Page 4 of Fishing for Keeps

"You're watching the parking lot," Ace says.

"I'm watching the sunset."

"The sunset's behind you, buddy."

Before I can come up with something, Dani's truck pulls in, and Josie climbs out of the passenger side in a yellow sundress, and my brain blanks.

She's got her hair down. She's looking around at the string lights and the red umbrellas and the boats tied up at the dock, and when her eyes land on our table—on me—she smiles, and I stand up so fast I bang my knee.

The table goes silent.

Then everyone starts talking at once.

"Oh, this is the best day of my life," Ace breathes.

"Sit up straight, y’all," Joel says. "History in the making."

"Should we tell him his mouth is open," Chrissy says, "or let him figure it out?"

I have spent an entire summer roasting these people. I called Joel a lovesick golden retriever. I asked Ace if Chrissy gave him a receipt for his balls. I made a sound like a strangled duck when Forrest asked Aileen to survey the lake with him.

I am now realizing that may have been a huge mistake.

"Everyone be normal," I mutter as Dani steers Josie to our table. "I'm begging you."

"No promises," says Liam.

Introductions go around. Josie shakes hands, says all the right things, and slides into the empty chair, which is somehow directly across from mine, because Rayna arranged the seating and Rayna plays chess while the rest of us play checkers.

"So, Josie," Rayna says, sweet as Ooey Gooey Sticks. "Tell everyone about the derby."

Josie tells them. The tackle box. The flyer. The entry form with her name on it in Gus's handwriting, paid up months before he passed.

By the end of it, the whole table's quiet. All the women have their hands pressed over their hearts or mouths. Even Ace looks misty.

"So, I'm going to fish it," Josie says. "For him. There's just one small problem, which is that I can't fish, don't have a working boat, and don't have a partner."

"That's three problems," Liam says.

"I'm a designer. Not a math professor."

I like her so much it's stupid.

"Well, it just so happens," Dani says, "that the derby is this table's favorite subject. Trent and Liam have fished it together for… what is it now?"

"Nine years," Liam says.

"And how many times have you won?"

Liam suddenly gets very interested in his pizza.

"They have never won," Forrest says.

"Not once," says Joel.

"One year they capsized," Ace adds. "In the no-wake zone."

"Totally Liam’s fault,” I grumble.