"Of all the things in the world. I never expected you to be so good at fishing!" Andre's voice rang through the house. Kit was in the kitchen finishing the dinner dishes. She looked up as she dried her hands to see a smiling Andre and Carly walking in.

"Kit, you should've seen me!" Carly bounded into the kitchen and gripped the redhead's hands in her own. "I am a fishing queen! I was slaying them!"

"You!?" Kit was more than a little stunned.

"She was," Andre gazed at the blonde with love in his eyes. "We ended up renting a boat. We made a day of it."'

"Look at you!" Kit looked at Andre with a big smile, "Being all impulsive!"

"My talk with my dad made me realize some things," he looked happier than she'd ever seen him. She was so proud of Leo for talking to him and Andre for being receptive to his advice. If only the other brother would bend a little now.

"I told Andre I'd humor him and try to catch one, and then I just kept catching them!" Carly was practically glowing with excitement.

"I can't picture you fishing, Carly," Kit had to admit, "Did you touch them?"

Carly giggled at that as she made her way to the fridge. She opened it and started rummaging. "First one was gross; then it wasn't that bad." She emerged with a can of Pepsi and cracked it open.

Andre had made his way to the stove and peered into the pot. "This smells good!"

"It's chicken and dumplings," Kit told him, "Leo already ate and fell asleep."

"We'll have to tell him about our fishing day later." Andre looked up towards the stairs. A sad smile touched his lips but was gone in the next instant. "Thanks again, Kit. You're doing a great job."

"It hasn't even been a week yet," she shrugged off the compliment. "I think I'm going to head out. Carly, can I borrow your pole?"

"You're going to go drop a line in?" Andre asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Kit suddenly felt inspired to do so, "It's still light out, and the lake is close."

"Sure, help yourself; it's in my car," her blue eyes scanned Kit carefully. "You're going to wear scrubs fishing?"

"Oh right," Kit laughed at herself; she'd forgotten her outfit.

"You can borrow a change of clothes in Andre's room." Carly offered to which Kit smiled gratefully.

She was careful and quiet not to wake Leo as she went up. She found Carly's change of clothes on the dresser. It was a pair of fitted blue jeans and a light blue graphic tee with bold letters that said blondes do it better. Carly was taller than her, as were most people. It made the jeans slightly long on the bottom. Otherwise, they fit well.

She saw Carly and Andre eating and whispering when she got back down. She left them be and slipped out.

****

The drive to the lake was fast, as it was just a few blocks away. She parked in the open lot and was glad to see only a few cars. A quiet moment sounded perfect to her. She parked a little ways away from the docks and got out. She grabbed the pole and the little cooler she'd found in Carly's car.

She started to head towards her favorite dock. As she got closer, she realized someone was sitting there. It looked like Luca. She narrowed her eyes as she got a little closer. There was no mistaking that thick mop of chocolate hair on his head. She considered turning around and leaving, then recalled Jase's advice. She wasn't getting far fighting with him, maybe it was time to ease up a little.

His back was to her, and he had a pole in the water, and a six-pack sat next to him. One beer sat next to it and was open. She took a tentative step closer, "Luca?"

"Seriously?" Luca turned to look at her, and she rolled her eyes at his tone.

 "It's a public lake," she reminded him.

As his eyes took her in, a little smirk tugged at his lips, "oh honey, we both know that's not true," his cobalt eyes danced with amusement as he took in words on her shirt.

"You're ridiculous," she spun on her heel to start walking to the other dock.

"Where are you going?" Luca called after her, "Just come sit for a second. I'll be nice."

"Do you even know what nice means?" Still, she turned and walked towards him. He was sitting at the end of the dock. She sat next to him, letting her legs dangle over the top.

"I just gave you a veiled compliment," that smirk was still playing on his lips. She shot him an annoyed look over it.

"I can't believe I didn't swoon. How am I not falling all over you?" Heavy sarcasm laced her words.

"It's your loss, Kit Kat, " Luca and that damn silky voice taunted her. "I could show you who does it better." He leaned over, just a little, so his lip was close to her ear. "Much better."

Damn him, and damn that velvet voice and the stupid goosebumps it caused. "Get over yourself," she scoffed at him. She ignored the amused look she was sure he was shooting at her. Poppimg open the cooler and found a few sodas inside, along with some worms. She grabbed herself a Pepsi and then took the worms out.

