“He’s a tough one,” I said as we got the fish right near the riverbank where I’d pull it out. “I like it when they fight.”
“You coming, Calvin?” Charlotte yelled. “I told ya I gotta be quick.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Her hands were on her hips, and her face was twisted up. Char was clearly not pleased, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of me or my house guest.
“Go ahead without me. I’ll be right over.”
She pursed her lips and turned on her foot, marching toward the pond. I redirected my attention back to the fish and pulled it out of the water.
“What is it?” Grace’s voice was full of excitement.
“That right there is a walleye. He’s big, at least thirty inches, and I can make some of the best fish fry you’ve ever had with it.” I grinned.
She held the pole while I walked over and grabbed the ice cooler.
“We’re going to eat it?” she asked.
“Of course. That’s some good eating right there, a proper meal.” I took the fish off the hook. He flailed and flopped in my hands, trying to get away, but his fate was already sealed. And you can’t fight fate. I quickly stowed him in the cooler and closed the lid. He would die slowly on the ice, making for a tastier meal.
“I can’t believe I caught one,” she said.
“You’re a natural.” I placed an arm around Grace and pulled her into me, patting her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around my lower back and leaned her head against my chest. She fit perfectly there like a missing puzzle piece. Fate.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up at me.
I rubbed her shoulder. “Anytime.”
“Calvin.” She fluttered her lashes.
“Yeah, Grace.” My heart pounded, and I felt blood pool to my cheeks.
“Hope you like fish because you’re going to be swimming with them.” She laughed, and I pulled her in a little tighter, a smile stretching across my face.
She had her catch of the day, and I had mine. Grace just didn’t know it yet. She was my catch.
11.
Grace
I stretched out my quad, pulling my foot up to my butt and holding it there for a minute. I could see Charlotte and Calvin out by the pond, collecting eggs and putting them into containers. She had said she needed Calvin’s help because she was in a hurry, but it seemed she was now taking her sweet time. Charlotte tossed her head of long brown hair back in laughter. I wondered what it was they were talking about. She grazed up against him each time she passed by. Her hand ruffled his hair and lightly patted him on the arm. Calvin said they were only friends, but I think something must have happened between them. That girl was clearly in love, and I knew love made you do crazy things.
Calvin caught my gaze, and he waved. A huge smile spread across his face. Charlotte glanced in my direction, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and went back to collecting eggs. I gave a little wave back, nestled my AirPods in my ear, and jogged across the gravel driveway toward the road. Pressing play on a downloaded Spotify playlist called Vacay Vibes, the song “Life’s for the Living” by Passenger started up.
As my feet pounded against the pavement, I thought of Calvin with each step. The way his white T-shirt stretched over his large biceps and broad shoulders like it was vacuum-sealed around him. The way he let his thumbs hang from the loops of his jeans. The way he shuffled his feet when he didn’t know what to say. The way his cheeks reddened when he looked at me . . .
Pound. Calvin’s dimples.
Pound. Calvin’s scar.
Pound. Calvin’s smile.
My heart raced from more than just running. I belted the chorus just to get my mind off of Calvin. Busying the brain ensured thoughts didn’t go astray. It kept them in check, corralled like a pasture of cattle.
When the song ended, my mind went back to Calvin.
Pound. Calvin’s hands.
Pound. Calvin’s body.
Pound. Calvin all over me.
I stopped in my tracks, nearly tumbling over. My breath was ragged as my lungs wanted more air than I could suck in. Staring up at the sky, I leaned back, cracking my spine. I was only here for another week. I had come here for one thing and one thing only: to find the peace and satisfaction my everyday life failed to provide. That’s really why anyone packs up a suitcase and travels to a place they’ve never been. They’re searching for something they can’t find in their own world.
Calvin and I came from very different worlds. We had different goals, different needs, different wants. We didn’t see life the same way. For him, it was more precious because he’d lost so many people close to him. As a result, he didn’t take risks. He lived in the same house he grew up in. He knew the same people he had always known. And he had given up his own life for the wishes of his deceased parents. He couldn’t possibly be happy or content living the same day every day. I knew I wasn’t, hence why I was here. I wondered what it was Calvin did or desired that kept him sane, fulfilled, and satisfied. Because it sure as hell wasn’t working on that ranch, doing the same damn thing every single day. The mundane is what drives people mad, and Calvin’s life was just that.
I took in my surroundings, appreciating them at the moment, knowing that appreciation wouldn’t last forever. By the end of my time here, the beauty I saw in this place would fade. Everything becomes dull eventually. We just get used to it. The snow-capped mountains towered in the distance. One day they wouldn’t look so big to me. The rolling green pasture was bright and inviting. One day I’d see it for what it truly was—nothing. And the black winding road I slithered in on seemed to go on forever with no end in sight. But I knew everything had an end.
12.
Calvin
Grace’s hips and behind slightly jiggled as her shoes pounded against the pavement. Her stride was long and fast, so she disappeared down the road quicker than I would have liked. I could have watched her all day. Now that she was out of my line of sight, I could finally get back to collecting eggs.
“You got a thing for that girl or something?” Charlotte twisted up her nose. It was more of an accusation than a question.
I let out an awkward laugh. “Of course not. She’s my house guest.”
“Hmmph,” Charlotte said, pushing out her hip. “Could have fooled me.”
I placed my hand above my eyes, shading them from the sunshine, so I could see her better. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I saw the way you looked at her, the way you put your arms around her.” Charlotte pursed her lips and bent down to retrieve a duck egg.
I lowered my hand and shrugged. “I was just helping her, and I look at her like I look at everyone.”