“Did you get one?” she asked, jumping up.
“Come closer,” he urged, continuing to reel. He forced the rod toward her. “Here!” he shouted. “Take it!”
“I can’t!” she squealed, backing away.
“It’s not hard! Just take it and continue to turn the reel!”
“I don’t know what to do!”
“I just told you!” he said. Ronnie edged forward, and he practically forced the rod into her hands. “Now keep turning the reel!”
She watched the rod bob lower as she began to turn the crank.
“Hold it up! Keep the line tight!”
“I’m trying!” she cried.
“You’re doing great!”
The fish splashed near the surface-a small red drum, he noticed-and Ronnie screamed, making a scene. When he burst out laughing, she started laughing, too, hopping on one foot. When the fish splashed again, she screamed a second time, jumping even higher, but this time with an expression of fierce determination.
It was, he thought, one of the funniest things he’d seen in a long time.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” he encouraged. “Get it closer to the dock and I’ll take care of the rest.” Holding the net, he got down on his belly, stretching his arm over the water as Ronnie continued to reel. With a quick motion, he was able to scoop the fish into the net, then he stood. As he inverted the net, the fish dropped onto the dock, flopping as it hit the surface. Ronnie continued to hold the reel, dancing around the fish as Will grabbed for the line.
“What are you doing?” she shrieked. “You’ve got to put it back into the water!”
“It’ll be fine-”
“It’s dying!”
He squatted and grabbed the fish, pinning it to the dock. “No, it isn’t!”
“You’ve got to get the hook out!” she shrieked again.
He reached for the hook and began to pry it out. “I’m trying! Just give me a second!”
“It’s bleeding! You hurt it!” She danced around him frantically.
Ignoring her, he began to work the hook out. He could feel the tail moving back and forth, flopping against the back of his hand. It was small, maybe three or four pounds, but surprisingly strong.
“You’re taking too long!” Ronnie fretted.
He carefully freed the hook but held the fish pinned against the dock. “You sure you don’t want to bring it home for dinner? You should be able to get a couple of fillets out of it.”
Her mouth opened and closed in disbelief, but before she could say anything, Will tossed the fish back into the water. With a splash, it dove and vanished. Will reached for a hand towel and wiped the blood from his fingers.
Ronnie continued to stare at him accusingly, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “You would have eaten it, wouldn’t you? If I weren’t here?”
“I would have thrown it back.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“Because you’re probably right.” He smiled at her before reaching for the rod. “Now, do you want to bait the next hook or should I?”
“So Mom’s been going crazy trying to plan my sister’s wedding and make the whole thing perfect,” Will said. “It’s been a little… tense at the house.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“August ninth. It doesn’t help matters that my sister wants to have it at our house. Which, of course, only adds to my mom’s stress.”
Ronnie smiled. “What’s your sister like?”
“Smart. Lives in New York. A bit of a free spirit. Pretty much like another older sister I know.”
That seemed to please her. As they strolled the beach, the sun was setting and Will could tell that Ronnie was feeling more relaxed. They’d ended up catching and releasing three more fish before he drove her to downtown Wilmington, where they’d enjoyed lunch on a deck that overlooked the Cape Fear River. Drawing her eyes to a spot on the opposite bank, he’d pointed out the USS North Carolina, a decommissioned battleship from World War II. Watching Ronnie inspect it, Will was struck by how easy it was to spend time with her. Unlike other girls he knew, she said what she meant and didn’t play stupid games. She had a quirky sense of humor that he liked, even when it was directed at him. In fact, he liked everything about her.
As they approached her house, Ronnie ran ahead to check on the nest tucked into the base of the dune. She paused at the cage-it was made of chicken wire and secured into the sandy dune by extralong stakes-and when he joined her at the dune, she turned to him doubtfully.
“This is going to keep the raccoon away?”
“That’s what they say.”
She studied it. “How do the turtles get out? They can’t fit through the holes, can they?”
Will shook his head. “The aquarium volunteers remove the cage before the eggs hatch.”
“How do they know when they’ll hatch?”
“They’ve got it down to a science. The eggs take around sixty days to incubate before they hatch, but that can vary slightly depending on the weather. The hotter the temperature is all summer, the quicker they’ll hatch. And keep in mind that this isn’t the only nest on the beach, and it wasn’t the first one, either. Once the first nest clears, the others usually follow within a week or so.”
“Have you ever seen a nest hatch?”
He nodded. “Four times.”
“What’s it like?”
“It’s a little crazy, actually. As the time approaches, we remove the cages, and then we dig a shallow trench from the nest to the water’s edge, making it as smooth as possible, but high enough on the sides so the turtles can only go in one direction. And it’s weird, because at first only a couple of eggs are moving, but it’s like their movement is enough to set the whole nest going, and before you know it, the nest is like a crazy beehive on steroids. The turtles are climbing over each other to get out of the hole, and then they hit the sand and head toward the water in this little crablike parade. It’s amazing.”
As he described it, he got the sense Ronnie was trying to picture the scene. Then she noticed her dad stepping onto the back porch, and she waved.
Will motioned to the house. “I take it that’s your dad?” he asked.
“Yup.”
“Don’t you want to introduce me?”
“Nope.”
“I promise to have good manners.”
“That’d be good.”
“So why won’t you introduce me?”
“Because you haven’t taken me to meet your parents yet.”
“Why do you have to meet my parents?”
“Exactly,” she said.
“I’m not sure I follow what you mean.”
“Then how on earth did you ever make it through Tolstoy?”
If he wasn’t confused before, he was completely baffled now. She started walking slowly down the beach, and he took a few quick steps to catch up with her.
“You’re not exactly easy to figure out.”
“And?”
“And nothing. Just noting it for the record.”
She smiled to herself, glancing toward the horizon. In the distance, a shrimp trawler was making its way to port. “I want to be here when it happens,” she offered.
“When what happens?”
“When the turtles hatch. What did you think I was talking about?”
He shook his head. “Oh, we’re back to that. Well, okay, when do you leave for New York?”
“Late August.”
“That’s cutting it close. Just hope for a long hot summer.”
“It’s off to a good start. I’m boiling.”
“That’s because you’re wearing black. And jeans.”
“I didn’t realize I’d be spending most of the day outside.”
“Otherwise you would have worn a bikini, right?”
“I don’t think so,” she said.
“You don’t like bikinis?”
“Of course I do.”
“Just not around me?”
She tossed her head. “Not today.”
“What if I promise to take you fishing again?”