by T. I. Lowe
“Why on earth not?” Leah thought it an injustice to have such a lovely place stand alone. She took in the back of the house, which was dressed with an extravagant veranda that soared over a gigantic swimming pool and Jacuzzi.
Crowley parked by a two-story garage and glanced towards the house. “Too large,” he said as he climbed out the cab. “I just have to grab a tackle box.”
“Okay,” Leah said. She looked out and took in the majestic view. The wide river bordered the back of the property. There was an open field that looked to be about a half mile between the house and river. Lodged neatly on the bank near the water was a large cabin. The one-story building was partially shaded by thin river birch trees. A long deck jutted out into the river, which was much wider than the one that was in front of Lulu’s. A dry dock housed a boat that Leah instantly knew belonged to Crowley. The custom paint job matched his Gator.
Crowley hopped back in and took off towards the water.
“Why would someone own such a large place if that’s not what they wanted?” she mused out loud. “It’s nice of them to let you store your boat out here.” She pointed towards the striking boat.
“How do you know it’s mine?” he asked as he parked by the cabin.
“The flames,” she said, eyebrows raised, making him chuckle.
“Here,” he said as he pulled a khaki-colored fishing hat out of the glove box and placed it on Leah’s head. He handed her a tube of sunblock before exiting the truck. He pulled a tattered grey baseball cap out of his back pocket and pulled it low onto his head, almost hiding his ocean-colored eyes from view. He took off down to the dock.
Leah slathered some of the sunblock on her exposed arms and neck. While she rubbed the lotion in, she watched him quickly lower the boat into the water and tie it off on the dock. Crowley moved with ease and familiarity with the task at hand. She climbed out of the cab of the truck and grabbed up her bag and the tackle box.
She slowly walked down the small incline onto the dock and handed over the load to Crowley. They both walked back to the truck to scoop up the fishing poles and cooler.
“What’s in the cooler?” Leah asked as they headed back to the boat.
“It’s a surprise for lunch.” He set the cooler down and handed Leah one of the fishing poles. “Let’s you and I have a quick casting lesson before we take off.”
Crowley led Leah to the end of the dock, where he went over the simple mechanics of the fishing pole. He gave her pointers on how to hold the casting button and when to release it. He showed her the easiest way to flick your wrist to cast out the hook, which in Leah’s opinion looked easier than it really was. Crowley also advised her on how not to hook herself or him.
He demonstrated a few times with his pole and then patiently watched her practice, getting a feel for the pole. The lesson wasn’t rushed, and he answered all her questions as a patient teacher.
After Crowley was pretty sure she had the knack of it, he asked, “You think you’re ready?” When she hesitated, he encouraged her to practice some more. Eventually Leah declared she was ready, so they walked back to the boat, and Crowley loaded the fishing poles. He held out his hand to help Leah step onto the boat.
“I’m quite impressed, Crow,” Leah said as she took the seat next to his and looked around, noting the dark gray interior and lighter gray seat cushions. The boat was fairly roomy. It had another row of seats behind theirs and additional seating at the front of the boat. “I’ve never been on a boat before.”
“Never?” he asked, surprised.
“Never.”
“Do you know how to swim?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll be just fine,” Crowley reassured her. He turned the key, bringing the boat to life as the motor began to quietly gurgle. He eased the boat away from the dock and headed in the opposite direction of town.
Leah sat back and took in the new experience as Crowley navigated down the river for quite a ways. The river was busy with a variety of Sunday guests. An assortment of birds sat perched on overhanging tree limbs, waiting intently for their breakfast. Snapping turtles neatly lined floating logs to get a head start on their sunbathing.
Leah didn’t spot any snakes, but she knew they were welcomed in the river as well. The memory of last week’s snake wrangling flashed through her head, causing her to shiver.
A good-sized bass breached out of the water as the boat cruised by. Leah reached over and slapped Crowley on the arm to get his attention. He leaned forward so he could hear her. She pointed behind the boat in the direction of where she had spotted the fish.
