Chapter 50

-Omission Of Guilt

Braylin checks his watch again for the third time.  He’s returned to the shed behind the cabin to get a fishing rod for Kara to use while she gets ready.  He has time to send a few work related emails and check in with his brothers to see how things are going.     

He keeps telling himself this is a bad idea, it can only make things worse between them.  Why does she even want to come?  Getting frustrated he starts walking up the steps when she comes rushing out of her room.  Braylin holds onto the bannister backing down the stairs while staring at her as she comes down them toward him. 

“Fifteen minutes passed you by about an hour ago Kara?”  He says sarcastically. 

Kara chews her bottom lip remembering he’s done this to her before when they went to the Hamptons.  She think she’s prepared wearing a black pair of thick leggings and a grey collared shirt with a dark grey down vest.  She’s got on a cute pair of tartan trimmed wellington boots her entire outfit is more cute than functional. 

“Sorry….I couldn’t decide which color wellies to wear.”  She comments shrugging her shoulders. 

“For an hour….it took you an hour to figure out your footwear.  They’re boots.”  He has one eyebrow raised and a smirk across his lips just waiting for her to react with one of her smart mouth quips. 

“Yeah I know…. aren’t they cute.  I bought three pair.”  Kara twirls in front of him flirting throwing him off guard. 

“Let’s go now before I change my mind.”  Is his sardonic reply he’s trying not to let her break down his defenses. 

They drive the Range Rover down to the docks stopping at a bait shop.  Once inside Braylin heads toward a counter to get some live bait.  Kara wonders around asking the sales people questions about all the cute little color butterflies with hooks in them.  They explain to her they’re called lures and show her all the different kinds available.  By the time Braylin gets to the counter to pay for their purchases with his live bait Kara shows up with a basket filled with all types of colorful lures. 

“Kara we’re only going to be out here for a day.  You don’t need all of that.”  He looks at her incredulously. 

“I’m not touching that.”  She points to his bucket of live bait.   

She has a couple of hundred dollars’ worth of fishing supplies although she doesn’t have a clue what any of it’s used for, Braylin pays for it.  They finally get to the dock.  Braylin unpacks the car while she stands around watching him. 

“Your staring, you want to help?”  He scowls at her. 

“What would you like for me to do?”  She ask sweetly. 

“What are you up to?”  He squints his eyes at her, she hasn’t responded to any of his insults. 

“Nothing….it’s obvious you don’t want me around.  I’m trying to give you what you want by staying out of your way as much as possible.”  She replies. 

“I didn’t say that so don’t assume.”  The crease in his brows grows deeper. 

“You don’t want me to go with you, you think I’m just a girl well so what…girls go fishing to you know.”   

“Yeah they do, those that know how to fish.  You don’t that means I have to show you.”  He says. 

“If you don’t want to show me what to do then fine I’ll figure it out without your help Mr. Outdoorsman.”    

There’s a knowing smirk on his handsome face he knows what buttons to push and she’s letting him.  Kara calms down deciding to turn the tables. 

“Just catch your little fish Braylin and I’ll cook you the best fish dinner you’ve ever had for allowing me to tag along with you today.”  She changes her tone. 

He’s wearing a baseball cap and has let his facial hair grow in the last few days.  He obviously groomed it early this morning, Kara wants to rub her face against his.  She keeps staring at him thinking of what it would feel like against her skin.  They are standing in the dock parking lot near the open trunk of the Range Rover, he’s unloaded all of the things they will need on the boat.   

“I’ve got a proposition for you.  If you catch more fish than me today doesn’t matter how big or small, I’ll cook us dinner tonight.”  He seems awful confident but then when isn’t he.  His cockiness is really annoying. 

“You’re going to cook an entire meal for me without my help?”  She clarifies. 

“Yeah….No strings, no limits on how you catch them.  Most fish caught by sundown wins….how about it?”  He half smiles scratching his facial hair. 

“Okay….you’re on.”  She holds out her hand he looks at it then at her and smiles.  Reaching out he catches her by surprise grabbing her she feels his lips moving firmly against hers.  Unable to help herself she relaxes against him wrapping her arms around him liking how his facial hair is tickling her.  He deepens the kiss sliding his tongue in her mouth to tangle with hers eliciting a whimper.  The kiss ends with him abruptly walking away from her the fishing rods and tackle box are in his hand.  She is left feeling breathless and bothered wanting more. 

