Possibilities

by Michelle Grotewohl

  After a few seconds, the line moved, and Evie instantly reeled it in. When she saw it was empty, she looked back at Drake. “What happened?”

  “Reeled it in too early. Get it back out there. Maybe you didn’t scare it off.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She looked down at the contraption, trying to recall how Drake had cast it out earlier. After a moment, she said, “I don’t know how.”

  She could hear the smile in his voice. “Here.” His arm appeared beside her, and she started to hand him the pole. “No. You keep it. I’m just gonna show you.”

  He walked her through casting, then stepped back to give her room to try, talking her through the steps as she did them. “Hold the line. Good. Now flip the bail. Right. Now, keep hold as you come back, then release on the forward motion.”

  She did, but the line barely moved, only unraveled from the spool as the hook sank directly in front of her. She looked back at him.

  “You let go too late. Close the bail and reel it in, slow so you don’t tangle it, then try again.”

  Her second try was another fail, only this time she let it go too early, so the weighted line fell to the floor of the boat and draped over her on the swing out. “Damn it.”

  “No problem. Stay calm. It’ll take a few tries before you get it.”

  He helped her untangle herself and her line, then came up behind her, close this time to take her arm in his hand so he could help her cast. “Don’t open the bail. I’ll just show you the motion, so you get an idea of a good release moment.”

  Close enough that his thick chest bumped repeatedly against her shoulders, he mimed casting, his hand sliding along her arm as he did so. It took everything in her to focus on what he was showing her and not his closeness, but the thought of trying to explain not knowing what to do after this helped keep her on track.

  When she thought she had it- and she’d considered lying just to stay close a little longer- he let her go and gave her room.

  Her newest attempt was better, the next actually working the way it was supposed to. She knew it could be perfected, cleaned up a bit, but it served its purpose, so she closed the bail with a happy snap.

  “Now what?” she asked him with a grin.

  He stared at her blankly for several seconds, looking a little lost and a lot surprised. Just when she’d begun to wonder if she had dirt on her face, he blinked and took a deep breath. “Now, you wait. Stay quiet, don’t move a lot, and don’t reel it in unless you feel a tug or see the fish take it in.” Then he moved off, taking a book from the tackle box he’d brought before lounging where she’d been a little bit ago.

  She wondered idly what he was reading, surprised that it was a down-time activity for him, too, and turned back to her fishing. It amazed her that she didn’t mind standing here, holding a fishing pole in her hands and looking out over the water, waiting for a fish to take the hook so she could catch it. If asked, she’d have told anyone that fishing was not something she was interested in. But here she was, enjoying it.

  ‘Hmm,’ she thought. ‘Maybe having an open mind isn’t so bad.’

  She stood very still for ten minutes, letting her mind wander and the gentle rocking of the big pontoon lull her. But eventually, she began to grow impatient. “How long does this take?” she asked a little sulkily.

  “Hm?” Drake lifted his head, coming out of the story he’d been completely engrossed in. “Oh, sorry.” He jumped up and came over. “Your line has too much slack in it. Odds are your lure is just sitting on the bottom. I should have told you to reel it in a bit every once in a while, and recast occasionally.”

  “That would have been helpful,” she agreed.

  “I was distracted.”

  She assumed he meant by his book. With a nod, she turned back to the water and reset the line. “Check for slack, recast occasionally. Got it.”

  With a smirk, he went back to his seat, but jumped right up again when Evie let out a shriek. “I caught something, I caught something!” she shouted, bouncing a little.

  “Reel it in!” he said with a laugh.

  “Oh!” She began cranking the handle.

  “Remember, pull up, reel down. Nice and easy so you don’t snap your line. There you go. Good job.”

  She sent him a smile over her shoulder, and then gasped as her fish- a good-sized crappie- broke the surface. “Oh, look how pretty,” she murmured, looking at the multi-colored fish suspended from the tip of the pole. It flapped its tail, making her scream shortly, and dropped back into the water.