She quickly baited her hook and cast it out. Luca whistled, "Impressive. Let me guess. Stone taught you that?"

"Yeah, right. My dad is not much of an outdoorsy guy," she laughed. At that, "my grandpa used to take me a lot, Jase too. He'd come to pick me up, and we'd make a day of it."

"Oh, he doesn't anymore?" Luca asked as he glanced over. "Or is he dead?"

Always so tactful, she thought to herself.

"No, he's not dead, but my grandparents aren't... good," she looked at him as she realized something, "you don't know about Jase's parents, do you?"

"No, what?"

"They died in a plane crash a few years ago," Kit explained, "it's why Stone and I moved here."

"Holy shit, really? Poor kid," Luca mumbled, "sorry."

"They come by for holidays, but they aren't the same." She said sadly, "Sucks for Jase because it's like they abandoned him."

"I bet it does," he agreed with her.

She looked out at the water beyond them. It was calm and unmoving, like a sheet of ice. Their bobbers gently sat on top of the water. She felt her heart squeeze. If only Leo could see them right now. Yet another moment he'd love that she had to keep from him.

"It was nice of you to take care of Jase the other night," she commented.

"It was no big deal. I was here anyway." His voice seemed softer today—less taunting, anyway.

"You've been coming here?" His line twitched, and she looked at his pole in the water. His eyes followed hers.

"Here or the bar," he tugged at his pole and grimaced when the fish got off.

"Keeping Stone busy?" she asked as she gazed at the bobbers, both of which had gone still again.

"Got to go somewhere till the old man's asleep."

"Ah, so avoiding is what you're doing," she glanced at him. He was staring straight ahead, his strong jawline and full lips pursed in concentration. He was still dressed in fitted black pants and a dress shirt he'd gotten since untucked; she averted her eyes quickly before he noticed her ogiling. 

"No, fishing is what I'm doing," he corrected her in an annoyed tone.

"You hate it when I'm right," she said smugly.

"No, I hate it when you get all... like that." he made a face at the end.

"All like what"- she was cut off when her bobber plunged under. "Something big is on my hook!" She kept a good grip on her pole and stood up.

"Need help?" Luca asked as he started to stand as well.

"No, I got it." She kept her gaze focused ahead of her but felt him hovering, wanting to help. "I said I got it. Back up!"

"Okay...." Luca backed away, standing behind her. She ignored him and stayed focused. She backed up slightly, trying to get a good stance. It fought her hard the whole time. The closer she brought it to the dock, the harder it was to reel in. Her arms were losing strength and giving out, but she wasn't going to ask Luca for help, no way. 

She gave it one solid yank and hoisted the heavy fish on the dock. The momentum made her lose her balance, and she fell backward right into Luca. He grabbed her arms as if to try to steady her. However, all he did was knock himself and her over. He drug them both down backward. He landed hard on the dock. "Unf," he groaned from the impact; luckily for her, his body softened the blow.

She lay there stunned, right on top of Luca like he was a mattress. She could hear the fish flopping around by them.

"Can you get off? You're right on my dick," he had to go say that of all things! 

"Oh god!" She exclaimed, her cheeks turning bright red as she rolled off him.

"That's the reaction it usually gets," she could hear the smugness in his voice. "Maybe a little more screaming, though." 

"Luca!" She exclaimed in annoyance as she sat up.

"Yeah, like that!" His blues twinkled with joy as he teased her.

"So girls get annoyed by your dick? I believe that," Kit snapped. She tried to grab the flopping fish, and it scrambled away from her. 

Luca effortlessly snatched it up. He held it up to admire, "Nice size. I get that a lot, too."

"That's enough fishing for today," she said as she prepared to stand up and leave. 

He put his hand on her shoulder. "They just started biting; stay a little longer." Despite it all, she found herself sitting back down.

"Careful, Luca. I might think you want me here," she said as she sat back down next to him.

"What can I say? It's a boring town." He worked her fish off the hook and tossed it back in. Then he handed her the pole, and she reset it and cast it back out.

"It's not that bad," she commented."Quiet doesn't have to be boring. Look at this huge lake and the views."

"There's only one bar and restaurant in this town," Luca pointed out. " I'm sorry, Kit, but that's boring, no matter how pretty you paint the picture."

"The town puts on fun events. Carly and her mom plan a lot of it." Kit told him, "there's a big block party next weekend."

