Steady

Chapter Twelve

 "I'm not doing that."

"What? Why not?" Jay looks between me and the vulnerable creature held in his outstretched hand. "He won't mind, I promise."

"You are such a liar!" I yell. "I think you would mind if someone was trying to skewer you on a hook!"

His shoulders drop and he sighs. "Bree, it's a worm, not a puppy."

I lean in close and glance at the invertebrate. "But he's alive," I say softly. "He's...wriggling."

Jay sighs at my refusal—again—but can't hide the smile playing at his lips. "Fine. Would you rather use a poor, defenseless hot dog?"

"Yes! Gimme!"

I take the chunk of processed meat he hands me and slide it onto my hook.

"Ready!"

Jay chuckles. "You can't yell while we're fishing, Bree."

My brows draw together in confusion as I look around. We're completely alone out here on his mother's property. "Um, why?"

"Because you'll scare all the fish away," he says. "Haven't you ever been fishing before?"

I gesture to the tackle box, reminding him that I'd called the lures 'thingamabobs' when he opened the lid. "I kinda thought that was a given."

His shoulders shake with laughter as he baits his own hook, and when he's done he shuffles closer until we're shoulder to shoulder and I can see his fishing pole.

"Okay," he says softly. "See that button right there?"

After locating said button, I nod.

"That's the release. You wanna swing your pole back like this—" he points it back behind us, toward the house "—and then press that button right before you cast out."

I watch in awe as his line flies out over the water and lands with a quiet plunk. His hands work confidently to reel it in just a bit, enough to create tension in the line, before taking a seat in his lawn chair.

I look back and forth from him to the red and white ball bobbing on the surface. "That's it?"

He cocks his head to the side and grins. "That's it."

Doing my best to mirror his actions, I lean the rod back, press the button, and fling it forward. The reel makes a buzzing sound as the line flies out over the water and lands a few yards away from Jay's.

"Oh my God," I whisper-shout. "I did it! I'm fishing!"

Jay bites his bottom lip to keep from laughing. "Yes you are, and it's pretty hot."

Grinning like a loon, I settle into my own chair next to Jay and hold the pole awkwardly in my hands. "What now?"

"Now, we wait."

Aside from the birds, the insects, and the wind rustling through the trees, it's quiet. The kind of quiet you can't find in the city, or even a town as small as West Plains. Out here, it's hard to find a reason to be sad when you're surrounded by so many beautiful things. The wildflowers dancing in the breeze are enough to keep my attention, the subtle waves of the pond hypnotize me into forgetting the stress of my life, and the man sitting next to me reminds me that, even though I'm miles from home in a strange place, it's the safest I've felt in a long time.

Jay takes a deep breath, holds it for a second, then exhales. As he breathes out, his shoulders relax and the tension in his jaw visibly subsides. He transforms right in front of me, and what I see is even more beautiful than all the smiles he's ever graced me with. Here, he looks as if he's breathing freely for the first time in his life. Like he's finally found his peace.