twenty one

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IT WAS THREE in the morning when Jo's alarm went off

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IT WAS THREE in the morning when Jo's alarm went off. She groaned as she rolled over and fumbled to silence the incessant beeping before sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was the day that Ward was taking the twins fishing, and Jo was not excited. She wasn't a morning person to begin with, but getting up before the sun was even up was just unheard of to the girl.

She sighed as she slid out of bed and put her hair up in a ponytail. She threw on her black bikini under a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt before calling it a day and trudging downstairs. John B was already on the dock getting the boat ready for take-off as Jo sleepily joined her brother.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," John B chuckled.

Jo just hummed in response as she helped him toss their bags onto the boat. John B was working on a fishing line when Ward approached them.

"Mornin' boss," John B said.

"Yes it is," Ward replied. "Already hard at work, I see. I like it."

Jo pulled herself up onto the boat and watched as Ward handed John B a large cooler. She helped him carry it onto the Druthers as Ward followed and prepared to set sail.

"Guffy said he got into it pretty good just north of Big Rock," John B spoke up.

"Guffy, Huh?" Ward queried. "With the mouth on him, there'll be fifteen boats up there already." He scratched his beard thoughtfully. "I say we go south. Swansboro Hole. It'll be just us three down there."

Jo frowned slightly as Ward gave them an excited smile. For some reason his eagerness to take them fishing and not wanting to go somewhere where no other boats would be just didn't sit right with her. The siblings exchanged an apprehensive glance but didn't voice their concerns. That was mistake number one.

"Sound good?" Ward called to them.

"Sure," Jo replied.

"Yeah, yeah," John B chorused. He glanced at his sister as Ward climbed up to the cabin. "Let's do it."

The sun slowly rose over the horizon as the three set out on the water. Ward was right when he said that their boat would be the only one in the area. There wasn't another soul for miles. Jo still couldn't shake the uneasiness she felt. It manifested as anxiety inside her and caused her heart to hammer quickly in her chest, but she still stayed silent.

"We picked a good one, didn't we?" Ward asked the kids happily.

"Sure did," John B chirped.

"Yeah, looks like it," Jo agreed.

"You ever been fishing, Jo?" Ward asked the girl.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Just because she was a girl didn't mean she couldn't keep up with the big boys. After all, she'd always been outnumbered in her home when it was her, Big John, and John B.

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