“There was a big one!” she said, trying to be heard over the roar of boat motor.
Crowley saw the fish also but asked anyway, “A big what?”
She rolled her eyes. “Fish.”
“There’s plenty more where that came from.” He continued on down the river.
Minutes later, Leah leaned towards him and in a mock whine asked, “Are we there yet?”
Crowley shot her one of his signature grins. “Almost. Now sit back and enjoy the view.”
Leah did as she was told and tried not to look at Crowley. The variety of wildlife drew her attention again. She wished she owned a camera to capture the stunning river landscape.
Crowley eased the boat to a stop. “Look,” he whispered. He pointed over to the riverbank.
Leah gasped at the sight of a giant alligator sunbathing on the shore, motionless. She watched intently for any movement from the ancient-looking creature and found none. “Is it real?”
“Oh yeah. Those suckers can hold considerably still. I’ve gone past some with my boat before and returned after several hours to find them in the same spot,” Crowley said.
“The river is like a zoo without the barricades.”
“It sure is,” Crowley said.
He continued on down the river for about ten more minutes. He then cut the motor and set the anchor. He looked at Leah and smiled. “Welcome to my favorite fishing hole.” He made his way to the back row of seats, where he began prepping the hooks. As he slid a worm on her hook, Crowley glanced up, expecting to catch the disgust on Leah’s face. He was surprised that her expression didn’t hold the normal nose wrinkle appearance he was used to seeing from Ana and other female fishing partners. Instead, she looked on observantly, just as she had with the casting lesson on the dock.
Once he had both rods prepped, Crowley handed one over to Leah. He cast his out from the back right side of the boat and instructed Leah to cast out from the left side, staying in her seat. That way they wouldn’t get tangled.
They sat quietly for about ten long minutes, in Leah’s opinion. “I don’t think there are any fish here.” She pulled the fishing hat off to wipe the dewy sweat from her face and then replaced it.
Crowley kept his focus on the river. “Patience, Lee. Fishing takes patience,” he whispered as he concentrated. With one small flick of his wrist, he began reeling in his line. On the end was about a five-pound bass. He didn’t hoot or holler as Leah expected he would. He just grinned.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Leah shook her head. “That thing is huge.” She sat her pole down to ease over and get a better look at the fish while Crowley worked the hook out of its mouth.
When he was done, he held it out to her. “Here, check it out.”
Leah cautiously took the slimy creature. The top was a yellowy green with a fat, white underbelly. “Great day. This thing is heavy.” She handed it back to him and returned to her fishing pole. “It’s my turn now.” She recast her line, hoping for a better spot.
Crowley lightly chuckled as he placed the fish in the livewell. He baited his hook and recast. He stretched out his long legs and prepared for another wait.
Leah let out an exaggerated sigh. “I must not be any good at this. I’ve not gotten a nibble in the half-hour we’ve been here.”
Crowley set his pole down and walked over to Leah. “Let’s reset your line a
little deeper, okay?” he asked. Leah reeled it in and handed it over to him. He pulled the orange bobber up a good ways. “Now try this,” he said. He dug in the cooler and pulled out two bottles of water and handed one to Leah.
“Thanks.” She took a refreshing pull from the cold bottle. “I’m surprised Lulu seemed okay with this Sunday trip,” Leah said.
“Why’s that?” Crowley asked.
“Playing hooky from church seems like a no-no in this town.”
“You can and should worship God in all you do. People who limit that to only a designated time on Sunday mornings are missing out. I see Him in everything.” Crowley motioned out over the water. “Look at the splendor and wonder of this river—how it works perfectly balanced. Man didn’t do a thing to be able to take any of that credit. His miracles are all around us. It’s such a shame to not take the time to witness it all.” He gazed out deep in thought.
