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As if reading her thoughts Caleb replied, “We’ve been fishing down here a long time. We have lots of fishing friends. They caught a ride with someone else. I think they’re headed to Marcie’s for a few drinks. Apparently, a local group is playing. I think they’re called ‘Jamie and the Hanks.’ Ever hear of them?”
Jenni admitted she hadn’t, but as much as she loved local music, some “alone time” on the beach was more of what she had in mind.
They drove back to where they’d tried to walk just a few short months ago.
It was already dark, but the temperature was mild. There was just a sliver of a moon, and the Milky Way was in its full glory, visible to the naked eye.
They walked down the ramp and stood at the edge listening to the waves wash along the shoreline and marveling at the sky.
“You know, Jenni,” Caleb said softly, as he took her hand and pulled her close. “There are lots of fish in the sea. Sometimes you cast a wide net. Sometimes you lose the big one. You never know what you’ll catch.”
“Caleb,” Jenni pleaded good-naturedly. “Enough with the fishing analogies.”
“Let me finish,” he said. “Sometimes you might catch a blow toad, but sometimes, if you’re really patient and really lucky, you’ll catch the most wonderful woman in the world.”
Jenni looked up into his eyes which seemed to reflect the light of all the stars, and said, “Then let me add my little fishing wisdom, Caleb Prescott. You must know by now that I am hooked on you.”
He pulled her close and, taking her face in his hands, bent down to her and kissed her, gently at first and then with increasing passion.
And Jenni knew there was no question, the feeling was mutual.
Epilogue
Caitlin and Andrew’s wedding was a grand affair the next spring in Charleston, South Carolina.
As a pre-wedding treat, the couple, along with Jenni and Caleb, enjoyed a sunset cruise with Andrew’s friend Chad, the owner and Captain of “Holy City Sailing.”
Jenni could see why Caitlin was a fan of sailing, and she had no doubt that someday she and Caleb would be enjoying sailing with them in a boat that belonged to the newlyweds.
Jenni and Caleb went back to Hatteras several times in the following year. They kept up with Barb and Scott and learned that not long after Mike and SeaAnna had moved to the island, Chris fell and injured his knee which required surgery. So, SeaAnna was helping Susan take care of Chris in his recovery while Mike, as he said he would, continued to learn more about fishing.
Jo was deep into her studies, and according to what Jenni had read in the St. Adrian’s alumni news, was planning on taking a semester to do research on jellyfish in other parts of the world.
Jenni wondered how Dare would feel about that.
His charter business continued to grow by leaps and bounds from what she could gather, and he was becoming somewhat of a legend on the island.
Andrew, Caitlin, Jenni, and Caleb decided to fish as a team in the “Beat the Drum” tournament the next fall.
They couldn’t agree on a team name. Caitlin and Jenni said the names the guys picked were a bit too risqué, while the guys thought the names the gals picked were not “fishy” enough. So, they settled on the “Frisco Four.”
It was a gorgeous fall morning, completely unlike the year before. Everyone was in a good mood and, word was, the fishing had been fantastic the past week.
Once they started, they began catching fish left and right, and Jenni was totally in the mix. She’d perfected her cast, she remembered to flip the bail, and no blow toads ended up on her hook.
It was at the end of that session, as she, Caitlin, and Andrew began re-packing the car, that Jenni noticed Caleb was spending an inordinate amount of time messing with his tackle box.
“Come on, Caleb,” Jenni teased. “No more fishing for this round. I know I caught one more than you, but you’ll have to wait for this afternoon to try to beat me.”
Caitlin laughed. “Maybe he’s looking for that lure that will bring home the big one?”
“No doubt,” added Andrew, a smile playing at his mouth.
When Caleb finally seemed to find what he was looking for, he walked over to Jenni, a serious look on his face.
For a moment, she froze, and then she watched in slow motion as he went down on one knee in the sand, opened a tiny box, and presented Jenni with the most gorgeous ring she’d ever seen.
“Jenni, will you…”
