Lindsay climbed into the driver’s seat. “Just in case.”

  Nicole refused to sit. “In case of what?”

  Lindsay pointed to a hatch. “Life jackets are in there if you’d feel more comfortable. Accidents do happen. It’s always good to be prepared.”

  “You’re trying to scare me.” Nicole settled in the passenger’s seat.

  “I am not.” Lindsay laughed. “But you do swim, right?”

  “If we have to go into the water for any reason, I swear I’ll walk on it. Peter and Jesus did it, and if motivated, I can, too.”

  Lindsay threw back her head and laughed as she backed the boat away from the pier and took off. The feeling of sluicing across the smooth surface of the water was exhilarating when Lindsay got them out into the open lake. Nicole pulled out her phone to see if she still had a signal. It was weak but present. The office was closed, but Deana was on call for emergencies and to care for the two dogs that were being boarded. Nicole could’ve ridden for miles and just took in the sights, but being too far away wasn’t an option she could enjoy.

  “I should’ve mentioned this earlier,” Nicole shouted over the sound of the wind and motor. “I can’t go out too far in case of an emergency.”

  “I’m not comfortable with going that far anyway. I don’t know the lake as well as Mike does, so I tend to stay close to the dock.” The boat began to slow, and Lindsay stopped yelling. “I’m going to take us to the mouth of a canal where I always have luck.”

  Nicole nodded, thinking that they would fish in the middle of the lake where if she screwed up she’d be less likely to get caught on something.

  Lindsay slowed again and navigated the boat toward the canal. She killed the engine, letting them coast into the inlet. “There’s perch, we call them sacalait, beneath the fallen logs. Bass are plentiful around here, too. They’ll both hit on shiners or minners.”

  “I prefer artificial,” Nicole said nonchalantly. “Less mess and pain for me and the bait.”

  “I’m fishing with lures today, too, mainly because I forgot to get the bait now that I mention it. I wasn’t planning...I didn’t plan properly,” Lindsay amended with a sheepish smile and handed Deana’s rod and reel to Nicole. “Bow or stern?”

  Nicole had no idea what she meant. “Bow?”

  “Okay.” Lindsay pulled out a seat and pushed the pole jutting beneath it into a larger pole sticking out of the floor in the boat. “Your throne awaits.”

  Nicole took her reel and tackle box and squeezed past Lindsay. She kept her back turned as she put on the lure that Deana suggested. She could hear and feel Lindsay moving around the back of the boat, then go quiet. “Flick your wrist and release the button,” Nicole whispered as she did. The lure flew out a respectable distance and landed close to shore.

  “You might want to set your float shallow if you’re gonna fish that close to the bank,” Lindsay suggested from behind her.

  “Thanks.” Nicole reeled it closer to the boat and wondered how long she would be able to sit still and stare at the orange ball bobbing in the water.

  “Do you feel forced into this trip?” Lindsay asked.

  “Not at all.” Nicole looked at the cypress trees lining the shore and the moss hanging from them. “This is beautiful. It’s a pleasant change of scenery.” She looked over her shoulder and found Lindsay staring at her.

  Lindsay clamped her lips together, then released a sigh. “Yes, it is.”

  The admission seemed almost reluctant.

  “Lindsay, tell the truth. Did Rose orchestrate all of this?” Nicole looked back at her float. The response wasn’t prompt, and Nicole turned around. “Did she?”

  Lindsay cast her line effortlessly. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was trying to get us together.”

  “Do you know better?”

  Lindsay’s eyes were wide when she looked back. “She wouldn’t do that. She doesn’t know anything about how I feel.” Nicole was tempted to argue the point, but she held Lindsay’s gaze. “She has no reason to suspect.” Lindsay looked away.

  Nicole felt the rod in her hand move and turned to see the float dip under the water. “Shit.” She started reeling as the taut line moved back and forth. A fish broke the surface as she continued to bring in the line. She could hear Lindsay banging around at the other end of the boat.

