Chapter Nine

Robbie opened the door of his apartment warily. But true to his word, his father stood there with bags of Chinese takeout. “Can I come in?”

Sure.” He stepped back to allow his father through.

Nice place.”

Robbie shrugged. His apartment was small, and it was in an older building. The appliances in the galley kitchen were new, though, and everything worked like it should.

I’m sorry I hit your, um, Raj.” He wasn’t looking at Robbie, just pulling out containers of hot food and placing them on the small dining table.

My Raj. I like that. I’ll get some plates.”

Anyway, I had a whole list of reasons why I lost it, but they seem pretty stupid. So I guess I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry and that I’m still…adjusting my world view. But you’re my son. And as long as you’re happy, then I’m happy. Because I love you.”

Robbie set the plates down and leaned on the table with both hands. Relief trembled through him. “You’re not gonna hit him again?”

No,” his father replied in a small voice.

Robbie took a deep breath and rounded the table to hug his father. “I was scared.”

I know, and I know I didn’t make it easy to believe otherwise.”

I can still come down to Port Stephen? Even if I’m sleeping in Raj’s trailer?”

You don’t need my permission, and I don’t need to know what goes on in there.” His father looked at his food.

I had no intention of telling you. Gay or straight, it’s none of your business.”

You’re right. And there’s no way you have a chance to win our derby if you don’t come to the port, so…”

And you’ll apologize to Raj?”

His father’s face reddened in embarrassment. “Yeah. I kind of did, but I’ll do it again.”



On Thursday night, Robbie pulled out the shiny glass lure Raj had given him so offhandedly. He’d never hidden the fact that he loved the pretty lures, even if he’d never used them. His tackle box was, at least to his eyes, a work of art. This was a Rapala lure that would work better in Georgian Bay than here. Raj would’ve known that. He’d gotten this lure for Robbie because he knew Robbie liked shiny lures.

After a few minutes admiring it, he opened his tackle box and took out his needle-nose pliers, a swivel snap, and a rainbow-coloured Mylar cord from a fly-tying class.

In less than twenty minutes, he had removed the hooks and turned the lure into a large pendant necklace. It was, he had to admit, somewhat garish. Definitely one of a kind. He smiled and fastened it round his neck.



One of the things Raj liked about Lake Erie was the ability to run the throttle flat out. On days like today, his boat bounced across the troughs of the deep, rolling swells and threatened to rip the wheel from his hand. He’d tried to be cautious, remembering how the bent trim plate had wrested control from him, but it was too much fun.

Robbie was on the bow, holding the rail in a death grip but grinning hugely as the wind swept his hair. Fearless. Drops of water caught the sun, adding a sparkle to his hair and skin. Beautiful.

As he steered out towards the area with the greatest concentration of boats—a sure sign of where the perch must be—he brought the boat’s speed down. Robbie waved from the bow at a couple of other boats, waiting until they were stopped to leave the bow.

Raj pushed open the middle part of the windscreen for Robbie and went to drop anchor. “Feeling like a cork out here.” The waves were deep and slow, not cresting, but the boat suddenly fell into a trough, leaving Raj’s stomach at the top. He grasped the side of the boat until it caught up.

Robbie stripped off his shirt and jumped over the side. “I’d say ‘Come on in; the water’s fine,’ but—”

A wave broke over his head. Raj grinned at the sputtering Robbie and lowered the small ladder off his transom. “Not so fine, hmm?”

Robbie climbed out, clumsy from the deep rocking of the boat but confident. He pushed his hair back and returned the grin. “S’posed to prevent seasickness.”

Raj settled onto one of the pedestal chairs and began rigging his line. “Jumping into the lake? I thought that was just something people said to find out how gullible you are.” He winked at Robbie. “Might try it after I get a line in.” Raj scooped a small net of minnows from the bucket. He stole a glance at Robbie and was startled to see the lure he’d given him was on a bright rainbow cord around Robbie’s neck. He smiled.

Stop looking at my nips, you perv.”

The icy water had indeed puckered Robbie’s nipples, but he hadn’t noticed. You keep telling yourself that.

But he was allowed to notice, now, wasn’t he? “Stop pointing them at me then. Never going to get any fishing done if you keep distracting me like that,” he said, casting his line. He set the bail and put the rod in the holder.

Robbie grinned and pulled on his shirt. “You don’t fish your limit, right?”

Raj shook off his disappointment. “Catch and release isn’t as much fun for me, and there’s only so much perch I can eat.” As it was, he gave away a lot to his coworkers. Or had. “Besides, living out here, I’ve only got the small trailer freezer.”

I’ve got a small chest freezer in my apartment,” Robbie said, hooking his minnows with careless precision. “If you want, I can take some of your catch Sunday night?”

At first, Raj thought Robbie was leading up to an invitation to his apartment. He ignored a deeper flicker of disappointment. Silly, under the circumstances. “Thanks. We’ll see how the fish are biting.”

Sure,” Robbie agreed cheerfully.

Raj’s rod bent and he braced himself to reel in. He had a fish on—a very small one—and amended his sentence. “That is, if any decent-sized fish are biting.”

Robbie laughed. “Good thing Dad didn’t see that, or he’d be making jokes about your little one.”

Not so sure your dad is ready to make dick jokes around me.” Raj pulled his hook and tossed the baby perch back. He reset his hook and line, the deep rocking of the boat making it take a little longer than usual. He stepped over the transom and sat abruptly, drawing a snicker from Robbie.

City boy.”

Raj looked back at him and grinned. “Testing your theory.” He pulled his shirt over his head, not bothering to attempt seductive in the rolling boat. He pushed his shorts down and noticed Robbie’s rod was bowing. Turning, he found Robbie was staring at him, licking his lips.

Raj winked and rolled forward off the stern with the next wave.

The water was shockingly cold. The morning’s marine report said the water was twenty Celsius, but it was a damn cold twenty degrees. He let himself get a feel for the waves, floating with them for a minute or two, before grabbing hold of the boat and pulling himself aboard.

It’s brisk,” he said.

Robbie had pulled off a perch but now he set his hook on the rod. “Let’s go out a little farther,” he said, waving to the horizon where water met sky.

Isn’t it a little soon to decide we’re not having much luck?”

Robbie turned around and grinned at Raj. “Maybe. But if you anchor out another forty metres, you will definitely get lucky.”



The sound of a boat close by startled Robbie awake, and he leaned across Raj’s warm body to peer out the window. “Fucker,” he swore.

Raj stirred and ran his hand possessively across Robbie’s hip and leg. “Hmm?”

Dad and Wanda are going out without me.” He ignored Raj’s caresses and jumped out of bed, pulling on his shorts and barging out the front door. “Hey!” he yelled.

You snooze, you lose,” his father called back with a smirk. He gave a big jaunty wave as his boat moved leisurely down the creek towards the lake.

“Fucker,” he repeated under his breath. He opened the door to Raj’s trailer but just sat on the step for a minute, watching the boat disappear around the bend. He was going to lose their competition because his father was cheating.

What’s wrong, lover?”

Robbie turned to look and instantly forgot about his father and fishing. Raj was nude, and only Robbie being in the doorway kept anyone passing by from seeing him. He knew Raj was deliberately teasing him, but it thrilled him to also know that it was his hot stare that sent the blood rushing to Raj’s cock.

Fuck,” he muttered and twisted around completely as Raj closed the space between them. He leaned forward and kissed the head of Raj’s cock, which twitched up to bump his nose. He smiled up into Raj’s desire-darkened eyes.