“Now you know what my facial hair feels like….lets go Bambi.”  He murmurs.  Kara is piqued by his kiss she didn’t mean for him to catch her ogling him so much.  

Conner’s boat is actually a small fishing yacht.  Braylin steers the boat comfortably out of the dock to where he wants it to idle while they fish.    

Kara watches what he does as a guide to what she should be doing when he prepares his fishing rod for catching fish.  He uses a real tadpole and she thinks it gross.  She has no clue how to use a fishing rod breaking her nails she mumbles and curses trying to figure it out while he throws his line into the water.   

He laughs at her when she hurries inside the cabin where he stored her supply bag to get her instruction booklet and a package of fishing lures.  She struggles to open one of the colorful packages pricking her finger on a hook she drops them all over the boat’s edge into the water.  

Braylin catches a medium size bass with his first cast.  Kara gets no mercy from him he shows it to her then lays in his cooler.  Kara runs to the cabin to grab the rest of her fishing lures bringing them back up to her side of the boat.  Each is focused on what they are doing. He catches another fish.  She grabs another package of lures being more careful this time opening them up.  Again she drops several overboard trying to avoid getting pricked by the hooks but some land on the boat floor.  Quickly reading the instructions she clumsily gets one on her rod and cast it.   

Yanking on it she feels tension and Braylin yelps when his cap disappears being thrown overboard.  “Hey, what the…..Kara are you trying to catch me or the fish?”  He exclaims running to her side looking overboard at his baseball cap floating in the water. Do you know how long it takes to break in a cap like that?” 

“Sorry, you’re a billionaire so buy another one you can afford it.”  She irritably admonishes.  

“That’s not the point.  I’ve had that cap for years watch what you’re doing.”  He chastises her. 

“Stuff it Braylin….”  She scrunches her nose up at him trying to figure out how to tie her lure to her line and he laughs heartily at her. 

Turning away from him she tries to cast her rod again this time she hits a deck chair that’s behind her dragging it across the deck.  Her shoulders slump in frustration. 

Braylin is watching her, his eyes dance with laughter and mischief as he cast his own line again.  He’s up to three medium size bass when he hears her yelling. 

“Hey….what the…..Will you keep your voice down you’re going to scare all the fish away but it’s alright by me, I’ve got three and you’ve got.”  He casually strolls over to her cooler, kicks the empty container as he looks inside.  “Zero.  Ready to go back, I think we have enough for you to cook dinner tonight, I’m just sorry I didn’t ask for dessert.”  He knits his brows together teasing her. 

“Ooooh….you, I ought to….I got your dessert Mister.  Back up…back up.”  She waves him away from her.  “You stay on your side and I’ll stay on mine.  This isn’t over yet Braylin Hurst I’m going to kick your ass fishing…just as soon as….I figure this out.”  She snarls at him grabbing another lure.  

“Well go ahead sweetheart you’ve only got four hours left until the sun goes down you’ve already wasted two trying to put one of those damn things on your rod.”    He reaches into his live bait bucket and shoves a large squiggling tadpole in her face and she shrieks.  “Here, put one of these on your rod.” 

“Ewww….gross.  I’m not using live bait.”  She shakes her head. 

“Suit yourself Kara, you’re not using anything right now.”  He throws the tadpole at her watching her jump out of its way.  It hopes around in front of her.  She tries to figure out what to do with it managing to pick it up she throws it overboard into the water. 

“You asshole.”  She yells across the way to him, he salutes her going back to have a seat he propping his legs up on the railing of the boat he cast his rod out to catch another fish. 

They don’t speak to each other afterward.  She finally figures out how to cast her rod into the water instead of hitting everything on the deck.  Braylin is up to five fish.  He decides to take a break he’s texting on his phone.   

Kara’s reel starts to spin and she jumps from her chair.  She’s finally got a bite.  She tries to hold the rod but she’s also jumping around and squealing not sure what to do.   

