Page 1 of The Other Room

CHAPTER ONE

MATT

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A loud splash broke the silence surrounding me. Holding my pole tighter, I leaned back and held steady while the whirring of my reel announced the fish was making another run for freedom. Smiling, I waited him out, careful not to put too much tension on the line. Patience. The top virtue of any successful fisherman, and I possessed an ample amount of it. Years of fishing at these docks in Baileys Harbor had taught me that. And today would be no different. I would wait this big Northern out.

“Hey, Matt. Walleye?”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Jake Alton, my best friend since diapers, waltzing down the dock, fishing rod in one hand and a tackle box in the other. His black lab, Hank, trailed just behind him.

“Northern. Tough son of a bitch, too. I’ve been at this for almost half an hour.”

“Gotta love the ones that battle hard.” He set his box beside me and leaned against the post jutting up from the wooden dock.

“You know I love a good challenge.” I grinned but stiffened when I felt the fish surge left. “Quit distracting me. I’m not going to lose it this far in.”

“Hand me the pole and I’ll end this battle in under sixty seconds,” he taunted. Even though I didn’t take my eye off the line zigging and zagging below me, I could picture his smug smile.

“Yeah, right. Just shut up and watch the pro get it done.”

“By all means.”

Tossing him a quick smile, I started carefully reeling in the fish. Inch by inch it drew closer, and I felt his fight subsiding. As I gave the line another crank, the weight in my hand doubled and I braced for another explosion. The defiant fish leapt out of the water, twisting in the air, and when it landed with a splash, my rod snapped back, and the sudden loss of tension nearly sent me tumbling back onto my ass.

Jake’s roar of laughter combined with the last echoes of the waves signaled my defeat. The waves created by the wake of a fish sprinting to freedom.

“Shit!” I grumbled, clenching my fist tight around my rod.

“A real pro!” His deep laugh only added insult to injury.

“You distracted me. Made me rush.”

His snort exploded into the still air. “Is that your excuse? I made you lose it?”

With a deep sigh, I started laughing with him. “Well, I have to blame it on something. And you’re here, so yeah. You made me lose it.”

“You’re an ass.” He smiled and reached down into his tackle box, pulling out a lure. Hank flopped down at his feet, the loyal dog knowing the sight of Jake setting up his rod meant they would be here for a while.

I ran a hand through my hair. “Well that was a half hour of my life I’m never getting back.”

“Ah, but a half hour spent fishing is never wasted.”

A melancholy smile tugged at my lips. “True. I could be working.”

“You really should get into commercial fishing. You’re good at it and then you can be like me and fish for a living.”

Jake’s commercial fishing business took out charter clients and he’d been trying to get me to join him for years. Shaking my head, I set my rod down.

“Nah. You know how I feel about that. If I fish for a living, then I won’t want to fish for fun. I’d hate to suck the joy out of my favorite thing in life.”

Shrugging, he cast into the water. “Yeah. It’s a risk. I still manage to make it fun on my off hours, though.”

I shook my head. “Maybe next year.”

“How is the maintenance job for the town going? You still like it?” he asked as he started reeling in his line.

“Yup. I think I might have found my calling. I get to work with my hands. Every day is something different and challenging, and the flexibility is pretty sweet.”