"You looked cold." Bessie sat in the chair next to Doug, handing him a mug of hot chocolate as she did so. He took it gratefully, surprised by the cool air that seemed to hang around them. "How was the family gathering?"

"I'd forgotten how cold it gets when there aren't any clouds." He took a small sip and leaned his head back against the painted white wood. "It was…typical of any family gathering that involves a Witter. Bitter and recriminating."

"I thought that was just when Pacey was around."

"Oh no. You see, I did nothing but disappoint my father when I left town to become a big-city cop. It was like I thought being Sheriff in Capeside was beneath me." He shrugged, fishing a mini-marshmallow out of the cup with his finger and placing it on the tip of his tongue. "So he's just as angry at me as he ever was with Pacey. And, since the little brother isn't around to help take the heat and my sisters have all managed to get married and pregnant…and are actually living with their respective husbands, I get to be the whipping boy."

"No break for bringing home a lovely, young, blushing bride?"

"Not once my dad found out who she was. Suddenly, I'm a social climber, trying to distance myself from my grass roots." Doug smirked and closed his eyes. "If only I'd thought of that."

"How did she take it?"

"Surprisingly well." He set his cup down on the arm of the chair, watching her as she pulled her legs up under her and turned slightly to see him better. "She got me alone in the kitchen and told me if I wanted, she'd kick my dad's ass."

Bessie laughed softly, a trickle of delight in the cool air. "I like her. Somebody's needed to kick your dad's ass for a long time."

"And that bitter animosity has nothing to do with the fact that he's been the man that arrested your father both times?"

"Actually, no. I blame my dad for what he did and for his arrests. I blame your father for the way he treated Pacey." Bessie shrugged and took a drink from her mug. "How is the little bastard, anyway?"

"Good. Happy." Doug's laugh was like a deeper echo of hers. "He's actually sailing around the world right now."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Not on his own boat, his is too small for that, but he's crewing on a nice one."

"Married?"

"Nah. Pacey enjoys the bachelor life-style way too much." Bessie grinned as Doug turned slightly and smiled at her. "What are you doing out here, Bessie?"

"Keeping my guest company." Her eyes widened. "You want me to leave? If I'm bothering you…"

"No. Not at all." He finished off his hot chocolate and stood up. "But you don't have to be out here if you don't want."

"I want."

Doug took her cup from her hand. "Night, Bess."

She gave him a little wave, which he caught, holding her hand for just a moment before releasing it and heading back to the B&B.

Doug looked over his shoulder as the soft sound of shoes on the dock reached him. Bessie stopped a few feet away. "Am I bothering you?"

"No." He patted the space next to him. "Join the crowd."

She did so, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "I like the quiet."

"Me too." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Is that what brings you out here night after night?"

"I told you…"

"Yeah. I didn't believe you." He turned so that he could see her better, watching her profile in the wan moon. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah." She shrugged. "Well, mostly."

"No?"

"No. I mean, it's good. Bodie and I are great and the B&B is, like I said, doing fabulous business. Alex is good."

"Everything is good."

"Yeah." She bit her lower lip and laughed softly. "And no."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Dad died in prison about three years ago. He got in the middle of a fight and was killed. We got some sort of reparation for it, but I just sent it to Joey. After what he did the second time, putting all of us in danger…he was sort of dead to us. There weren't any more yearly visits on his birthday or anything. He didn't like to see us, because he felt guilty for putting us all at risk and I didn't want to see him because…well, because it hurt."

"I can imagine."

"And Joey didn't want to see him before all that happened, so you can only imagine what it was like afterwards." She paused, realizing her words had nothing to do with what he'd asked or what she wanted to say. "After Mitch died, Bodie took over more of the restaurant duties. I didn't see him as much and we kind of grew apart. I was busy with the B&B and raising Alex. And he was busy with the restaurant. We were making money, which was nice for the first time. Paying bills on time, not wondering where the next mortgage payment was coming from…"

Doug didn't say anything as she looked away from his steady gaze, staring down into the water.

"He had an affair. Or I thought he did, or he thinks I thought he did. I don't know anymore. We argued about it and fought about it and he offered to leave and I begged him to stay and I was jealous and irrational and we managed to work it out."

"Did he?"

