Page 81 of The Other Half

“It’s a long story,” I grumbled, flashes of moments with Cassie invading my mind.

“I’ve got time.” He glanced over his shoulder while we reeled in the last of our lines. Once again, we cast them back out into the water.

“It’s a girl.”

“I figured that much. What happened?”

“Well, let’s just say I might understand more than you’d know about women stripping us of our good sense.”

“Oh, yeah? That good, huh? So, what happened?”

“She lied.”

“Little lie or big lie?”

We cast again.

“Big lie.”

“Let’s hear it.”

Before I knew it, I unloaded my problems back onto Matt’s shoulders just like I had since we were kids. We stood on the dock, casting and reeling for hours as I told him the whole story. He listened while I told him about the girl I’d found stuck in a porch step under attack from a pine snake. The girl who’d fallen out of my truck. The one who I’d kissed in the lake. Made love to on my boat. The girl I’d given my heart to only to have her crush it to dust. When I got done, finishing up with seeing her tonight, I heard the rush of air come out of his lips.

“Whoa,” he breathed.

“Yeah. Whoa.”

“That’s a whole lotta messed up.”

“Yep.”

“So now what?”

“Now I have no idea. I move?”

Matt laughed. “You know you’ll never leave here.”

Shrugging, I cast again. “True.”

“Do you love her?”

“What?” I snapped, turning to look at him.

“Do you love her?” he asked again, casting his line.

“I just met her.”

He scoffed. “So. You don’t have to know someone for years to be in love with them. Sometimes it just takes one look.”

I remembered how I’d felt the first time I saw her. It felt like the world had tipped upside down.

“So? Do you love her?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” I answered.

“So that’s a yes.”

“It’s a maybe,” I argued.