  “Damn it, where’s the net?”

  Nicole half reeled and half slung the fish onto the deck. “Step lightly on him and grab him by the lip,” she recited aloud as she chased the flopping fish.

  Lindsay snatched the line and pulled the fish to her. Nicole watched as she grabbed the fish’s mouth and removed the hook with her other hand. “Excellent job,” Lindsay said with a grin.

  Nicole pointed at the fish and yelled, “I caught that.” She slapped the tops of her legs as she stomped the deck. “Oh! Oh!” Nicole pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of her catch. “Okay, put ’em back.”

  Lindsay raised a brow. “You don’t want to put him on a stringer or in the live well?”

  “Uh…” Nicole had no idea what Lindsay meant.

  Lindsay held the fish out to Nicole with an impish grin. “Take him.” She pulled the fish back when Nicole timidly reached for it and laughed. “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?”

  “Well…I’ve never caught one before.” Nicole put her hands on her hips.

  “Do you want to have your picture taken with him?”

  “No, he’s been out of the water long enough, put him back in.”

  “You’re beautiful,” Lindsay said as she let the fish go. She turned back to Nicole, grinning ear to ear. “How many times have you gone fishing?”

  Nicole jutted out her chin. “Twice if you count today and yesterday in my office.”

  Lindsay started laughing hysterically. “You’ve never been fishing and you managed to land a bass.” She slapped her leg. “Mom is going to laugh her head off at this.”

  “Hey, I caught Deana, two cotton balls, the light, and the exam table. I am an experienced fisherwoman.” Nicole pounded her chest. “I know what I’m doing here,” she said with a laugh.

  “Why are you here?” Lindsay asked, still smiling.

  Nicole held up her arms. “I wanted to have this experience with you.”

  Lindsay couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “You are a true delight. Cast out again. We might just keep your next catch.”

  “Make fun of me.” Nicole plopped down in her chair. “You haven’t fished until you’ve caught a cotton ball. They put up one hell of a fight.”

  Lindsay was still laughing. “That’s obviously my problem. I should try that sometime.”

  Nicole cast her line
out near the place she’d caught her fish. “I’m having a good time.” She looked back at Lindsay, who was just sitting there watching her.

  “I am, too.” Lindsay picked up her rod and cast out again.

  Nicole turned back to her float with great expectation from the fish below and the distinct feeling that Lindsay was watching every move she made. “What else is there to do in St. Claire?”

  “This is about it unless you like to hunt. If that’s something you want to tackle, you’ll have to talk to Ruby. I can’t shoot anything.”

  “I’m happy to hear that.” Nicole thought for a moment. “If you wanted to go dancing, how far would you have to travel?”

  “New Orleans, I presume, unless you want to dance with a man.”

  Nicole sighed. “I do miss that sometimes…not dancing with a man but dancing.”

  Lindsay fell silent. Nicole didn’t turn to look at her and hoped she was getting the drift, but no offer was made.

  *******

  Nicole’s fish was the only action they saw that day. They ate the chicken salad sandwiches Rose had made for them, but by late afternoon, they were starving. Reluctantly, they headed in. Lindsay gave Nicole lessons on loading the boat onto the trailer with a promise to let her drive next time they went out.

  Next time, Lindsay thought as they headed toward her house. She was making plans. There was no use fighting it. Even if she tried to avoid Nicole, they’d still manage to run into each other in the small town. Rose wasn’t going to let it drop, either. Whatever reasons she had, Rose was determined that they be friends, close friends. Lindsay glanced over at Nicole. She was somewhere deep in thought as she stared out her window and realized that she was quite content to let whatever was going to happen…happen.

  My girls,

  I’m playing bridge tonight, so don’t wait on me for dinner, which by the way is in the oven. Warm it up and enjoy.

  Love,

  Your mother who thinks of everything

  Lindsay laughed and handed the note to Nicole as she went to retrieve their dinner.