"I don't know. Not for sure. But I know that there were nights he didn't come home at all. Not like the late coming home from the restaurant and apologizing as he climbed into bed and disturbed me a little. But the late coming home, sneaking in so that he wouldn't wake me and force me to look at the clock and wonder why it was way past the time he should be home. Of course, I was awake and I knew and I cried after I was sure he'd fallen asleep."

"I'm sorry."

"But like I said, we worked through it and past it and everything's been really good for a long time."

"But?"

"I look at Joey's life, you know? And she's got the life that I wanted for her. She got out of Capeside and she made something of herself and she's happy."

"Aren't you happy?" She looked surprised as Doug's hand reached out, touching her kneecap. "I mean, look at what you've done with this place, Bess. You've made a success out of this when everyone thought they could just write you off."

"Yeah but…"

"But nothing. Bodie loves you, Bessie. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. And, whatever may or may not have happened in the past, I can tell you for sure what will happen if you continue to live in it."

"When did you get so smart, Doug?"

He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly. "In high school. I was the one who was actually paying attention in class."

"You know what I was thinking about today?"

"What's that?"

"Allyson must be a really sound sleeper. I mean, you make more noise than any man I've ever met when it comes to sneaking out of a bedroom."

"I don't sneak." He grinned and took the coffee she offered him, bumping his shoulder against her as she stood beside him. "I've got nothing to sneak for. And, she's used to living with a cop. We have no set hours."

"True." She took a sip and watched as steam drifted off into the night air. "How does she sleep? I'd be afraid every night."

"I know."

She turned at the smile in his voice. "What do you mean, 'I know'?"

"We talked about it back in junior high. You told me that you couldn't marry me, since I was going to be risking my life hunting down the bad guys for a living."

"I did not."

"You did."

"When was this? You're completely delusional."

"We were in sixth grade."

"Shut up." Bessie blushed and looked away from him. "So, tell me more about Allyson. Why her?"

"She's smart, she's funny, she's beautiful, she's got the body of a goddess, she's got…"

"The biggest boobs ever."

Doug blushed. "Yeah."

"I never saw you as a boob-man."

"Are you kidding?" Doug looked at her incredulously. "I was fascinated with yours. Why do you think I pursued you? You were the first girl in our class to develop."

"You're a complete pig."

"You think I tickled you because I wanted to make you laugh?" Doug smirked. "I just wanted to see 'em bounce."

"I can't believe you." Doug laughed softly and put his arm around her, squeezing lightly. "So, is that why you married her?"

"That," Doug kissed her softly on the top of her head, inhaling the sweet smell of her. "And because you'd already turned me down."

"So, how is she enjoying Capeside?"

"So far, so good. We've watched whales, bought more crap than I can possibly imagine, toured Witch Island, gone to the ruins, and just about every other touristy and insider-type thing that there is to do in this town. We've even toured the police station."

"Wow. You must be bored out of your skull."

"Pretty much. But she's been a good sport. She keeps reminding me that the days aren't nearly as important as the nights when you're on your honeymoon."

"They can be." Bessie shrugged and smiled at the same time. "Especially if you're doing what you normally do at night during the day."

"In new and interesting places?"

"Hey, I don't want to hear how you may have defiled many of my favorite Capeside jaunts." She sat on the edge of the dock and swung her legs through the air. "You guys look happy."

"We are." He sat next to her. "We've been having a great time. I keep trying to be a tour guide, but since she's something of a historian, she knows more about most of this stuff than I do. So I end up showing her where I've made various arrests and interrupted many an indiscretion."

"Many, huh?"

Doug turned slightly and looked at her, something odd in his eyes. "Yeah."

"You act 'em out for her?"

"One or two. I'm a man, not a machine."

Bessie laughed and met his gaze, her skin flushing at the heat of it. "You must have worn her out again."

"Yeah." Doug shifted, turning slightly. "I…"

Bessie nodded, agreeing silently as she turned as well, both of them too close for comfort, but with no intention of moving. "Yeah…" Bessie shivered slightly as a cool breeze blew past them, surprised at how hot her skin felt in comparison as, on pure instinct, she closed her eyes as Doug's lips found hers in a soft, searing kiss.

They both pulled back quickly. Bessie raised her hand to her mouth, her fingers on her parted lips as they stared at one another with a mixture of desire and horror. Doug swallowed hard. "We're going to be gone this weekend. We're driving out to Providence to visit her…Allyson's father's summer house. You should rent out the room."

"I will."

