Jack jerked a shoulder in response. “I dunno. Just wondering.”
Helen dusted off a spot beside Jack and sat down. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that young lady you walked home after the storm the other night, would it?”
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “Possibly. Probably. Her name is Ellie. She’s Clara’s niece… from Ohio, and she’s here for the summer.”
“Let me guess. You’re kinda sweet on her, aren’tcha?”
“I can’t stop thinking about her.”
Helen smiled briefly, then turned and stared out at the rain. “Well, it’s only natural you start takin’ an interest in girls. After all, I was married when I was your age.”
“What if I said I wanted to spend time with her this summer? Would you be okay with that?”
“Do you promise to treat her like a gentleman?”
“I promise.”
“And no fooling around neither,” she warned. “You ain’t in no position to be havin’ no young’uns. God knows I can’t take care of ’em. I can hardly afford to feed you and me as it is.”
Jack’s face burned red hot. “Yes, ma’am. I won’t do nothing like that.”
“Then I guess it’s okay. But just remember this,” she said, turning and looking at him, “I know Ellie’s only here for the summer, but be careful who you give your heart to. Once it’s gone, there’s no takin’ it back, no matter how much you might wanna.”
* * *
When the weather finally broke, life returned to normal. Being cooped up in the house had taken its toll on Jack and Ellie, and they were anxious to get back on the water.
On Tuesday afternoon, they met at the dock and motored to the head of Flat Creek, where Jack kept his promise and taught Ellie how to fish.
“Most people don’t know it,” said Jack, “but there’s an art to fishing. You gotta take into account the weather, color of the water, time of day, and so on.” He rigged up a line for her, then spent a few minutes showing her how to cast and retrieve.
It wasn’t long before Ellie caught her first bream.
Jack removed the hook, then released the fish into the water. “You learn quick.”
“Maybe that’s because I have a good teacher.” She flashed a grin, surprising him. After adding more bait to the hook, she cast her line into the water. “You ever thought about doing this for a living?”
“What, teaching?”
She shook her head. “Fishing.”
Jack wiped his hands on the towel and adjusted his ball cap. “It’s funny you should ask. The other day I was telling George about this idea I had for a business. We’re constantly getting outta-towners in here looking to catch big bass and catfish. With my knowledge of the lake, I could find the fish, and they’d be guaranteed to catch their limit. I think folks would be willing to pay for something like that, don’t you?”
“So instead of taking people to the islands, you’d take them fishing?”
Jack nodded, watching his line.
Ellie thought for a moment and said, “Yeah, I think that’s an excellent idea.”
They drifted with the current, and the conversation came easy. Jack spoke of his love for the water while Ellie told him more about life in the city. Between them, they had enough stories to write a book. Before they knew it, the afternoon had gotten away from them, and as dusk approached, they eased toward home.
“See that rock?” Jack pointed toward a shallow spot a few feet from the bank. “There’s an old stump between us and it, and at the base of that stump is a big bass I’ve been trying to catch since the spawn began. Why don’t you give it a shot?”
Ellie reeled in her line and carefully cast it toward the rock. When the bait had settled to the bottom, she reeled slowly, just like Jack taught her. A few seconds later, the end of the rod twitched.
“I think I’m getting a bite.”
Jack eyed the line and, in a quiet voice, said, “Just remember what I told you.”
