Read Online Catch of the Year by Brenda Hammond - Free Book Online Page B

business.”
    â€œYeah. He used to. These days he doesn’t seem to have the same interest in the store.”
    â€œHow old is he now?”
    Frank stroked his beard. “Hard to tell. Going on seventy-six, I think.”
    â€œMaybe he’s feeling it’s getting time to retire.”
    â€œThat’s my guess, too. Any day now I expect him to say he’s selling. Then I’ll be out of a job.”
    Jade’s fingers paused. She looked at her father. “This is worrying you?”
    Frank shrugged, his expression rueful. “Yup. Not much I can do about it, though.” He stood up, and went to fetch another folder.
    Meanwhile, Jade stared gloomily at the screen saver — an aquarium scene. Various tropical fish disported themselves, drifting from left to right. If Paul were here they’d probably jump right out of the computer and hit him on that Roman nose of his.
    â€œHow did the fishing expedition go?” her dad asked.
    It was Jade’s turn to look rueful. “Epic fail.”
    â€œWhy? Didn’t you catch anything?”
    â€œNo, I didn’t.” She rested her elbows on the small table that served as a desk and leaned forward, stretching her back. “But Paul did. Six good-sized ones: two pickerel, a couple of smallmouth bass, and a salmon.”
    â€œSounds like success to me. What was the problem?”
    Marigold came into the little backroom in time to hear his question. This morning she wore slim denims and a peacock-blue, short, cotton smock. In her hands, she carried a small tin tray. On it was a mug of coffee and a plate containing two of her freshly baked muffins. She placed these next to Jade.
    â€œYou didn’t get caught in the storm did you?” she asked.
    â€œYup.” Jade put the computer on sleep, ready to take a break.
    â€œDipity, I thought you were smarter than that.” Frank shook his head. “In any case, you should have been safely off the water by then. The guy only paid for two hours.”
    â€œSo?”
    He straightened and looked at Jade as if the answer was obvious.
    â€œSo his time was up.” Then he dropped the firecracker. “You went out at seven. Storm only blew up after nine.”

CHAPTER SIX
    She stared at her father. “You’re kidding, right?”
    â€œI kid you not. When I heard the first rumbles of thunder I thought of you and checked my watch.”
    Unaware of the sparking effect of his words, Frank wandered back to the front of the store.
    â€œThe scheming cheat,” Jade exclaimed.
    â€œWho? The dream lover?” Marigold grabbed a wooden chair and set it opposite Jade at the desk, clearly ready to hear more.
    â€œHmm,” Jade replied, not denying that was who she meant. “The guy’s a menace to my peace of mind.”
    â€œAnother bad night?”
    â€œYeah.” Jade sighed. “It was the heat.”
    â€œMore dreams about Paul?” her mom asked.
    â€œNot really.” She reached for her coffee. “I feel like I’m on a teeter-totter. It’s weird.”
    â€œWhat’s the problem now?”
    Jade explained about the arrangement for that evening.
    â€œYou know I never wear my watch when I’m up here. I didn’t think about the time,” Jade muttered. “But Paul lost no opportunity to check the ridiculous watch he bought from Dad. He knew everything down to the last second.”
    â€œLike?”
    â€œLike how long it took him to haul out the fish. First fish” — she marked them off on her fingers — “seven minutes. Second, three minutes. Third, four minutes.”
    Marigold began to laugh. “What an insult, catching them so quickly when they were totally ignoring you.”
    Jade shrugged. “You see? He knew perfectly well he’d had the promised two hours.”
    â€œDipity dear, you should be flattered. Clearly he likes your company or he wouldn’t have bothered to