Doug got to his feet and started to hold out his hand to help her, stopping when he realized it would require touching her again. "I gotta get back in there."

"Me too." Her voice was shivering with shock and cold and other things that Doug was sure he didn't want to hear. "You'll be back on Monday?"

Doug didn't answer, looking hunted as he started back to the house, unable to meet Bessie's eyes.

He looked out the window, staring at the waves crashing against the sand. A quick look over his shoulder told him that Allyson was still sleeping, her steady breathing attempting to lull him back to bed beside her.

Moving out of the room, he walked to the back porch and down the stairs to the night-darkened sand. It moved under his feet as he walked, his boxers not much protection from the cool wind that blew off the water.

He could see her shocked expression when he closed his eyes, had seen it tonight as he'd made love to his wife. Guilt laced through him, even though it had been nothing more than a soft, barely there kiss. There'd been no premeditation, no intention. It had happened and it was over and done.

He squatted down and ran fine sand through his fingers. Capeside had seemed the perfect answer for a honeymoon. Away from the city but small enough that they wouldn't feel like they'd wasted their money if they'd spent the entire time in bed.

She wasn't at the window when he looked back, was no doubt still sleeping peacefully where he'd left her, just like she had been for the past week. He stood up and walked closer to the water, inhaling sharply as icy water curled over his feet.

He'd kissed her. And it was over and done. He stood there and waited for the cold water to wash the guilt away.

She sat in Joey's rowboat and stared down at her hands, focusing on the small gold band that shone in the moonlight.

He'd kissed her, or she'd kissed him, or they'd kissed on that dock and she kept trying to figure out why. Why he'd kissed her while he was on his honeymoon. Why she'd let him. Why she'd wanted him to. Why she'd gotten out of bed last night and tonight, even though she knew he was gone, why she'd walked out to the dock like he was going to be waiting there for her.

She ran her thumb over her wedding ring and sighed. She loved Bodie. And she had no illusions that Doug wasn't in love with Allyson. She'd heard how much he loved her, saw it in the way he looked at her.

And she and Doug hadn't been together or interested in each other or even so much as looked in one another's direction in over ten years. Until the night before last.

When they'd kissed.

Sighing, she got out of the boat and sat on the edge of the dock, trying shove the guilt that threatened to overwhelm her down inside her so that it was manageable. It was just a kiss. Nothing more than a simple kiss that really, in the scope of things, meant nothing.

Which did nothing to relieve the guilt as she got off the dock and walked back to the house.

"You going to stand there all night?"

"I haven't quite decided." She took a step closer and stopped again. "How was Providence?"

"Nice."

"Tell me about Boston."

He stiffened slightly as she sat beside him, moving his hand onto his lap as hers curled around the edge of the wood. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. I've lived every day of my life here in this same town, same house. What's it like to be away?"

"At first it was great. I went everywhere. Even though I'd done the tourist thing before, I did it again. I went to baseball games." He laughed. "And then I realized it's all the same. You meet people that you see every day and you do the same things you did before. Only now there's more crime and less helping people."

"And I bet you hated that."

"I did. But it was part of the job, you know? And I wanted to be more than just a small town cop." He laughed again, but this time it was soft and slightly bitter. "I guess my dad was right about that."

"But you like it?"

"I did. And I do. And meeting Allyson made it really worth it."

"But?"

"But I miss this." He gestured to the creek and, by extension, the rest of the town. "I miss a small town where I know everyone and I can call people by name and people aren't afraid and…"

"That's why you came home on your honeymoon, isn't it? You wanted to show her and have her fall in love with Capeside so that you could come home."

He shrugged. "I miss sitting in the dark and hearing nothing but the sound of the water. I miss it."

"It's funny," Bessie sighed, a soft smile lifting one corner of her mouth. "I'm the opposite. I sit here and wonder what it would be like to hear the city alive around me, instead of just the rushing water of the creek. I wonder what it would be like to be moving all the time instead of standing still."

"You think you're standing still here?"

"No." She laughed. "I know I'm not. It's just…sometimes it feels like there's got to be somewhere else I'm destined to be."

"I think Capeside suits you." Doug smiled at her. "And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible."

"Yeah?"

"Hey, have I not spent the last few minutes telling you how much I'd rather be here than Boston?"

Bessie nodded and smiled, ducking her head to hide her blush. She watched as Doug's hand moved off his lap and onto the dock, both of them watching as she placed her hand on his, leaving it there until they both got to their feet a few minutes later to head inside.

