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Jenni sat in stunned silence.
What happened to Andrew and the ring? She knew that good manners meant she needed to say something and that as a guest that should be something in the affirmative, but at that moment, nothing positive would come out. All she could manage was, “Y’all are joking, right?”
Barb and May Ellen said nothing.
Caitlin started to respond, but Jenni interrupted.
“Come on, Caitlin, seriously. You can’t mean that. I have never fished in my life. I don’t like the thought of fishing, and I know absolutely nothing about it. This is a big tournament, according to Caleb of the Ford F-150, and so I should definitelynotbe participating.”
Barb sighed audibly and, as if by a secret sister code, she and May Ellen both began clearing up dishes and headed into the kitchen.
Jenni thought about her stack of unread books and the nice bottles of wine she’d brought. She thought about reading under a blanket and watching the gulls and pelicans soar over the sound. She thought about trying to forget about Compy and rebuilding her self-esteem.
Surely, putting a line in the ocean wasn’t going to help her do that.
Then she glanced at Caitlin who was looking at her expectantly.
“I can teach you,” her friend blurted out. “You know I can fish. I’ve been doing it forever. So have Mom and Aunt May Ellen. We can show you what to do, and tomorrow, we can practice. It’s Wednesday, and the tournament doesn’t start until Friday morning. We’d fish Friday and half a day Saturday and then there’s a banquet Saturday night. I mean, you can read when we come home. It’ll be fun.”
When Jenni continued to just look at her friend, Caitlin scrunched up her eyes as only she could do. “Please, please, please.”
Jenni was exasperated. But she also knew that she couldn’t stay here and let her hostess and family down. Clearly, since yesterday, they were counting on her, assuming she’d go along. They obviously had no idea that Jenni knew less than zero aboutfishing. And that trying to teach her would be an exercise in futility.
But in her heart, Jenni knew she couldn’t say no after all.
“OK, Caitlin,” she said. “But this will be a disaster, and I hope you don’t think you’ll ever succeed. Compy would assure you if there’s a way to screw it up, I will.”
Caitlin’s eyes flared. “But he isn’t here, and he’s not a part of your life. Get him out of your head!” Then she walked around the table and put her arms around her friend. “You can do this, it’s not hard. And maybe this will help get your mind off him. Lord knows, something has to do that.”
Jenni glanced up and saw Barb and May Ellen emerge from the kitchen.
“Honey, I know this isn’t how you’d hoped to spend your weekend, but we’ll make it fun for you, I promise,” said Barb. “And I’m really grateful. Liz felt awful that we might have to scratch. You don’t have to worry about the entry fee since it’s already covered, and I’ve got plenty of rods and such. Caitlin can take you to the tackle shop in the morning, and in the afternoon, you can try a bit of fishing.”
Jenni knew her true ignorance was about to show. “Tackle shop?” she queried. “What will I need to get there?”
“Well,” May Ellen interjected. “I suspect you didn’t bring any waders with you, so a pair of those will come in handy. And a pair of gloves and maybe a cap too. We all want to be really fashionable. We’ll look the part even if we don’t catch a thing.”
Jenni looked at the three of them and saw they were smiling.
“And don’t you worry about the cost,” Barb was saying with her hands firmly on her hips, meaning there was no room for debate. “We dragged you into this, so we will outfit you accordingly.” And with that, she and May Ellen retreated through the swinging doors into the kitchen, leaving Caitlin and Jenni at the table.
“Look at it this way,” Caitlin said while draining the last of her glass. “You’ll be so busy trying to figure out what’s going on, you won’t have time to think of old what’s-his-name.”
Jenni just nodded and joined her in picking up the last of the dishes and carrying them into the kitchen.
At the doorway, she paused and looked at her friend. Her eyes were laughing but she tried to muster a serious tone.
“I’m doing this for all of you, particularly your mom and your aunt. But you owe me, CayCay,” Jenni warned, using her pet name for her old roommate. “You owe me big time. And there will be nothing, I repeat, nothing on social about me at this tournament. No Instas, no nothing. Good grief. Waders…”
Chapter Three
Jenni woke up to the smell of bacon and coffee, her two most favorite food items in the world.
She was confused at first, thinking she was still at home in her apartment, but then the reality of her situation came flooding back, and she felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach.
She should have just politely said no to Caitlin and her mom and aunt. But then what? Would she have felt comfortable lounging around, reading with a wine glass in her hand whilethey missed out on something that was so clearly special to them?
Obviously, the answer to that was no. So, she rolled out of bed, grabbed a pair of leggings and a t-shirt, and made her way to the kitchen following the breakfast aromas.
