Page 26 of The Seashell of ’Ohana

Justin turned to Kate, shook her hand, and gave Tyler a high five. “So, are you ready to catch your own fish?” he asked Tyler.

“Yeah!” Tyler whooped and punched the air.

Justin directed us onto the long walkway that extended over the lake. Our footsteps clomped on the wooden boards. Once we got to the end, he handed each of us a fishing rod, Tyler getting a smaller one. Then he worked a small, silvery baitfish onto each hook. I had to look away, but Tyler watched avidly.

Justin leaned over behind Tyler and helped him hold the rod. They both pulled their arms back and tossed the line.

“Good throw, Ty.” Justin let go of the rod. “You wait here and keep an eye on that line.”

“Look, Mom. I’m fishing.”

I snapped pictures of Tyler smiling. He looked so proud, staring directly at the phone for only a second before concentrating on the water. Justin helped Kate get her line in the water, then me. I tried not to flinch when his chest brushed my arm.

Before long, one pole and then another bent with the weight of hungry fish. Justin helped Ty reel in his catch, then removed the wriggling fish from the hook. Once we’d all hooked our supper, Justin took the bucket with our fish inside the house. The cook would steam them while we waited.

I placed my purse and my phone on the edge of the table and sat on a bench seat that reminded me of school lunch tables.

“How do you know him?” Kate sat in front of me at the well-worn wooden table.

I lowered my voice so only she could hear. “It’s a long story, but he asked me out last year.” I took a quick peek at Tyler on the other side of Kate. He was busy with my phone.

My sister followed my gaze and then nodded. If I wasn’t ready to date Ian now, I certainly wouldn’t have dated Justin then.

A waitress set the plates down, the fish we had caught nestled beside sides of shrimp and rice pilaf. She unloaded two glasses of iced tea and a water bottle for Tyler from the tray, then scurried back to the kitchen.

Kate scooped up a small portion of her fish, dipped it in the plastic sauce container, and slid the bite into her mouth. “This is really good. I’m going to have to bring Lee and Bridget here.”

Tyler said with a mouthful of rice, “Can we come again? This was so much fun. Maybe Ian can come, too.”

Kate and I exchanged a shocked glance. I didn’t know what to say. Tyler probably thought of Ian as part of the gang, Lee’s buddy. His best friend was a girl, so he wouldn’t jump to romance. I hoped.

I ignored his comment. Surely I was overreacting.

“How about we get some shaved ice after lunch?” I hastily dug into my fish as Tyler’s face lit up.

A successful distraction. While we ate, Tyler chattered about all the flavors, listing his favorites and changing his mind over and over again on which he would get.

My phone beeped.

“Here you go, Mom.” Tyler set my cell in front of me.

When I picked it up, my face heated despite the perfect temperature. It was a good thing he hadn’t looked at the caller ID. Ian had texted me.

“Who’s it from?” My sister took a long sip of her tea.

Tyler gnawed on a shrimp and turned around on the bench to watch other families fishing.

I leaned in and lowered my voice. “It’s Ian. He wants to know what I’m doing.”

Kate beamed a smile and waggled her eyebrows. She returned to her meal with a nonchalant smirk, which drove me crazy wondering what she thought. Instead of texting back, I sent him a photo of Tyler and Kate with their fish, then showed Kate the picture.

Kate set down her iced tea and licked her lips. “He asked what you were doing, not us.” She snorted. “I’m sure he’s going to love seeing Ty and me.”

“I don’t want to send a picture of myself. It’s weird.” I forked up a mound of fish and rice.

Kate angled her sunhat so the late sun fell across her face. “It’s fine to send a picture of yourself. You’re friends. He knows about Steve, and he probably thinks of you as family, as he does me.”

I pushed a shrimp around my plate and begrudgingly agreed. The friendly kiss and the chat were simple acts of friendship. And, like always, I was over thinking and being paranoid. I needed to give myself a break.