her arrange the huge catch to be proudly displayed, he snapped the picture, definitely enjoying seeing her huge smile, which showed those dimples he loved seeing.
“I have to admit that this is the best-looking red snapper I’ve ever seen,” he said to Victoria as he put the fish on ice in the cooler.
“And I intend for it to be the best tasting. Of course, you’re invited to dinner tomorrow.”
He grinned and said, “Thanks.”
* * *
LATER THAT NIGHT, Victoria soaked her achy muscles in a hot bath. Although she enjoyed fishing, she had used muscles she hadn’t put to work in a long time. But she had gotten the catch of the day and what a prize it was.
What she appreciated about Roman was that he hadn’t been upset because she had caught it instead of him. She used to hate going fishing with her brothers. Just because she was a girl, they acted as if she had limitations. Roman hadn’t behaved that way at all. When he’d offered to help, she’d known it was to offer his assistance if she needed it, and not because he thought she couldn’t handle doing it herself. Corbin would have stepped in and tried taking over.
Sighing deeply, she dried herself off and quickly put on her nightgown. Deciding to have a cup of tea before bed, she went into the kitchen, opened the cabinet and found the canister her father had put there. It contained the Madaris tea. The special combination of herbs and spices was a secret that could only be shared between the men in the Madaris family, and only after they had reached their thirty-fifth birthday. The secrecy was due to one of her great-grand uncle’s ex-wives trying to sell the recipe for profit.
Moments later, the soothing aroma of the tea filled the room. She sat down at the kitchen table to take her first sip when her phone rang. A number of her relatives had called to congratulate her on her big catch after her father had texted around that photo she had sent him.
Victoria smiled when she saw the caller was Christy. Other than a text letting Victoria know she’d gotten back to Houston, due to their busy schedules, she and Christy hadn’t communicated since then.
“Hello,” she greeted Christy.
“Hello to you, too. I heard you got some fishing time in today. Your dad sent everyone the photo. That fish was a big one.”
“Yes, and I plan to cook it tomorrow. I can’t wait for Roman to taste it and—”
“Roman? Roman Malone? My godbrother? RJ?”
Victoria chuckled. “Yes, that Roman Malone, your godbrother. I ran in to him at the television station when he appeared on one of the morning shows. He barely remembered me, but, of course, he knew my brothers and cousins. Anyway, he mentioned he was taking a month-long vacation in Catalina Cove. I told him that’s where I lived.”
“The two of you decided to spend some time together while he was there?” Christy asked.
“No. Even though Catalina Cove is a small town, I hadn’t even thought about running in to him. But I did last night. We were dining at the same restaurant on the pier. It was packed so we shared a table.”
She took a sip of tea and then said, “I mentioned how much I like to fish and he invited me to go out with him on his boat. He’s living on a yacht while he’s here and it’s a beauty.”
“Good for him. Mom and Dad have been worried about RJ. He hadn’t slowed down since winning that election in November. I know Dad called him a few times to stress that he needed to take time for himself. I’m glad he’s doing that, and he loves fishing.”
“I’m the one who caught the big one today, but Roman didn’t do so bad. We had fun,” Victoria said.
“Sounds like it. Have you heard from Tanner?” Christy asked.
“No. I’m trying not to think about him, but it’s disappointing that he hasn’t called for that rain check and it’s been well over a week.”
“Well, I might know the reason. Some of the male cousins dropped by today to watch the preseason football game with Alex. I overheard Blade mention that he believes Tanner is the man Mama Laverne has chosen for you. That got some of them, especially your brothers, pretty pissed off since they all know Tanner’s reputation with women.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Like they didn’t have a reputation before they settled down...or still have one