“Oh, you know, this and that. Clara’s taken me to Dandridge a few times and to Knoxville, but mostly I stay around here.”
“Have you been on the water yet?”
Ellie looked up sharply, wondering if Sara knew more than she was letting on. “A couple of times,” she answered carefully.
“I may have told you, but Jack works down at the dock. If you’re interested, maybe we could all go fishing sometime?”
“Um, yeah, maybe. So you and Jack are close?”
“Close as two friends can be. We’ve known each other since we were old enough to walk. I reckon he knows the water about as good as anyone around here. Says he wants to own his own business someday.”
“You and Jack ever, you know…?”
Sara’s face turned pink. “Heavens, no.”
Ellie breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“Well, I take that back. He did kiss me last summer, but I sort of got the impression he didn’t like it much. He only did it once. I don’t take it personal though. Jack’s a bachelor, and I suspect he always will be.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Jack’s heart belongs to the water, always has, and probably always will. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I reckon it’d take a special girl to tear him away from it.”
While Sara finished her lunch, Ellie turned and gazed out the window toward the water, wondering if she could be that girl.
* * *
The next morning while Clara was at the post office, Ellie received an unexpected phone call from her sister. She hadn’t spoken to her since leaving for Tennessee.
“Amelia, it’s good to hear your voice. How are you?”
“Good, sis. So how’s Tennessee? Y’all bored yet?” A titter of laughter echoed through the phone.
“On the contrary.” Ellie parted the drapes in the study, letting in a flood of bright morning sunlight.
“Do tell,” said Amelia, her voice thick with intrigue.
“Well, for starters, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the water.” Ellie gazed out the window toward the lake, peaceful and statue still. “They have a lake here that would take your breath away.”
Amelia cackled into the phone. “You? On the water? Are you pulling my leg?”
“No. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve been swimming, found an arrowhead, and there’s this guy named Jack who taught me how to fish. He and I have been—”
“Hold on.” Amelia stopped Ellie midthought. “Jack? Who’s Jack? Is he cute?”
Realizing she’d said too much, Ellie tried to change the subject, but Amelia persisted.
“So he is cute,” Amelia deduced. “All right, spill it.”
“It’s nothing… really.” Ellie was thankful her sister couldn’t see her face, which was now the shade of her dress. “Honest. Jack and I are just…” She wanted to sayfriends, but after professing her love for him on the island, she couldn’t bring herself to lie.
“Justwhat?”
“Nothing.” With a heavy sigh, Ellie plopped down into the chair behind the desk.
Amelia continued her interrogation. “Does thisJackhave a last name?”
“Bennett.”
