I took the seat next to Tucker without thinking, and we moved through the motions of preparing without even thinking about it. I tied on his Panther-Martin Teardrop lure because it was one of his favorite lures but the damned thing was hella fiddly. My clinch knots were more likely to hold than his, so he always handed over his line and lure for me to fix up for him. When I was done with his, I moved to my own lure before turning to grab an insulated mug of coffee with a thanks from Brooks.
That’s when I saw Carter moving his chair to the other side of Tucker. Which made sense since he was the only person here Carter knew.
“Stop sighing,” Brooks said under his breath from my other side.
I sighed again.
“So!” Carter said, all big perfect teeth and hands. “What do we usually do while we’re waiting for the fish to bite? Sing campfire songs? Exchange gossip? You wouldn’t believe this story about a nurse and surgical tech at the hospital where I work. It’s like a season of Grey’s Anatomy.”
He launched into a robust tale of love gone wrong between two people I didn’t give a shit about, but Tucker seemed to love it. He laughed and asked questions, so much so that his fishing pole was all over the damned place.
I reached over and placed my hand over his to hold it still. Tuck’s entire body stilled under my touch, and I realized it was the first time we’d really touched since that morning in his bedroom.
His hand was cold, so I reached into my tackle bag and pulled out a hand warmer pouch. After tearing it open and shaking it up to activate it, I slipped it between his palm and the rod handle.
“Better,” I murmured before turning back to Brooks. “Is Mama getting on your case about the wedding? She said to tell you she’d sorted out the flowers but to ask you if you wanted tools too. I said I didn’t think you wanted tools, but I’d ask.”
I heard Tucker’s chuckle over my shoulder, but I ignored it. I didn’t need to see him loving Dr. Smooth-talker any more than I already had.
Mal peered around Brooks’s body. “Tulle. She wants to cover the place with tulle.”
“Isn’t that what I said?” I asked.
Brooks chuckled. “No. You said tools. Like hammers and saws.”
“Isn’t that what we’re talking about?” I asked, annoyed at them making me feel stupid.
Tuck’s hand landed on my arm. “Tulle. That netting stuff you found at the thrift store that one time. Remember? You thought you might be able to use it to strain the bugs out of… something. I can’t remember.”
“Oh. Shit. Yeah. Bridal stuff.” I looked over at my brother. “She wants you to wear a veil? Are you going to do that?”
Now it was Carter who was laughing. My face suddenly took on the temperature of the hand warmer I’d given Tucker. “Never mind,” I muttered, going back to watching my line. That was the reason we were all here, after all.
Carter said, “That reminds me of the time I had to crack open the chest of a groom on his wedding day. Poor guy was so nervous, he put himself into cardiac arrest.”
“You’re kidding?” Tucker asked. “How old was the patient? Any comorbidities?”
They launched into doctor talk that sounded both exciting and clinical. The gist of the story seemed to be what a hero Carter was. I bit back another sigh. Maybe I needed to sign up for a class at the community college.
Brooks elbowed me. “Tell them about the time you had to give Bernie an enema.”
I shot him a look and then doubled down on it when I looked over at his snarky husband.
“I thought you were a cardiologist and not a surgeon?” Parrish asked politely from his own nest of blankets.
“I am,” Carter said. “This was during a rotation with an orthopedic trauma surgeon. It was an incredible learning experience, but I’m happier outside of the operating room.”
Parrish nodded. “And someone told me you’re only in the Thicket temporarily? You live in Nashville?”
Carter gave Tucker some kind of look. An affectionate, knowing look. I didn’t like it. Thankfully, I felt a little pull on my line that required my attention.
“That depends on Dr. Symmons. If he doesn’t come back, I might make the move permanent.”
I fumbled my pole until it went sailing across the water while all of us stared after it in stunned silence.
Tuck blinked at me for a beat before turning back to Carter. “You’d really leave Vanderbilt?”
“Unless you decide to take the job there,” he said.
I twisted around in my seat to stare at Tucker while my pole began sinking in the clear lake water, and Brooks stood up to get a better view.