"I'm sorry. That's rough." Pete really was sorry to hear about Nikki's mom - he remembered her as being very sweet and he could relate to losing a parent. It wasn't fun. It was a little surprising to him that Nikki was going to stay in town though. He wondered for how long and if she'd leave after her mom passed, but he didn't ask.
Ordering a beef sandwich, he turns back to their conversation, grinning at Nikki's last comment. He runs a hand over his smooth head. "Early receding hairline plus I no longer need a comb."
Pausing a moment, he nods. "Yeah... I took up the law enforcement thing a while back. Worked underground for a while until we were official and now we're the Elite. I, um..."
His eyes drift down as his fingers still play with his water glass. He didn't really know how to talk about this and even though he and Nikki had been close, it was a little awkward now. "I... wanted to do some good after... well, after the cops weren't doing their job when Mom was killed."
Pete's knee bounces under the table and he clears his throat, moving on very quickly, even though he knew that it was news to Nikki about his mom. "Anyway, life's been good." He shrugs, finally looking back up at her. Actually, it hadn't been so great aside from the Elite and he knew his eyes would betray him, but he spoke the lie anyway. "I don't get to go out and do as much as I want anymore, but once in a while I hit the lake with the jetski and remember all the good times we had out there." He didn't mention Lewis... not yet. Instead, he shifts the spotlight back to Nikki.
"What about you?"
Seeing that Beth was willing to take a shot at fishing, Justin gains back his broad grin. "Good. Come right over here..." He motions her to a place a little closer to the water but not as close as he would go since he knew she was still leery.
"Okay, this is the reel here, see?" Justin shows her the rod and reel. "This one's an open face, so it's a little tricky, but all you gotta do is flip the bale, hold the line with your finger like so, then take the rod back..." He demonstrates the first cast. "Send it out there and let go of the line... and watch 'er fly."
The line shoots in a gentle arc, sending the lure into the water with a quiet plunk. Justin looks at Beth, grinning. "Then all you do is reel and the bale snaps back on its own."
Reeling in the line again, Justin moves closer. "Now it's your turn."
Trying to get her hands situated in the right places was a bit awkward as Justin tried to make sure she was holding the rod correctly and finally he gives up his side position. Moving around behind her, he puts his arms around either side of her, being sure to watch her carefully to see if he was invading her space too much. If he was, he would back off. "Left hand goes here..." His hand moves hers where it should be. "Right hand on the reel.... no... there you go..." His fingers lie on top of hers, gently keeping everything in place while letting her do it herself at the same time. "Now you can cast."
Receiving Ryan's elbow, Alec smirks at her, but can't help his grin. He'd known that was coming.
Eli nods to Scarlet while he rolls his eyes. "That's him alright." He leans back a little, turning his head back over his shoulder to give Scarlet a kiss. "What say we get off this thing and take a look around? Race will start soon and we can meet back up here."
Alec looks to Ryan and sighs a dramatic sigh. "I guess this is where I watch you disappear in a cloud of dust again." He slides off the hood of the car. "Show 'em what you got."
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