  “Get it on the boat before it gets off,” he said with a nod. “Rule number one.”

  She turned stunned eyes on him, and he couldn’t help but laugh. After a few seconds, she laughed, too. “I don’t even care that it got away. That was exhilarating!” She looked at the rings radiating from the fish’s plummet home, then back at Drake. “Again.”

  For the next hour, he read and she fished. He moved to the bench seat beside her, in case she needed help with anything. She did shortly thereafter, when she caught a small bass and needed to get it off the hook.

  It took ten minutes, with Evie squirming away from the fish and squealing if it moved, and Drake laughing so hard at her behavior that he couldn’t see clearly to show her how to remove it.

  “Quick, Drake, before it dies,” she pleaded, when it was obvious the fish was exhausted.

  “Okay,” he said with a final chuckle, wiping his eyes.

  He showed her how to release the creature with little to no damage to fish or fisherman. To her credit, she only fidgeted once, then steeled herself to the task and did what needed doing.

  After that she was self-sufficient, though Drake saw her force herself to unhook the fish the first few times. Still, every catch was an adventure, every release a triumph.

  When Drake was tired of reading, he closed his book and said, “Let’s go for a swim.”

  Evie jolted, turning big dark eyes on him. “A swim? But… I’m fishing.”

  “And doing a fantastic job of it. But you’ve been fishing for hours. Come play with me.” He took the pole from her and set it aside.

  Open mind. Step outside your comfort zone. Besides, Drake wasn’t interested in her like that, so she was safe. All they were doing was using the buddy system to have a safe swim. No problem.

  “Okay.” She removed her sandals and set them near her bag, then glanced at Drake to see him doing the same. When he reached for the hem of his shirt to pull it over his head, she looked away. Seeing him shirtless was one thing; watching him strip was entirely another.

  Turning her back to him so she wouldn’t be tempted to stare at him, she pulled her shirt up and off, then undid her shorts and slid them down her legs. All she wore now was her new red bikini.

  When she turned back to him, he was staring openly at her, eyes traveling over partially exposed breasts, toned belly, slender legs, and back again.

  “Hey!” she said after a few seconds, planting her hands on her hips. Open minded, yes. Total change of character, no.

  His eyes lifted to hers, and he gave her a barely apologetic smile. “Sorry. Kinda.” His gaze cruised over her again. “You have some seriously wicked curves there, Evelyn.”

  A jolt went through her at his words. “Uh… Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. Truly.” Then, as if nothing had been said, he stepped to the gate and opened it. After attaching the ladder, he looked at her. “See you in the water.” With a stylish flip, he was over the side.

  Evie stared after him. Seriously wicked curves? His pleasure? She felt as if she’d stepped into an alternate dimension, where girls like her took risks, and guys like Drake were into quiet, shy, cerebral types. But she wasn’t a risk-taker, and Drake didn’t like her. He had simply been stating that her softly curvaceous form was aesthetically pleasing. No surprise, since she was a yoga junkie.

  She stepped up to the ladder, and saw Drake twenty feet off to her left.

  “Come on. It feels great!” he shoute
d, then began floating on his back with his eyes closed.

  She took a few seconds to admire his muscular stomach and arms, almost wishing she were the type to pursue, then dove in.

  They headed back when Drake’s stomach growled and Evie admitted she, too, was hungry. She picked up her book again, reading for the ten-minute trip straight across the lake to the cottage, then helped him dock the boat before they took everything with them to the house. Sudden gusts of high winds were rare but possible, and they’d both lost things they’d left behind on previous trips.

  “Where do you want to go for dinner?” Drake asked as they climbed the rock staircase to the house.

  “Dinner?” Evie repeated, confused.

  “Yeah. Remember earlier, when we talked about going on the boat, and I said dinner out when we got back?” They’d reached the house, and he opened and held the door for her.

  “You said maybe dinner out.”