“Wow. I think I just heard my sermon for the day.” Leah smiled at her charming company. She had great respect for this statement coming from a man who very rarely missed a church service. She watched him as he scooted lower into his seat and slid his cap over his eyes before resting his hands behind his head.
“You know, Sunday is supposed to be set aside for a day of rest too,” Crowley said. “Now I’m gonna honor God’s wishes for a little while.”
A few minutes passed with Crowley napping and Leah intently watching her pole. She finally felt a small pull and excitedly reeled it in to only discover her bait had been stolen. She glanced back to see Crowley with his eyes still shut and then looked towards the container of worms by his seat.
She cleared her throat and quietly called his name, but it didn’t rouse him. She hesitantly pulled the worm container over and fished one out. Taking a deep breath she studied the worm and quickly laced it onto the hook. It wasn’t the most favorite thing she had ever done, but she managed okay—she thought.
Leah was oblivious to Crowley watching her through barely-open eyes as he fought a smile. He was impressed that she would bait her own hook. She seemed a natural out on the river, and he found great comfort in that for some reason. When she looked up from completing her task, Crowley closed his eyes again.
Leah regarded his large, dozing form stretched out across the back of the boat. She liked having the opportunity to finally get a good look at him without worrying about someone seeing. His hair was a bit damp from the humidity and was curling up along the edge of his tattered hat. His bottom lip was pushing slightly forward, giving him that boyish look. She was pleased to finally spot an imperfection on this beautiful man—even if it was only a slight imperfection. Crowley’s nose had a small bump that probably occurred from a busted nose at some point in his precarious life.
She eventually tore her eyes away and went back to fishing. Leah had no sooner cast the line when it came alive with excitement. She quickly began reeling it in with great effort. Whatever she had hooked was playing a mighty game of tug-of-war with her. “Crow!”
He hopped up to retrieve a hand net from a hatch and jumped over to her side. “You got it?” he asked. From the looks of the fight, Crowley was sure Leah had hooked herself a pretty big monster.
She kept on reeling in the line as fast as she could while she danced around—or that’s what it looked like with the force of the tension bouncing the pole all over. “Crow! Help!”
“Keep reeling it in. You almost got it,” he assured her calmly. He had the net poised for a quick retrieval.
Leah was shocked when the ugly creature finally made its way to the surface, almost causing her to drop her pole. The monster was slick with skin that resembled a shark and had long tentacles protruding out from both sides of its mushed face. Crowley reached over the side with the net and scooped it up with much effort.
“What on earth is that ugly thing?” Leah asked, disappointed. She slouched in her seat, exhausted from the workout the fish had just given her. Her arms were shaky from exertion.
Crowley managed to get it onto the boat. “Lee, you just wrangled yourself about a twenty-pound blue catfish.” He patted her on the shoulder. After getting it into the livewell, he reached for her pole.
Leah placed her hand over his briefly. “I need a break,” she said as she gasped for air.
Crowley laughed and checked his watch. “I reckon I could feed you an early lunch now.” He pulled out a pack of hand wipes from a compartment and offered Leah one, taking one for himself. “I can’t believe you just wrangled that big ole river monster all by your girly-self.”
“I’m not Ana,” Leah said before she could stop herself. She felt her cheeks grow hot and looked away. She hated that she just sounded so negative about her friend in front of her ex. It just seemed weird.
“No. You definitely are not.” Crowley nudged her with his bare foot. “But you’re still a girl.” Pleased that his taunting made her smile, he slid the cooler to the back seat with him and patted the seat beside his. “How ‘bout you join me for some lunch?”
Leah took the seat as she cleaned her hands with the wipe. She watched as Crowley pulled two glass bottles of Coke out and opened them. He handed her one and placed his in the cup holder by his seat. He then fished out two honey buns and placed them on the seat in front him. “I’m baking us dessert,” Crowley said, wiggling his eyebrows. He pulled out two small cans of Vienna sausages and two packs of square crackers.
Leah eyed the small can as he handed it to her. “What is this?”