"Aww damn," his voice was now the one laced with sarcasm. "I can't believe I'll have to miss that."

"You'll be gone before next weekend?" Her heartbeat quickened at that. How was she going to reach him in less than a week!?

"Should be." There was a note of relief in his voice, "All the financial meetings are set up for next week."

"I'm sure there's still more to do," she said carefully.

His bobber went under, interrupting the conversation. He reeled in a small fish and then tossed it back. No sooner was he reset before her bobber went under. This one was big too, but much easier to manage. She emptied Carly's cooler and tossed it in there with some water.

"You're keeping it?" Luca asked.

"Yeah, I think I'll make a fish fry for Leo's lunch tomorrow," she could already picture how excited he'd be.

"Pft, " Luca scoffed, "we used to have a private chef in Sun City. If she served him fish fry, he'd have fired her."

"He's not like that now," Kit stole a glance at him. He was staring straight ahead, and his face was tense. "I think you'd see that if you just talked to him."

"And that's enough fishing for me," Luca declared, but Kit placed her hand on his shoulder this time to stop him. 

"Don't run away," she said. 

"I'm not running...what!?" He turned to her, and his gaze was stormy as it accosted her.

"You are," she was careful to keep her tone gentle. She was trying to do as Jase said and go easier about it. However, Luca just gave her a short timeline, so she had to accelerate her efforts. "You're running from the conversation."

"What do you want me to say, Kit? I don't want to talk to him," Luca said, "you can ask me a million different ways. My answer won't change."

"You said you wouldn't come here, and you did," she pointed out.

"Because you were right about Andre," Luca said tiredly, "I couldn't leave all that planning crap for him to do alone."

He cared about his brother, so maybe he wasn't so horrible. Maybe he did have a heart in there. If she could get him to open the door. Then maybe that was all it would take.

"I'm right about this too," she said quietly, "I know you don't see it now. If you don't say goodbye, you will regret it later."

"I told you I already said goodbye," he mumbled, "a long time ago."

"Whatever happened must've been bad." She said softly as she allowed herself to take her young cousin's advice."I get it. My mom just up and left us when I was two. I do get what it's like to hate a parent. I think maybe I forgot that before."

"What a bitch," Luca shook his head, "Stone's like the coolest guy ever. She just took off on him and you?"

"Yup," Kit agreed, "I don't know what I'd do if I were you, but... you only have one chance. What are a few minutes of your life to hear someone out or even just a quick goodbye? I think he'd take anything."

Luca let out a long-winded sigh but remained quiet. Thinking of her dad, an idea came to mind, so she gave it a shot.

"What if we make a bet?" She challenged.

"What kind of bet?" He glanced at her again, and curiosity flashed through his eyes. Could this work?

"Next one to catch a fish wins," she said, "if I win, you have to talk to him, at least once, before you leave. Even if it's to say goodbye."

"Kit..." Luca hesitated.

"Even if it's just a five-minute goodbye, I'll be there with you if you want," she eagerly offered.

"That's high stakes," Luca mumbled, "what will you offer me if I win?"

"What do you want?" She made the mistake of asking. The look that flashed through those eyes of his went right to her core. Her cheeks flamed red, and her eyes widened, "before you answer that. I'm not going to sleep with you!"

"Not on a bet, you won't," he lowered his voice, but his gaze only intensified. Her lips parted to argue, but words failed to come out.

She managed to avert her gaze, annoyed at how easily he flustered her. "What do you want then?" She finally spoke in a clipped tone.

"I want you to spend the weekend with me."

"The weekend? Doing what?"

"Whatever I say we're going to do. We're leaving town. You have to just go with it, have fun for once."

"Better decide fast before one of us catches one," he added when she hesitated. She knew this was her best chance, and she had to take it.

"It's a deal, but I have plenty of fun!" She protested his snap judgment of her.

"Stone said he wishes you'd get a life," Luca informed her, and she felt her ears get hot.

"Why were you two discussing my life!?"

"Your lack of one, actually," Luca corrected.

"I have a - ugh. Why are you becoming buddies with my dad anyway?"

"You're BFFs with mine," he pointed out. "By the way, it's kind of cute when you're all riled up and red."

Kit's bobber twitched then, and it abruptly ceased his laughter. They both watched it as a fish teased at it. It swam away, though, before she could hook it. She could nearly feel his relief. Meanwhile, she was silently begging for a fish to come to bite.

