Page 18 of Stick Break
She gives a hollow chuckle. “But that’s me. Troublesome Charley. Too much. Disobedient. Out of control.”
“I’m sorry.” The words are automatic, but a wave of anger rises in me like a tide. How could her parents be mad at her for nearly drowning?
“Not your fault,” she says. Another humorless laugh. “Wasn’t mine either, but that didn’t seem to matter. My brother and I were playing. He accidentally knocked me in. But he’s the golden child. He can’t do anything wrong.”
I go quiet. We have this unspoken rule — no sharing, no digging — but she’s clearly handing me a piece of herself. And it feels fragile in my hands.
“You have a brother?” I ask gently. “I do. And don’t get me wrong — I love him to pieces. He’s studying law and is my parents’ pride and joy.” A warm smile touches her mouth. “I’m so proud of him too.” Her voice softens.
“I’m sure your parents are proud of you too.”
She swallows. “I never followed the path they wanted for me.” She rolls one shoulder. “See, rebel.”
“Nah, we have to follow our own hearts, Charly.”
“Maybe. But look where that got me.” She stares out over the ocean, but it’s easy to tell her thoughts are a miles away. “My brother, Jason, he was the only one who believed me when—” She cuts herself off, the words dying suddenly.
“What is it your parents wanted you to do?” I ask.
“They thought I’d be a good teacher, or even lawyer, since I was so good at arguing.”
I cringe. “That sounds more like dig than a compliment. I take it your teenage years were hard.”
“On all of us. I thought I could show them with…” She shifts, sits a little straighter, like she’s pulling armor back into place. “Wow,” she says with forced brightness. “What is it about fishing that has me dragging up past hurts and bringing the mood down?”
“It’s all good, Charley. Fishing can be a quiet time, a time to reflect, too. And you only brought up the past because I asked about boats.”
She nods, her gaze drifting out across the water. Silence settles for a moment, comfortable now.
Then I ask, “Do you think you’d ever go on one again? You know what they say about falling off a horse.”
She grins, just a little. “I don’t know. Maybe. For the record I’ve never been on a horse, so I don’t know what I’d do if I fell off.”
I do an air checkmark. “Adding horseback riding to our list of things to do,” I say playfully. “But seriously, I could rent a boat. We wouldn’t have to go far. And I can put you in a life jacket and water wings.”
“Water wings?” Her eyebrows lift.
I grin. “Lots of my friends have pools and their kids wear them. You know—” I raise my arms and wrap a hand around one bicep, miming the inflated floaties. “They blow up and keep you afloat. Pretty stylish, honestly.”
“Well, I mean, if there are water wings involved…” Her eyes light up with amusement. “Will you be wearing them too? Because if so, then yes, I have to see that.”
“I’m not sure they make them in men’s sizes,” I say, chuckling. “But if they do, yeah, I’ll wear them.” She leans a little closer, and I catch another whiff of her sweet scent. Sunshine and warmth.
“Really?” she murmurs. “That wouldn’t embarrass you?”
I meet her gaze, and something warm blooms in my chest. “Nope. Not if it gets you back on a boat. I’d wear a whole inflatable suit if I had to.”
That earns me a laugh, an unguarded, genuine sound that wraps around me and squeezes tight. God, I love that laugh and it’s crazy how much I enjoy her company. How easy it is to sit here with her, just talking. I don’t usually do this, talk with women. Not like this. The women I’ve been with before, they wanted something else from me. Attention, maybe. The image. The body. But never this. Never the part where we trade memories and dare to be honest. That’s not to say I’m not attracted to her. Hell, I am. But this is just really…nice.
“You don’t have to answer,” I say, nudging her gently. “I’ll leave that with you. I mean, we’ve got to do something to pass the time this week.”
Pass the time.
Yeah right.
There are about ten things I could think of to make the week go faster… or slower. Or just plain more interesting. All of them start with her and end somewhere I probably shouldn’t be thinking about right now.
“Okay,” she says, her voice quieter. “I’ll think about it.”