“A true fisherman’s lunch,” he said, popping the lid off his can.
Leah pulled a petite sausage out and took a bite. She was not expecting the super-soft texture of the salty fare. Crowley had already eaten his entire can and was working his way through the peanut butter cheese crackers by the time Leah had eaten two sausages. She decided she liked them, but not enough to eat anymore. She handed her half-eaten can over to him.
“You didn’t like it?” he asked, popping a sausage in his mouth.
Leah opened her crackers. “I liked them…in a strange way,” she said, making a face which caused Crowley to laugh. She took a long pull from her bottle of soda. “Wow. Now that’s really good,” she said as she held up the bottle and examined the tiny shards of ice inside.
“It’s the glass bottle. Cans and plastic don’t hold a candle to it,” Crowley said.
“Lulu would definitely not approve of this meal.” Leah gestured with her soda bottle towards the honey buns that were heating in the warm sunshine.
“Eating like this every now and then won’t do any harm.” He brushed her worry off and handed her the warmed honey bun.
The super-sweet treat melted in her mouth, and the taste was incredible when she washed it down with the remaining soda. “You’re a pretty good cook, Crow.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, Lee. Wait till you see what I’m serving you for supper,” he said.
“Supper?”
“Sure. With fishing, you get to eat your hobby.” He grinned and cleared away their garbage into a small bin. He then baited the fishing hooks. “Okay, back to business.”
The sun was starting to loom heavily above when the two decided they were fished out. The livewell was brimming full of the day’s catch, and Leah felt sun-kissed and pretty satisfied that she had caught the largest fish of the day.
After the boat was moored back in its designated spot and the truck was loaded, Crowley drove a short distance to the garage and cut the engine.
He climbed out of the cab and motioned Leah to follow. “Come on, Lee.”
“What are we doing?” she asked as she climbed out of the truck.
He was quiet as he walked her to the pool’s edge. An intricate flagstone patio surrounded the oversized pool, keeping company with a large stone fireplace and outdoor kitchen.
“Do you really think we should be here?” she asked. The fishing trip had left her sticky and sweaty, and the glittery pool seemed to be alluring her closer. She slid her flip-flops off a
nd cautiously dipped her foot into the refreshing water.
“I keep an eye on things around here. Don’t worry. We aren’t going inside,” Crowley said. He walked into the pool house and returned with another cooler filled with ice. He found Leah crouched down as she swirled her hand in the water. She looked up as he stopped beside her.
“Nice pool,” she said in a longing voice. It had been over twelve years since she had been swimming.
“Go for a swim,” he said.
“No suit.” Leah shrugged as she continued to gaze over the inviting water.
“Okay,” he said. “Just swim in your unmentionables. I won’t mind.” Crowley grinned with a raised eyebrow.
“No thanks.”
“Okay.” He started to walk past Leah and slightly nudged her, causing her to fall head first into the pool.
She popped up immediately. “You jerk.”
“You know you wanted to go swimming. Now you can. No need in calling me names, ma’am.” Crowley grinned and started back towards the truck, lugging the cooler along with him.
“Wait. Shouldn’t I help you,” she called out as she made her way over to the steps to get out.
“You want to help me gut and scale fish?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
She released the rail and started swimming backwards. “You can handle that.” She then plunged deeper into the water. When she resurfaced minutes later, Crowley was still in the same spot watching her.
“This pool doesn’t smell like bleach,” she said. She swam over to the side where he stood watching.
“It’s a saltwater pool,” Crowley said as he turned to leave. Once his back was turned, Leah splashed his entire backside. The cold water on his overheated body hit him with a refreshing jolt. “Wow. That felt good, Lee.” He laughed and left her to swim.
An hour later, Crowley rejoined her by the pool. Leah was as wrinkled as a prune, but refused to climb out. Crowley slipped into the pool house and returned moments later. He had washed his face and hands, tamed his hair, and put on his hat, backwards. A clean shirt replaced his dirty one.