He drops his phone but leaves it on the deck while he swings around catching a look of glee and excitement on her face.  She’s catching her very first fish.  He can’t not help her.  He goes over to assist her she tries to push him away with her hip. 

“No…no Braylin…it’s my fish, let me do it.”  He smiles and is a little proud of her determination.  That determination and feistiness is how she’s survived and taken care of herself he knows. 

“Alright baby….stand firm, legs apart.  Lower the line then retrieve it quickly, keep it pointed at the fish.  Stop retrieving the line, raise the rod up.  He yells instructions at her from his side and she tries to listen doing what he tells her.  She reels the fish in and jerks on the rod a little too hard.  The fishing line is cast back toward the boat with a heavy force containing a very large anxious to get away medium size bass fish.   

Braylin is standing about two feet from Kara.  He only gets to move a step away before he is slapped in the chest with force by the twisting angry fish knocking him down.  It flips and squirms all over him hitting him in the face.  Kara is frozen to the spot watching she doesn’t know what to do and he’s hollering her name. 

“Kara reel this damn thing off of me.”  He yells at her.  She manages to do it but gets tickled and starts to laugh at him as he gets up.

“That’s not funny.”  He’s angry.   “I was trying to help you, now you’re on your own.”  He angrily remarks. 

“I didn’t ask for your help fish boy stay on your side.”  She quips. 

“Don’t get cocky, you’ve only caught one and it’s not even in your cooler.”  He says sarcastically as the fish she caught squirms around on the deck floor having got loose and is making a break for it over the side of the boat. 

“Oh no….Braylin?  She hollers at him. 

“You told me to stay on my side.”  Is his sarcastic response.   

Braylin smirks at her and does stay on his side the rest of the afternoon.  They don’t break for lunch they nibble on some sandwiches, she’s determined to catch something anything.  He’s caught five fish and decides to take a rest since she hasn’t caught any.  He goes into the cabin with his cell phone to make some calls and doesn’t come out for about an hour feeling like he’s got this. 

Kara is determined.  She grabs a different type of fishing lure and cast her line.  In no time she catches a very small fish but it counts.  She quickly puts it in her cooler and before she knows it she’s caught another rushing to cover the cooler up.   

Running over to the cabin entrance she can see that he’s on his phone.  She assumes he’s forgot about teasing her and the bet.  He’s talking business.  The sun is starting to go behind the clouds she catches three more fish.  None are bigger than what he caught she couldn’t manage to pull the bigger ones aboard by herself loosing them but what she did catch is enough to tie. 

He comes back out to find her sitting in her deck chair.  She pretends to be upset that she hasn’t caught anything when there’s another tug on her line.  This one feels different, it’s much bigger than the others and she’s nervous because he’s watching. 

He doesn’t come near her.  She talks out loud to herself trying to reel it in but it’s too much for her.  Braylin catches a glimpse of it and rushes over to forcibly help her. 

“Kara….Kara this one is too large to loose baby…..let’s do it together.”  He’s excited and grabbing at her shoulders shaking them in his excitement he doesn’t want to let the fish get away he handles her delicately. 

“Okay….fine, you can help me but it’s my fish Braylin.”   

“Yeah sure baby it’s your fish.”  He hurries up behind her kissing her on the cheek just before he wraps his arms around her they reel it in together both laughing and excited at how big it is.   Once they get it on board it won’t fit in either of their coolers.  Kara’s glad it keeps Braylin from looking into hers seeing what she’s secretly caught. 

He runs below to get a huge fishing bucket with a lid.  He fills it with water then unhooks the fish and throws it in.  Putting the lid on it he tells her to sit on the bucket. 

“I’m not going to do that, it wiggles.” Kara complains. 

“C’mon Kara it’s the first thing we’ve really done together.  He hugs her again kissing her quickly on the lips now they both are going to smell like fish but she doesn’t care.   “Sit on the bucket until I get us back to shore.  We’ve got to get it on ice.”  He begs and she can’t resist his pleading giving in.

Once they get ashore they take the huge large mouthed bass to have it weighted.  Passing several people also coming and going they get congratulated on catching such a large fish.  He seems proud to say that they caught it together and it’s her first fishing trip.  Kara doesn’t have the heart to tell him just yet it’s not her only fish.  He’s being so loving and carrying to her right now.  Who knew he loved fishing this much.  He keeps talking about the fish making her feel guiltier. 

