Page 50 of Taken By the Pack

I watch him for a second before asking, “All set up?”

“Almost done. What do you mostly catch out here?”

“Lobsters, crab,” I say, adjusting the rig. “Fish.”

“Sounds like fun.”

I pause, glancing at him. “You ever fished before?”

He shakes his head. “Not once.”

That makes me blink. “Never?”

“Nope.”

I scoff. “You work in marine research, but you’ve never fished?”

He shrugs like it’s not a big deal. “Not my area of expertise.”

I don’t know what possesses me, but I shove a rod into his hands. “Bullshit. You’re learning now.”

He hesitates but eventually takes it, gripping it awkwardly. “What do I?—?”

“Hold it like this,” I say, adjusting his fingers around the handle. “Thumb on the spool. Flick the bail up. Now, cast.”

He exhales, focuses, then flings the line out. It lands with a clean plop in the water, and his whole face lights up.

“Shit,” he says, grinning. “That was kinda fun.”

I smirk. “Told you.”

Ash keeps staring at the water like he’s waiting for something to explode out of it. “So, you just sit and wait?”

“Pretty much. Beer helps.” I grab two, cracking one open before handing the other to him. I’m not one to keep a conversation going, but it’s far more awkward not to. “How’d you get into marine work if you’ve never even fished?”

He takes a sip, thinking. “Always liked the ocean. Not in a ‘fisherman’ way, though. More... I don’t know. Just wanted to understand it.”

I nod. “Makes sense.”

He glances at me. “What about you? Where’d you learn?”

“Comes with the territory,” I say. “Long line of fishermen. My old man, his old man before him.”

Ash leans back against the side of the boat. “Outdoorsy type, then.”

I shrug. “Guess so.”

“So your family, are they here?” he asks. “They all into fishing, or just you?”

That question lands heavier than he probably means it to. I take a slow drink, then shake my head. “No family.”

Ash doesn’t push. He just watches me for a second before looking back at the water. “Mine’s into real estate,” he says. “They think what I do is a waste of time.”

I glance at him. “They told you that?”

“Yeah,” he says, then lets out a dry laugh. “A lot.”

“Shit.”

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