Page 39 of Flyboy

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know. You like to sit back and think. You probably read, thinking it’s supposed to take all day to catch a fish.”

“Isn’t it?”

His line jerked. “Not if you do it right.”

“I can’t believe it.” She looked at her line. It was slack in the water.

His was tugging, pulling, moving around of its own accord. The tip of his rod bent. “Oh, this is a big-un’.”

She ran to him.

“You gotta watch your own line.” He waved her off.

But she stuck her pole in the holders on the side of the boat and moved to his side. “It will be fine.”

The fish looked like it was huge. It tugged and fought and jerked the line, moving further and further away. Colton’s face was intense with concentration. For every inch the fish moved closer, it wiggled away several feet, but Colton showed no frustration, and Ivy recognized one more thing she hadn’t noticed about him before. In all the time she’d known Colton, she’d not once seen him truly angry or be the one to cause contention. In fact, he was always lightening the mood, easing differences, and helping with inclusion.

Had she become so attracted to him that a few kisses could totally change her whole outlook on a person? It was more than the kisses, and she knew it.

His jaw flexed, and his arms were tight, his muscles bulging up and down his arms and across his back.

“Wow, this is tough.”

He grunted. “This is a big one.”

Then her pole started to bend. And then the line went out in a high-pitched whirr. “Oh, my gosh!!”

“Get it!” Colton grinned, and then his attention was immediately back on his fish.

“Like this?” She started to reel her fish in.

“Yeah, come stand by me.”

She stood at his side. “This is incredible. We both caught fish!”

“Not yet, pretty lady. We have a lot of work to do, but we are going to catch them, don’t you worry.” He stood closer. “Now, you don’t want the line to snap. I don’t think it will, but you want to nudge the fish in, tease it. Trick it. As soon as it gives you a few inches, take them, but don’t force it. That fish could be as big as this boat. We don’t know.”

She swallowed. The tugs on her line felt smaller than Colton’s seemed to be. But they were nothing to discount either. Soon, she was distracted from everything around them except the constant presence of Colton at her side and the occasional touch of their arms. When her shoulders started to ache, Colton pointed to her fishing rod holder. “Put it in there. The fish won’t go anywhere. Take a break.”

“How did you know I was dying over here?”

“My whole upper body is on fire. I figured yours must be, too, unless you’re some special gladiator muscle girl.”

She shook her head. What even was that? Gladiator muscle girl? But she happily put the rod back in its place and rotated her arms. Then she moved to the edge of the railing. “Is your fish close?”

“I think so. Tell me if you see anything bump the side of the boat.”

She peered down to the place where his line entered the ocean, and for a moment, everything was dark blue, but then she saw movement. A shadow. “It’s huge!”

“Can you see it?” He moved to the edge, searching the water. “Oh, boy! Look at that!” He laughed and began reeling it in faster.

“What is it?”

“I can’t tell.” He shrugged. “But we’re gonna find out.”

Something splashed in the water, an almost defiant twist of white against the blue, and then the shadow moved beneath the surface.

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