“It really does sound dirty,” I agree.
“See? We should make it a thing.” She leans in and skips her fingers down my chest.
I catch her wrist before she can descend too far. “Right after you catch a fish.”
Her mouth forms a tiny circle. “Oh, more incentives? You know the direct route to my willpower.”
“That’s how it goes when you lo—” I clamp my mouth shut so fast that my teeth clack. Lord almighty, what the fuck was I about to admit? I scrub over my forehead with a chuckle. “When you look at me that way.”
She blinks her lashes in rapid succession, as if trying to weed around my flub to uncover the truth. I’m certain she can find proof on the surface, if my blazing skin is any indication. She doesn’t have to dig far while resting her chin on my shoulder, getting a front-row seat. “Let’s get going then. I’m perfectly content to hang out in your swanky digs and offer moral support. Please be a gentleman and handle the gross stuff for me.”
How do I argue with that? “All right, I’ll let you off the hook for now. But not this guy.” I grab a crawler, piercing the wiggling form until its body is in a compact stack.
Audria gags again. “Poor worm.”
“Fish food,” I correct, dropping the line. It whizzes into the frigid depths with a plop. I ready my own pole, repeating the steps, and prop both handles in their designated holders—more unnecessary shit I don’t need but have come to appreciate. “And now, we wait and relax. Would you like a beverage?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Audria hums when I pass her a porter.
I never would’ve pegged her for a dark-beer drinker with all that fruity shit she likes.
She pops the top and takes a swig. “This is more my style. I’m all for fishing so long as I don’t have to touch anything slimy.”
“You didn’t seem to have an issue earlier.”
She giggles, hiding a wide grin behind her can. “Okay, I’ll rephrase. No slimy business unless it’s attached to your body.”
I stick out my thumb. “Does a fish count if it’s biting my finger?”
Her gasp is sharp enough to puncture glass. “Has that happened?”
“Couple times. Doesn’t hurt too bad.”
She scoffs. “And you want to put me in direct contact with these monsters?”
“You’re being dramatic.” I chuckle.
“Hey.” She stabs me in the chest with a blunt nail. “Only Vannah is allowed to call me out on overreacting.”
“She gave me permission,” I fib.
Audria wrinkles her nose. “I highly doubt that. She takes the privilege very seriously.”
“I’m pretty sure you taught me that sharing is caring.”
“That reference doesn’t apply here.” She laughs. “I’ll give you credit for the association.”
“Thanks, babe.” I extend my legs, crossing them at the ankles. “How cool is it that we were swimming in this water less than six months ago?”
She takes a sip of her drink. “And now we’re trying to catch the fish I pretended most definitely didn’t exist.”
On cue, the tip of her pole bobs.
“Looks like you’ve got something. Reel ’em in, babe.”
“What? How? I’m not prepared for this.” She sets her beer down and grabs the pole.
“Here.” I twist the knob a few turns.
She takes over. “Oh, there’s some tension. Maybe I caught a big one.”
We watch the hole as she draws in the line. A miniscule crappie appears, flailing on the hook with all its might. The little guy is barely a bite.
“So cute,” she coos. “He could fit in a little bowl at my house.”
“We aren’t trying to find you a pet. That’s not how this works.” I laugh. He’s definitely a throwaway, not that I planned for us to take any home. This is all catch and release to get Audria acclimated.
She nods. “You’re right. Getting attached is a bad idea.”
“Very,” I say mostly to remind myself. That couldn’t be more clear.
“Okay, now what?”
“Take it off the hook.” I smooth a hand down its scales and get a strong grip, pointing the mouth at her.
“Me? No way.” She crosses her arms, staging a formal protest. “That looks like a job for you. Go for it.”
“Come on, babe. You can wear gloves and use pliers. It won’t bite you.” Or I’ll never get her to go fishing again.
She squeals and backs herself against the wall. “This is above my pay grade. I demand a raise with extra benefits. It’s going to poop on me. I’ve heard the truth.”
“That’s rare, and you wouldn’t even notice.” I’m fucking with her, of course. This is purely for my entertainment, and I hope she’ll forgive me. I would never expect her to detach the fish, but it’s difficult to forgo joy in the finest form. My abs twinge from laughing so hard.
“Lies,” she squeaks and moves further away.
“Just touch it,” I urge.
She clenches her eyes shut, curling her fingers into fists. “I refuse to believe that’s all you want.”
“I’ll be satisfied, babe.” The inuendo isn’t lost on either of us.
She peels her lids open. “That’s another one of my secret talents.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Audria takes off her mitten and makes the barest of contact next to its fin. “Are you happy, farmer?”
“That depends.” I take the opportunity to use her frequent conditional phrase. With a quick tug, I rid the crappie of his cheek piercing and dump the floppy guy back into the water.
“On?” She nibbles at my bait.
Audria wouldn’t likely accept what I actually want to offer. She would probably take her chances plunging into the freezing water instead. Settling has become the name for this game. “Are you ready for a break in the action?”
She climbs onto my lap in the following second. “Oh, yes. Please bait my hook, farmer.”
“Second graders,” I call across the room. “Can you please meet me on the rug?”
Twenty-one squirming bodies don’t even bother to pause their constant movement. They continue dashing about in disorganized chaos, using tables and chairs