  “Did you want to stay in, then?”

  This time, when her head reminded her to be open-minded, it was her sister’s voice, not her own. Still, what could dinner with him hurt? “No, we can go out.”

  His smile flashed. “Great. I’ll meet you upstairs after I shower and dress.”

  “Okay. If you bring your wet clothes, I’ll wash them with mine.”

  “Sweet. Thanks.”

  She headed upstairs as he went to his room, and went right to the shower. She turned it on, keeping it on the cooler side of hot, before stripping off her bikini. She climbed in, and suddenly was having a minor panic attack: What was she going to wear?

  She decided, after ten minutes of debating when she knew Drake was waiting for her, to wear a black skirt and a slightly dressy white shirt. She had nicer clothes with her, as well as more casual ones. Likewise, she had outfits that were more conservative, and some that were far more provocative. But she’d wanted to go somewhere in the middle on all fronts, so it didn’t look like she was trying too hard or too little.

  There was a quick rap on the door. “Come on, Evie! I’m starving.”

  “I’ll be right out.” Which was true. She’d already decided to wear her hair down and her makeup light. All she needed to do now was check her image once more in the mirror-

  “That’s what you said ten minutes ago.”

  “Hold your horses,” she said loudly, and then grumbled to herself, “Sheesh.”

  “I heard that,” he mumbled so she could barely hear him.

  With a faint smile and a shake of her head, she walked to the door and pulled it open. “Okay, okay. I’m ready.”

  He’d been pacing in front of the bedroom door as he waited. Now, he lifted his head to look at her, and came to a dead stop halfway across the kitchen. “Wow.”

  “What? Is there something on my shirt?” She looked down at herself, trying to find the offending spot.

  “No,” he mumbled. “Remember how I was rushing you cuz you were taking so long?”

  She refused to apologize for that. “Yes,” she said a little testily.

  “Worth every second,” he said with conviction.

  She met his eyes in surprise, saw him holding her gaze rather than perusing her body. It was the biggest reason she believed him, rather than assuming he was just following protocol and stroking her ego. “Thank you,” she said softly. “You look nice, too.”

  And he did, in khaki pants and a thin, white button-down shirt. “You’re welcome. And thank you.” He offered his arm, and she wrapped hers under it and around so he could lead her out to his car.

  “So, where to?” he asked when they were on their way.

  “Um… How about seafood? Fishing earlier got me in the mood for shrimp.”

  “Long John Silver’s?”

  Though she plainly heard the smile in his voice, she scoffed. “Not in this outfit. These are sit-down restaurant clothes, not drive-thru.”

  “If that’s sit-down, I can’t imagine what reservation-required clothes look like.”

  She paid no attention to the heat his words caused inside her, and said, “Less, and more, than this.” She fluttered a hand over her outfit.

  He swallowed audibly for her benefit. “Enticing enough a thought for me to make reservations.”

  She chuckled, playing along. Thoughts of earlier in the day invaded, and she sobered. “Thanks, by the way, for teaching me to fish. I don’t get outside enough, and needed the excuse while I’m here. It was fun.”

  “For me, too. If you want, I could show you a couple good spots back home, when our vacations are over.”

  He was offering to see her when he didn’t have to? “Maybe,” she said noncommittally, just in case he was only being polite.

  He pulled into Red Lobster a few seconds later. “This ‘sit-down’ enough for you?”

  “This is perfect.”

  They left the car and went inside, and were seated a few minutes later. Words were acceptably few while they looked over the menu and ordered, but when they didn’t have menus between them, the silence grew a bit awkward.

  After a minute of staring into space, Drake said, “Tell me something about you.”

  Her eyes floated to his. “Like what?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. What’s your favorite color?”

  “Blue. What’s yours?”

  He hesitated a moment. “Brown.”

  She lifted a brow. “Brown? How can you like brown? It’s so boring and dull.”

  “Not from where I’m sitting,” he murmured, staring straight into her eyes.

