They were catching fish like crazy, and before lunch, he'd cleaned a pile of fish and put them on ice.Now they had a whole bunch of fish again and had reached their limit, and Lottie was the one who had gone to the other side of the boat to filet them.He and the girls were doing some nature watching, and he was surprised by how quickly she finished the work.Had she used magic?Darren wouldn't blame her if she had because it was a messy job.They kept what was edible and threw the rest overboard, where the fish could eat it.That way, there was no waste.
With the large number of fish they had caught, they needed to get them to the cook so they would have fish for supper.They would be able to eat more than one meal with the fish they had caught.He'd enjoyed it so much that he considered going again before too long, and those fish might go to Ariel.He knew some of the cousins took their catch to her when they already had their freezer full of fish.It was time to clean up themselves and the boat as best they could and take it back to where they had gotten it.
That didn't take nearly as long as cleaning the fish.The girls tried to help, but there really wasn't much that they could do.Once the work was done, he got behind the wheel, turned on the motor, and headed back.It would be earlier than he had expected, but that was good, so the cook had time to fix the fish.He had to admit that Lottie seemed to be good at everything he had observed her doing so far.Darren also could not deny that she was beautiful and seemed kind.It was the character that his first wife had sadly lacked.
The girls were incredibly excited when they arrived back at the house, and they ran to the door, went in, and chattered wildly to their grandmother.It pleased him to see them so happy.His mother was also happy and was caught up in a hug with both of his girls.This was the way things should be.He carried the ice chest back to the kitchen so Liza could begin working on it.Apparently, Liza loved fish, and she immediately began to work on them.Hopefully, the girls will forget their shock at seeing the fish cut up and eat them.
Some of the fish would freeze in so they could have another meal later.Fish in several different ways was something that he had eaten a lot of when he was a kid, and he had loved it.Darren was sure he would still love it and the other things that usually went with it.He headed back to the living room, where everyone else would be waiting.The girls were eating milk and cookies, and his mom and Lottie had cookies and coffee.A plate was sitting there waiting for him, and he had to admit he was a little hungry and glad about it.
“No problems?”His mom asked.
“None at all.The girls are well on their way to being expert fishermen.”
“Just like you at their age.All your siblings were learning how to fish at that age.But all of you dug up the worms before you went on your fishing trip.”
“Ew, Grandma.That’s yucky,” Ellis observed.
“It’s the circle of life.Fish love worms.”Flo admitted.
It seemed the girls didn't understand how things worked.They hadn't been raised on a farm, and they hadn't gotten the opportunity to do anything like hunting or fishing.As far as they knew, everything came from the store just like it was.They would have a lot to learn, and they would probably get their hearts broken when they realized some of those cute, adorable animals were slated to be food.Eventually, they might even help slaughter and cut up some of that food.Someday they would understand, and things would be easier.Darren and his siblings had been raised on the farm and had slowly learned what happened to the animals that they raised.
Only a few of them were exempt, and those were cats, dogs, and horses.All the other animals eventually left, and everyone knew where they had gone.That was the reality of life on a farm.There was an unlimited amount of hard work, and he'd heard from his mother that the girls had already started learning about gardening.That was something he could remember from his youth.They were probably getting an easier introduction to the job than he had, and he was glad of that.Darren wanted them to enjoy being on the farm and the work that they had to do.His daughters had had things rough enough when his wife had tried to mother them.
He wasn't sure that anything would ever make up for the horrible mother that he had chosen for them, even if he had chosen her by accident.The aroma of cooking fish and the other sides that went with the meal filled the house.It was time for supper, and everyone gathered at the table, which was already set for the meal, when a guest appeared out of thin air.
“Harry, it's great to see you, and we are about to eat.Do you like fish?It's freshly caught.”Flo explained.
“I love fish, and I like to go fishing.Although I've not had the opportunity lately.Too much work,” Harry observed.
“Have a seat because supper is about to be served.”Flo invited.
“I can smell coleslaw, fish, and hush puppies,” Harry mentioned.
“You're getting better.Damon said it was important for her to learn to scent things.He meant things that are dangerous, but by doing this all the time, she is getting her skill sharpened.”Flo explained.
“I can see how that could apply to law enforcement.”Lottie agreed.
“So, the nose knows?”Darren asked.
“I'm pretty good at smelling blood, drugs, and sometimes bombs.It all depends on what they're made of and how good they're encased,” Harry admitted.
“That would be extremely helpful if you were about to go to a place you weren't familiar with,” Lottie observed.
“I go in unfamiliar places all the time, and I usually lead the charge.I think Damon is just concerned about losing me.We've come close more than once.I had to wrap a bomb in magic once, where the whole house would have gone down, and everyone in it would have died.I had my whole team with me, and I didn't want to lose any of them either,” Harry declared.
“Your work is very scary.The worst thing I've ever done is guard somebody who assassins were chasing.”Lottie admitted.
“Stick around, and there's no telling what you may end up doing,” Harry warned.
“I've heard the wardens are very good at breaking in people with no experience at all,” Lottie explained.
“You aren't lying.When we were working with the heavy blood drug gangs, we never knew who would be working with us next.”Harry observed.
“What are blood drugs?”Ellis asked.
“It’s something I hope you won't ever have to be around,” Darren explained.“Why don't we discuss something else now?”
“Now that you've gone fishing, what do you intend to do with the girls next for fun?”Flo asked.
