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“Fishing?” I couldn’t compute what he was saying.
“Yes. Go home and put on fishing clothes. Something you don’t mind getting dirty and stinky. And some sunscreen and a hat.”
“I’ve got work to do. Who goes fishing in the middle of a Monday?” This plan sounded terribly irresponsible.
“We do. I’m the boss and we can discuss work stuff in the boat.”
“The boat? We’re going fishing in a boat?”
“Yes, and don’t forget the hat. It’ll keep the sun off your face. Wouldn’t want to burn your face.” He stared at me then. Right into my eyes, as if he liked my eyes.Had he lost his mind?
I got that old crushy feeling then out of the blue. Like I was thirteen. But I wasn’t thirteen, and I knew what I felt wasn’t crushy, it was a bolt of desire. For. My. Boss.
“Okay, fine. I’ll go fishing with you, but I think it’s the wrong move. We’ve got a lot to do to get this place up to full steam. I realize we’re not official yet, especially now, since Carson has essentially shut things down until we deal with his bogus lawsuit, but there’s still alot.”
“Shhhh…now, go.” He made a circle motion with his finger for me to turn and then pointed toward the door.
Thankfully, that stopped my idiotic babble and had me retreating out the door. I babbled because I wanted to throw myself at him and do all the things with him that young associates shouldneverdo with their older, very hot bosses.
Tanner called at my back. “I’ll see you on my dock in forty-five minutes. Feel free to pick up lunch on the way over if you’re hungry.”
“Areyouhungry?” I turned back around as I asked the question.
“Always.” He grinned.
I got my bearings as I drove the short distance from the office to Nana’s house. The leaves on the trees even sparkled after the heavy rains over the weekend. Cypress Bayou was bursting with every kind of bloom. Magnolias, gardenias, hydrangeas. The sky was bright blue with a few puffy clouds. A perfect day for fishing since it wasn’t too hot.
The unexpected burst of pure lust for Tanner had been unnerving. I’d been on edge, sure, but when he’d looked at me like that—well—something had changed. And hehadgiven me a look. I knew that I was physically attractive to men, despite my personality flaws. Tanner didn’t seem to have that problem with me. But I also knew that our crossing a professional line was not smart. It was really the worst possible thing we could do for our relationship. So, I would ignore whatever that was.
And I guess I didn’t blame Tanner for wanting to get our minds off the lawsuit and enjoy the day. Plus, I was kind of driving him crazy with my pacing and fretting about it.
“I didn’t expect you to come home this time of day.” Nana entered from the direction of the sunroom when she heard me in the kitchen.
“Tanner’s decided we should go fishing.”
To Nana’s credit, she didn’t seem to think this was an unusual idea. “I’ve got half a sweet watermelon balled in a container you can take with you. Also, make a couple turkey and honey-mustard sandwiches. There’s fresh turkey from the deli. Oh, and don’t forget those Zapp’s potato chips you like from the pantry.”
And just like that, we had a killer lunch for our unexpected fishing trip. I grabbed a small cooler and ice pack and a couple root beers and waters from the fridge. “Thanks, Nana.”
She handed me a floppy straw hat from the hook inside the back door. “Protect that flawless complexion while you’ve still got it, my girl.”
I’d changed into jean shorts, a pink cotton tank, and white deck shoes. And yes, I had a bottle of sunscreen and my sunglasses, along with a beach towel. Where there was a body of water, there was always a possibility of getting wet.
Growing up along the bayou and near Lake Breaux, we understood how easy it was to plan to not get wet and still end up in the water. Often, it was intentional and part of the fun of getting together with friends. Louisiana was hot and muggy a good part of the year, and swimming, waterskiing, floating around on rafts or whatever we could find to cool off was a part of our growing up. So, yes, I always brought a towel with me.
CHAPTER NINE
Daddy loved tofish, and we’d had a small aluminum boat with an outboard motor he kept on a trailer for fishing days. Leah and I both fished with him, sometimes together. We wore our bikinis so we could get some sun and take a dip in the water when it got hot. Momma, on the other hand, did not like to fish, but she was agreeable to cooking whatever we caught that was within the legal limit. Fishing got us out of her hair, and we got to spend time with Daddy.
I carried the cooler and slung my blue-and-white-striped beach/pool/lake bag over my shoulder when I got to Tanner’s place. His land was gorgeous. Well, his and Jake’s. Mature oaks shaded the slow-sloped banks. I vaguely remembered the old house that had once been there. Land like this was valuable along the bayou.
“What’ve you got there?” Tanner emerged from his shiny silver Airstream trailer wearing a ball cap, a pair of blue swim trunks, and a T-shirt that appeared to be older than me, judging by the faded purple logo from Northwestern State that was barely discernible against the heather-gray background. On his feet were a pair of water sandals that had also seen better days, or years, as the case might be.
“Nana fixed us up with a picnic lunch.”
“Gotta love that.” He grinned from behind the classic Ray-Bans, and my stomach kicked. He was a gorgeous man. I wondered if he knew it because he didn’t act like a guy who knew it. I didn’t know if I’d ever seen him out with a woman here in town.
“Yes, she never misses an opportunity to feed me well.” Tanner had a small aluminum boat with only a trolling motor at the front tied to the dock, which told me he didn’t go far to find his fish. “What are we fishing for today?”