  Her heart stuttered in her chest, and she looked down. Surely he was saying that because he felt he should. She leaned forward to let him know he didn’t. “You don’t have to do that,” she said quietly.

  “What?”

  “Compliment me. Flirt with me. I know this isn’t like that, so you don’t have to.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly. “Alright,” he said slowly.

  Though she’d been expecting it, his easy acquiescence hurt. What had she thought was gonna happen? He’d admit his attraction to her? Not hardly.

  “What’s your favorite book?” he asked suddenly.

  Because she wanted to forget what had just happened and move on, she answered, “Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts.”

  “What’s that about?”

  “A family of magicians who are also master jewel thieves.”

  He lifted a brow. “Interesting.”

  She nodded. “What’s yours?”

  “The DaVinci Code.”

  “Ooh, Dan Brown. Love him. Did you see the movie?”

  “Yeah. But the book was better.”

  “They always are,” they said at the same time. There was a look of surprise on each of their faces at the shared thought, and they both laughed quietly.

  “You have an amazing smile,” he said softly.

  Her lips fell. “I told you not to do that.”

  “No. You said I didn’t have to. Which I already knew. But I want to. That’s the difference.”

  She didn’t know what to say to his admission, but didn’t have to figure it out. Their food was delivered before it was obvious that she was flustered speechless.

  They ate in near silence, though occasionally Drake asked her a question, seemingly at random, answering the same question about himself after she had. By the time they’d finished eating, she was relaxed again.

  “I’ll get dinner,” he said when the check came and they both reached for it.

  “No, that’s okay. We’ll split it.” It was too much like a date, otherwise, she thought.

  He held her gaze for a long time, then finally said, “I’ll get dinner tonight, and you can get it next time. Okay?”

  She stared at him, trying to figure out his angle, but only saw earnestness on his face. “I guess that’s okay.”

  With a smile, he grabbed the book and put enough cash inside to cover the meal and the tip, then stood with her.

  Back in the car, it was so quiet that Evie had
no choice but to think about what he’d said to her. Even if he was being sincere, it just meant he was speaking his mind, nothing more.

  In an attempt to distract herself, she said the first thing that came to mind. “You know, I expected you to drive something flashier than this.” Not her best conversation starter, but there you go.

  “What do you mean? What’s wrong with my Lexus?”

  “Nothing. It’s a great car. But it’s a little more family than I would have expected from you. I figured you for more ‘penis’.”

  His eyebrows lifted nearly to his hairline. “I beg your pardon? More ‘penis’?”

  She chuckled as she realized how that had sounded. “I mean, a ‘Look at my penis’ car.”

  His brows fell in amusement. “Oh, you mean like a muscle car, to show how manly I am.”

  “Yes,” she said, relieved he’d understood.

  “Well, people usually take one look at me and know I’m a man. However, if it makes you happy, I happen to have a bright, shiny red Camaro in a storage garage at home.”

  She laughed again as he pulled in the driveway at the cottage. “That’s more like it.”

  By the time they got inside a minute later, Evie felt sleepy. She yawned twice before they’d taken their shoes off.

  “Tired?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. All that fresh air caught up with me. I’m going to bed. Good night, Drake. Thanks for dinner.”

  “Night, Evie,” he said quietly. He watched her go into her room and close the door, and then leaned against the counter for a moment.

  Something about her, he thought, mystified. She was so quiet and unassuming. A far cry from the women he’d dated. Of course, that had been the point, for a while. Now… Not so anymore. It would be interesting to see how things shook out.

  With a quiet huff of breath, he pushed away from the counter and went downstairs.

  The next morning, Drake woke and decided he wanted to go outside before doing anything else. He rose and went to the patio door in his room. To his mind, there was little more beautiful than a lake in the morning in summer. Watching the sun climb while it was still cool enough to do so, witnessing the burning off of the fog that had rolled in during the night...