They get inside the tackle shop and the fish is weight coming in at fifteen pounds.  They get their picture taken with it, Kara gets one taken alone at Braylin’s encouragement.  He takes selfies of them with the fish sending them to his family and friends.

 Braylin ask her to stay at the tackle shop with the huge fish while he goes back to the boat to get the rest of their things and the coolers with the other fish. 

Her heart sinks.  The end of the day turned out great.  She did something she really enjoyed with someone she loves with all her heart although they started out so far apart at the beginning of it they ended up working together overlooking their differences because they care for each other and now he’s going to be upset with her.  She sees shades of her mother’s behavior in what she’s done and she doesn’t know how to get around it.

Setting at a table staring at the huge fish when he walks back into the shop she prepares herself to hear his wrath but surprisingly he walks over to her seeming calm. 

“You ready to go.”  He pulls her close she wonders what’s going on he has to know. 

On the short ride back to the cabin he tells her a story about himself, Lester and his brothers going fishing with his father when he was twelve.  His dad worked so much going fishing with him meant allot to him and he cherishes those memories.  

They always used worms or tadpoles.  Aaron was afraid of the worms they would tease him about it.  They tried to scare him on a particular trip they backed Aaron into a corner of the boat shoving worms in his face.  Aaron jumped overboard into the water.  His father came up from the cabin seeing what was happening he threw each of them into the water but pulled Aaron out.    

It was late in the evening just going dark his father told them stories of snakes and eels eating people alive in the water.  The three of them got scared and begging to be allowed back on the boat.  He and Aaron laughed at them and teased them much like they had done Aaron then his father told them they needed to always help each other work through their fears. 

Kara listens to him intently hearing how much he misses his dad in his voice and also how much he loves his brothers and Lester.  It seems they’ve always done things together and spent a big part of their lives teasing and terrorizing poor Aaron because he was the youngest.  She has her own memories of times together with her dad but wishes she had memorable times with her mother. 

They talk about other things falling into a natural conversation Kara ask him how he feels about children.  He doesn’t care whether he has a boy or a girl he tells her he just wants them to be close to one another like he is with his family. 

Kara can appreciate what he says she hasn’t thought that much about having her own family until now.  She’s always been so alone.  She knows she would give all the love and care to her own children that she felt she missed out on from her mother. 

Arriving back at the cabin he takes everything inside still not saying anything about what’s in her cooler.  Kara slowly follows behind him hoping he becomes distracted long enough for her to think of how to tell him.  She tries to escape up the stairs just as he sits her cooler on the kitchen counter next to his. 

“Don’t go up yet I believe we have a bet going on?”   He waits for her to join him in the kitchen. 

“Damn….so close.”  She mumbles taking her walk of shame into the kitchen. 

“You said no strings, no limits.”  She says in her defense. 

“Is that an admission you lied?”  He furrows his brow in a frown. 

“I didn’t lie Braylin, I just let you think what you wanted, I omitted.  When did you know?”   

“The window in the cabin faces the outside.  I watched you catch every single fish.”  He responds with a quirky smile. 

“That’s not fair, you let me believe you didn’t know.”  She exclaims. 

“And you omitted and lead me on.”  He raises his voice. 

“Are we still talking about the fish?”  She questions. 

“I don’t know anymore, we don’t talk.”  Braylin responds with a heavy sigh.  “I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” 

He turns away starting to pull the fish out of the cooler. 

Kara decides to leave him alone going up to her room.  She calls Darla first to check on the restaurant and learns that they have some concerns for their own safety knowing she’s in hiding.  Kara starts to feel guilty she doesn’t know what to tell Darla she only knows that she’s right.  What if he comes to the restaurant looking for her there?  Kara can’t answer her questions but says she will call her back soon. 

Kara calls Michelle.  Michelle seems careful in the words she uses Kara can tell there’s something she’s not telling her.  Kara talks about the fishing trip and it breaks the tension making Michelle laugh.  Kara ask for advice and hears from Michelle the answer she didn’t want to hear but knows is imminent.  She tells her