"I don't have time to have a life," she said after a moment, "I have my school and Jase's school to pay for."

"Why would you have to do that?"

"My dad screwed up. Gambled away Jase's inheritance."

Luca whistled lowly. "Shit. Why's it your problem, though?"

"He's family, and he needs my help," She watched as his bobber started to twitch this time. It began to drag under, and she felt tense. He hooked it then and started reeling. It was a great-sized fish he pulled in, beautiful too. She glared at it and silently cursed it for ruining her weekend.

"Looks like you and I have a weekend away to get ready for," Luca unhooked the fish and tossed it in the cooler. He reeled up his pole and tucked it under his arm.

"See you tomorrow," he said in a flirty tone as he walked off the dock, "pack some bikinis."

She was beyond annoyed that her idea blew up in her face. She stood up and reeled in her pole. She leaned down to grab the cooler with the fish. She tripped over the hem of Carly's jeans and went flying forward. Before she could catch herself, she fell right off the dock. She screamed just as she hit the water. She was swimming to the surface when suddenly Luca had a hold of her waist. They both rose to the surface. Their faces were just inches from each other. His lips looked even more enticing that close and that wet.

"You okay?" Luca asked in a husky voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kit's tone was breathier than she meant it to be, and she quickly snapped out of it. "I know how to swim. You didn't have to ruin your designer clothes."

"You know, for someone who claims she isn't falling all over me, you kind of did twice tonight," he teased.

"Oh please, I fell off the dock," she pushed at his chest, and he backed up; she welcomed the distance. In close proximity, Luca did things to her body she did not need him doing. "You decided to jump in, and it was unnecessary." She swam to the dock and climbed back up; her short legs didn't make it easy.

"Want some help?" his arms encircled her waist again before she could answer. He lifted her quickly and set her back on the dock. She was annoyed, mostly at herself, for how hot she found it. "I could've got up myself," she muttered as he climbed up.

He leaned close so his lips lingered near her ear, "I know, but it was more fun that way,"

**

Nothing could have prepared Andre for seeing his older brother walking into the house soaking wet, holding his boots in one hand and what he recognized as Carly's cooler in the other. He had a goofy little grin that he quickly wiped off when he noticed Andre.

"What happened to you?" Andre asked as Luca continued to walk through the house, dripping water everywhere.

"The lake."

"You're getting water all over the floor," Andre complained.

"Sorry, dear." Luca scoffed as he entered the kitchen and set the cooler down on the counter.

"I just mopped," Andre said in an annoyed tone, "You can at least dry it up before you go to bed."

"When did you become a nagging wife?" Luca asked as he started rummaging through the cabinets. He found a cutting board and then grabbed a knife from the block.

"Is that Carly's cooler? What are you doing?"

"I guess it is, and I'm cleaning fish," Luca answered as he started taking the fish out of the cooler.

"Why?"

"Because Kit wants to make Dad a fish fry tomorrow," Luca said in a bored-sounding tone.

"Kit? So, you were with her, fishing?" Andre asked, "How did that happen?"

"An annoying little sister is no better than a nagging wife, Andre," Luca complained as he started to work on the fish.

"Interestingly, you went fishing," Andre said casually and carefully, "when our father talks about that all the time now."

"There's very little to do here," Luca muttered."Speaking of, I'll be gone all weekend."

"But you're coming back?" Andre couldn't help the hopeful note in his tone.

"Yes, I'm coming back," Luca said, but he tensed up. He kept his eyes trained on the fish, avoiding Andre's gaze. "To wrap up the financial stuff only, and yes, you're coming to those meetings."

"Thanks for helping with the funeral planning," Andre said slowly. " And all this, but what we need more than anything is you, even if just for the closure. Dad needs to say goodbye."

"There is no we in this; what dad needs isn't what you need," Luca was finishing up the fish as he spoke, "I can't help what he needs. I can help you, though."

"You're wrong, Luca," Andre protested, "We are a family. What he needs is what I need, too."

"That's as bad as her working for someone else's mistake," Luca mumbled as he finished cutting the fish and putting them in the fridge.

"Who?"

"Never mind," Luca walked past him, still dripping, towards his bedroom.

"Luca, the floor!" Andre reminded him just as his bedroom clicked shut.