Page 35 of Finding His Fox

“We did? When was this? What did we do?” I asked excitedly.

Cal didn’t say anything for a long time. At first, I was expecting him to say something like, ‘I saw you with your cousin on a hunting trip’.

Except, his silence was telling. I realized our first meeting might not be such a simple memory. Cal finally turned to face me.

“Sorry, maybe another time?” he asked with a sad smile.

He seemed lost in his own thoughts, as if the memory carried a heavy emotional burden.

I desperately wanted to know what happened, but I didn’t want to push him. I grabbed the cooler box filled with food and placed it between us.

“So, what do you like to do for fun?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

Cal reached for a stack of sandwiches and munched on one, looking adorably thoughtful.

“I like to fish,” he said, the spark in his eyes coming back.

“Oh, yeah?”

“I could take you out on my boat sometime,” Cal offered.

While finishing up our picnic lunch, Cal talked about fishing and all his favorite spots around the waters near Fox Haven.

There was something so attractive about Cal talking passionately about fishing. I found myself curious at what the fuss was about.

“Could you take me out on your boat now?” I asked.

“Alright, why not?” Cal said.

We returned to his home and started preparing for our little boating excursion. Max was still sound asleep.

Although I was excited, I couldn’t help but have mixed feelings about going out into the water. I wasn’t a fan of it, to be honest.

Rory told me I almost drowned before. Though, I couldn’t remember when.

Maybe I was really young when it happened, I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I had always been afraid of going into, or worse, falling in deep water.

I mean, how could one know what lay beneath the surface? How deep it went?

I did try to overcome it by taking swimming classes. I even tried swimming as far as I could out in the ocean one time.

My instructor said I was a strong swimmer. If something were to happen again, I knew I could handle it.

However, that didn’t mean I would willingly drop down into the depths of the ocean.

“Do you have a life jacket?” I asked Cal.

My question must have caught him off guard. Cal dropped some of the rods he was holding. He looked at me, concerned.

“Just a precaution,” I said, putting my hands up.

Once we were ready, we walked up to the dock in front of his cabin. Cal lifted the jacket, gesturing for me to put it on.

He helped adjust the buckles and checked whether everything was secure.

Every time his fingers grazed my skin, I felt a little jolt of excitement, wondering where I would feel his touch next.

We boarded the fishing boat, and Cal started the engine. The breeze on my face felt cool as we cruised out to the middle of the lake.