Isolated

Chapter 46

Chapter 46

"Do you know what you're doing?" she asked.

Despite my lack of experience, the little girl's high voice pushed me to sound confident. "Yeah," I said, nodding down to her with a smile.

"Then why haven't you caught a fish yet?"

"Maybe they aren't hungry." Looking out to the rippling water before us, I narrowed my eyes on the unmoving bobber.

"I think you're doing something wrong..." she said in a sing-song condescending voice. "When I fish with dad, they always bite."

"Keep at it, I might end up biting," I muttered under my breath.

The girl's name was Chrissy. She pushed my buttons. I bet she would push yours too. But I didn't regret the deal I made with Grace.

A couple days ago, Grace came over and offered us a housewarming gift (not a pie, but still a nice gift basket). After inviting her in for coffee and chatting a bit, Grace offered me a babysitting job. She and her husband worked most of the day, leaving their oldest kid to constantly watch after Chrissy until summer break is over. Funny enough, this wasn't the first time I took on watching a neighbor's kid. Unlike the last though, this eight-year-old had sass.

Tapping her fingers against the damp dock and our padded cushions, she let out a deep sigh. "Maybe my dad can teach you when he gets home from work."

"Well, it sounds like you know what you're talking about," I said, chuckling away my irritation. Handing her the pole, I leaned back and rested my hands behind me. "I'm sure you can do better than me."

Her blank stare at the pole in her small hands made me smirk. Chrissy glanced between the reel and the bobber sitting a few yards away in the river. Not wanting to feel intimidated, she turned her small and round freckled face up to mine. "I'll catch one in no time," she grinned.

"Good," I smiled.

Shamefully, I wouldn't be surprised if she was right and I had been doing something wrong. There was a high chance; this was only my second time fishing. But Chrissy didn't need to know that. Either way, I didn't care. Sitting out on the dock marked my first time experiencing the riverfront backyard.

Directly outside the sliding door was a slab of cement, acting as a deck. Luke and I set out some folding chairs and a grill we found in the garage. It was quite nice. One of the best parts about the backyard though was the privacy. While the houses were close together, shrubbery and trees bordered both sides of the property. The rest of the yard was all lush grass. The ground supporting it all... gradually dipped until it reached the water. Before the land met the river, with rocks and some muck, a long wooden dock started. It stretched out into the river a few feet above the water. Based on surrounding neighbors with similar docks, the water must get deep fast. The neighbors to the right had their ugly pontoon tied to theirs.

If that wasn't enough for my virgin eyes, across the river was a high hill. Houses were perched at the top. Their yards were steep and cut off. It required stairs to be built down the side of the hill as well as high docks. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some tension between the two sides of the river. Us on the cool side didn't need stairs to get to the water. Regardless, it was unlike anything I've seen before.

With our feet dangling a few inches above the water, I crossed my ankles and swung them mindlessly. Staring up at the overcast sky, I took a relaxing breath. Rare spots of sun leaked through the dreary clouds. But hey, I was learning to not complain. It rained last night into this morning, stopping only a few hours ago.