“No, you’re not,” he accused.
Angelle laughed again, and the sound delighted him. “No, I’m really not.”
Not a full five minutes later Angelle was pulling another fish. “Got one,” she singsonged.
“Alright. Give it up. What are you doing to catch so many fish?” he demanded.
“I’m just the better fisherperson,” she declared with a smug grin.
“I feed myself, and more than a few others by fishing and hunting. I know I’m a decent fisherman. Why am I not catching any now?”
“Maybe they know you’re not from here.”
“Seriously?” he asked, not believing she’d even tried that.
“Okay, you want to know why you can’t catch any fish?” Angelle asked.
“Yes, I do.”
“You’re using the wrong bait.”
“I’m using worms! All fish hit on worms!” he exclaimed.
Angelle shook her head and smiled at him so brightly that her nose wrinkled up with the smile. “Not when they’re used to hitting on bologna and cheese.”
“What?”
“Bologna and cheese.”
“Oh, I heard you. I’m just wondering why you fish with bologna and cheese.”
“Because when I was little, I didn’t want to hurt the worms. So, Uncle Maverik started using bologna and cheese pressed around the hooks. Turns out fish love the smell and taste of bologna better than they do worms.”
Boon started laughing. He shook his head in what Angelle thought was disbelief as his laughter finally died off.
“What? You don’t believe me?” she asked.
“No, I believe you. I’m just picturing a little girl with a heart so big she doesn’t want to hurt the worms so her uncle finds a way for her to fish anyway.” He looked at her with the adoration he felt for her shining in his eyes. “I wish I’d known you back then. I bet you were just as kind as you are now.”
“It’s funny,” she said on a shrug as she took the fish off her hook and tossed him back into the pond, “I don’t see myself as kind. I just see me.”
“I see it. The more I get to know you, the more I see.”
“Is that a good thing? The things you think you see?”
“It’s hard to explain, but while we’re very similar, you have all the soft edges and quiet strength I wish I had. I come in like a bull in a china shop.”
“I’m a little stubborn, though. Not in a bad way. But… for example, I’m really good at working with people, but if I have to ask for something, even cooperation, I’d rather just do it myself.”
“And I’ll call out everybody that’s not pulling their weight until they pull their weight,” Boon said. “See, soft edges. I’m pretty much like gangbusters.”
“You’re not that way with me.”
“I’m very solitary. People think I’m not a happy male. I wouldn’t be surprised if some felt sorry for me. But they shouldn’t. I’m not unhappy. I’m just… not like them.”
“Me, too!” she exclaimed. “There’s nothing I need, I just wish sometimes that I wasn’t the only one without a partner.”
“Have you ever tried to find one?” Boon asked.
