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I leave soon, and I would like to spend a little more time with Rita before I go. Who knows when or if I'll ever see her again?
I look over at Seven, but he doesn't say anything. He just stares back at me as if waiting for me to make a final decision.
"Ok, I'll stay."
Cammy grins wide. "Good. I knew you would come to your senses."
She steps back to let me slide out of the Jeep and then I step down carefully.
I follow Cammy through the corridor between the two houses—Seven directly behind me.
I see the bonfire even more clearly than before raging out in front of us with the moon midway up the sky and the sound of the waves thrashing onto the beach way out in front of us.
Two women sit in a couple of the Adirondack chairs where Seven and I sat the night that Rita tricked us into a bonfire with wine, just the one of us last week.
Rita holds up her wine and cheers when she sees us coming.
I watch the moment that Josslin looks over to find us all headed in their direction. Her eyes dim when she sees me, but then the moment she looks behind me, a smile stretches across her face when she sees Seven.
She pulls some of her blonde hair over her shoulder and plays with it, almost like a nervous tick.
"Cammy convinced you to stay, I see?" Rita says to me as Seven and I walk around the chairs and take a seat.
"She did. She reminded me that I only have a few more days left here and then I'm heading back home. This might be my last ocean-side firepit for the foreseeable future."
Seven clears his throat and when I look at him to my left, he's staring into the flames with great focus. I wish I knew what he was thinking about.
I watch Cammy fill up a glass of wine for me.
"Oh, I certainly hope that isn't true. You'll come back again, won't you? You're always welcome to stay with me. Or if you're coming to write, and need the place to yourself, the apartment is yours whenever you want it. In fact, stay as long as you can… you don't have to leave," Rita says.
I see in my peripheral that Seven seems to perk up a little at her offer and the firepit no longer holds his interest.
"I appreciate the offer but I actually do have to go home. I'm supposed to meet with the publisher in person when I turn in my manuscript in a few days. Otherwise, I would consider your offer. I've really enjoyed my time here, and I've never written so quickly. I might take you up on your offer when it's time to write book number two."
"I hope you do. I'll have the guest room ready for you," Rita says.
"When are you going to start book two?" Seven asks.
"I'm not sure yet. Maybe around Christmas. It might be a nice time to go somewhere warmer."
And Daniel usually has some time off during the Christmas break but I'm not going to tell Seven that part.
Cammy walks over and hands me my glass and I take a sip.
This is delicious, just like everything else I've tasted while at Rita's house. The woman has impeccable taste.
I change position in my chair for a moment and wince when I hit my hip against the wood chair. My bruise from smacking against the side of the boat when the marlin tried to pull me overboard must be starting to set in.
"Are you ok?" Cammy asks.
"Yeah, I just could use a long hot shower and then an ice pack. I'm a little bruised from that big fish I hooked today."
"You should have seen it. Brynn caught a marlin," Seven tells Cammy and Rita.
He doesn't spare even the slightest glance for Josslin.
Cammy chuckles.
