Page 79 of At First Catch

Sure.

Her response comes almost instantly.

Bailey

She likes you.

My steps slow.

Me

I know.

Bailey

No. She LIKES you. There’s a difference.

I stare at the screen.

Me

I know that too.

Three dots appear.

Disappear.

Reappear.

Bailey

Okay. Then don’t make me regret liking you.

Something in my chest tightens.

Me

Not planning on it.

Bailey

Good answer.

I lock the phone and continue toward the marina.

The marina hums steadily beneath the warm afternoon sun when I arrive back from the bookstore. Boats drift across Back Bay while workers move between slips carrying lumber and electrical supplies. The old restaurant building already has half its windows replaced, sunlight reflecting brightly off the fresh glass.

I catch myself wondering where she’d put the summer concert stage. Whether she’d insist on flower boxes outside the restaurant. If she’d keep leaving sticky notes in the office after construction ended.

Earlier today she’d stopped outside the old restaurant without saying anything for a long moment.

“What?” I’d finally asked.

She smiled toward the empty deck.

“When I was eight, Bailey convinced all of us we should perform Treasure Island out here.”

I looked at the weathered boards.