She nodded, and I saw the way the corner of her mouth tipped upward. For a second, I thought that she may be completely lost, and then it hit me.
I lowered my pole and just stared at her, sharing a little silent showdown, until she caved.
“What?” An even bigger smile spread across her lips. Lips that I wanted nothing more than to feel against my own.
“You know all of this already, don’t you?”
She did her best to hold back her laughter. I saw humor dancing heavy in her eyes. I knew that she was doing this more for my benefit than her own when she forced her lips into a tight line and nodded her head.
“Why not just tell me that you can most likely out-fish me?”
“Because men need to feel like they are in control. I didn’t want to damage your ego. Besides,” tilting her head to the side, she looked up at me through those long gorgeous lashes of hers, causing my chest to feel tight, “the demonstration was adorable.”
“Adorable?” Not what I was going for at all.
I think she too knew I was struggling a bit with her choice of wording. I remained quiet as I stared at her, waiting for more than just that, an elaboration maybe.
“Sweet.” Her cheeks reddened.
“Why is it that neither of those words makes me feel very manly right now?”
Just then, I felt a tug on my pole, and I looked out toward the water. Seeing the hard pull, I positioned my hands and yanked back the rod. Reeling the line, I felt the rush as I continued to struggle with the weight on the other end of the line. Suddenly a fish began to surface, and I heard the movements of Chloe at my side.
What happened next surprised the hell out of me. She leaned forward, reaching over the edge of the boat, and just as the fish became fully visible, she pulled the line toward her and with her thumb and forefinger gripped the mouth of the bass. I was in awe.
“Wow,” Chloe examined the fish, “not bad.”
Turning the fish, she used her other hand to grab the hook, and I still remained in silence as I watched her free the fish and hold it up, turning it from side to side.
Lowering the pole to my side, I lifted the basket, and she pushed open the top and dropped the bass inside. Not once did she cringe or even flinch. The way she handled the removal and even the placement was a sure sign that I had been so wrong from the beginning of this adventure. I was not dealing with a delicate peach, not even close.
***
Sitting on the front porch of Mike and Maddison’s place, I tipped back the beer and emptied the last of its contents. The women were inside and the guys had ventured outside to ensure we were out of their way. AJ, Maddison, and Chloe were working in sync with one another like they were a well-oiled machine, chopping, slicing, and dicing, preparing dinner.
I’d been in this predicament many times before, being around for one of the dinners, only this time it felt different. Yes, things with Chloe and me were still so very new, and at this point, we were more friends than anything, but I could definitely feel something more developing. The lingering looks, the smiles and casual touches, they were all there.
It was intense but also a rush of excitement.
“I made a complete ass of myself today,” I finally said. The weight of Chloe and my fishing trip laid heavy on my shoulders. I swear she must think I was an idiot or an ass.
“Can’t say I’m shocked,” Rhett interjected, and I flipped him off. “No really, though, how?”
“Took Chloe fishing.” I noticed a smirk on Rhett’s lips instantly.
“She schooled you, didn’t she?” Mike popped the top on a second beer and held it out to me.
“I spent five minutes explaining the purpose of a bobber before I realized she knew more than I could ever teach her.”
Mike chuckled, and Rhett tried to hide his own humored reaction to my confession.
“Felt like a dumb ass.” I wasn’t normally so rattled around women.
“You honestly have no idea who she is, do you?” I wanted to argue with Mike and tell him that I knew her, but the truth was I had no fucking clue.
“Chloe may look like a sweet little flower on the outside. She may appear as though she has never gotten her hands dirty and prefers a salon over a saloon, but that girl is a whole lot tougher than she looks.” Rhett nodded with Mike’s words.
“She’s an only child, and you’ve met her father, a hard ass to the core. Uncle Ben and Aunt Leann got the best of both worlds when they had Chloe. She is a girly girl in some sense, giving Leann the sweet girl to share all the things a mother should share with a daughter. Then Ben, he has had a little tomboy from the beginning, because Chloe has never shied away from all the things a little boy loves.”
“All the women in this family, maybe with the exception of Grace, can give any man a run for their money.”
Rhett’s sister did seem a little high maintenance, but that lay at the hands of her father and brother. They treated her like she was made of glass.
“Chloe doesn’t need to be pampered.” Mike leaned forward and rested his elbow on his knees. “I’m not saying she wouldn’t love a sweet gesture, a nice night out and such. But just know that that girl, she knows
