“Aye.” Linc glowered. “I said what I said.”
“So did you get it?” Owen took his pole to the edge of the pier.
“I got it all right.” Noah balanced his rod between his legs and pushed up the sleeves of his flannel shirt. Despite the wind, it was getting warmer. Or maybe having to admit failure flushed him even more than seeing Elisa had. Hopefully they wouldn’t connectthosedots?—
“I heard Elisa Bergeron spilled coffee all over you, too.” To his credit, Owen tried to hide his smile but failed.
Noah clenched his jaw as he reclaimed his fishing rod. “Sadie sure was chatty today.”
“What can I say? Business accounts take a while to open.” Owen cast his line into the water, making Linc duck and glare. “But back to the inspection—what happened? You’re not as chipper as I’d imagined.”
“Maybe because you just used the wordchipper.” Linc stepped back to give Owen room as he yanked on his line.
“I got something!” Whatever it was sure didn’t want Owen to reel him in.
Linc went to help him while Cade sidled closer to Noah. “You good, man?”
“About the meeting with Isaac?”
“You know what I mean.” Cade turned up his soda can for another swig. “You haven’t seen Elisa in…”
Noah kept his focus on Owen’s struggle with the fishing pole and Linc’s futile efforts to take it from him. “Twelve years.”
“That had to have been a shock.”
“The hot coffee pouring into my lap sure was.”
“What are y’all whispering about?” Linc asked, stepping back toward the cooler.
Cade fished around in his tackle box. “Elisa Bergeron.”
“Dude.” Noah shot Cade a look. “Come on.”
“Y’all’s past isn’t really a secret anymore.” Cade gestured to the town behind them.
Linc pulled free a drink. “What happened between you two?”
“You actually care?” Surprise lit Owen’s sunburned cheeks.
Linc shrugged one massive shoulder as he popped the top. “If we’re going to be out here gossiping, I’d like to be in the know. I was off at college when this drama went down, apparently.”
“Noah saw Elisa for the first time in forever today,” Cade explained.
Owen nodded eagerly. “And she was so upset she dumped coffee on him.”
“That isnotwhat happened.” Noah groaned. “How did this fishing trip turn into narrating my life like a bad audiobook?”
“Hang on. Here are the facts—Noah and Elisa had this whole Romeo and Juliet thing going on the summer we were all eighteen.” Cade nodded his head toward Linc. “Not you, obviously. Old man.”
“I’m two years older. Shove it.”
“Just let us know what the view looks like when you hit forty first.”
Linc flexed, his bicep nearly bursting through his shirt sleeve. “Oh, it’ll look fine.”
Cade ignored him. “Anyway, it ended really bad. The whole family feud thing…her dad obviously didn’t approve of them sneaking around together, and it all blew up one night while he was cleaning his shotgun.”
Owen’s eyes grew wide as he tossed his line into the water. “He shot you?”