"You missed breakfast."

Doug smiled as she sat on the arm of one of the deck chairs. "I missed lunch too."

"Dinner?"

"We did manage that one."

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." She took a sip of her coffee. "I didn't see you out here, so I didn't bring you one."

"That's okay." He rubbed his knee, his nail scratching on the denim of his jeans. "I haven't seen Alex around at all."

"You just realized that?" She laughed. "Well, I suppose you've been otherwise occupied, so you're forgiven for not noticing the lack of my son."

"Right. I suck. So where is he?"

"At camp." She watched him as he started to open his mouth. "And before you ask, no. He's not interested in Lillian Leery. Trust me, I'm doing everything I can to avoid having two sets of 'soulmates' in one family. I don't need another drama in my life."

"Oh come on. It couldn't be too bad. There's not another Witter running around to screw things up." He chuckled as she smiled. "What ever happened with that?"

"I don't even pretend to know. Far too much of my life was dedicated to that particular trauma." She took another sip from her coffee cup then held it out in his direction. "Want a drink?"

"No. Thanks." He rubbed his hands over the arms of the chair a few times before levering himself to his feet. "I should go in. It's getting cold. And late."

"True." She nodded as he moved around toward her, passing by her on his way to the door. "Night, Doug."

"Night." He stopped and turned back, watching her as she took another sip from her cup. "You know, actually, I think I would like a taste." He ignored the cup she held out to him and slid his hand behind her neck, pulling her closer and sucking the warm, slightly bitter taste from her tongue.

She sat next to him on the dock, neither speaking. She could still feel the warmth of his mouth on hers, feel the insistent probing of his tongue, the sweet surrender of their kisses before they broke apart and he stumbled back toward the B&B.

"You missed breakfast again."

"We got an early start."

"Where'd you go?"

"Drove along the coast. Had lunch at a small café."

"Sex on the beach?"

"It was too cold," he smiled. "But the car was warm enough. What about you?"

"Did I have sex today?"

"Sure." He grinned and she couldn't help but do so in response.

"Once…or twice."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah. After breakfast, the day is ours. And Bodie doesn't have to be at the restaurant until four. And Alex is gone."

"So there wasn't just sex. There was…how did Pacey used to put it? Big sex."

"Big sex," Bessie nodded, her hand moving over to rest beside his, barely touching him.

Doug nodded and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "And it was good? The sex?"

She watched as his hand as he slipped it over hers. "Oh, yeah." She turned her body toward him and watched in fascination as he moved closer, stopping just a breath away from her. "Yours?"

They lay down as one, close enough to touch, but not touching, just breathing each other in as they lay on the worn wood of the dock. "Excellent."

"I'm so glad." She wanted to touch him. She lifted her hand and held it just away from his face, feeling the heat of his body, but not allowing herself to make contact.

They lay there in silence for a long while, both breathing heavy, the thought of what they could do, of what they wanted to do like a heavy blanket over their bodies, suffusing them with heat. Finally, Bessie pulled away and got to her feet, walking away, her footsteps not quite steady.

She was sitting in one of the chairs when he walked out onto the lawn, his bare feet making no sound at all. He sat down in the empty seat and watched the moonlight reflect off of his wedding ring. "Does Gale even work at the restaurant anymore?"

"Not really. She does when there are big functions like the regatta. But mostly it's Bodie and the manager he hired. She really threw herself into the restaurant when Mitch died, but then she had a breakdown a little while later. She's better now, but…" Bessie shrugged.

"She was there tonight." He rubbed his hand together and then deliberately looked away from them. "She's looking good."

"She started seeing someone. A psychologist or something. It really helped."

"Good."

"So you had dinner at the restaurant?"

"We went sailing this afternoon. Stopped there for dinner."

"Oh."

He reached out for her without looking and she took his hand, letting him guide her out of her seat. He pulled her down onto his lap, staring up at her. "What are we doing, Bessie?"

"Nothing yet." Her words were a harsh whisper, spoken with no belief in what she said.

"It doesn't feel like nothing. It feels like so many things." He reached up and touched her face, letting her hair trail over his hands as he stroked her cheek.

"What does it feel like to you?"

"It feels wrong."

She nodded, tears glistening on her lashes in the pale light from the porch. "It does."

"And right."

"That too."

He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her softly, pulling back so that neither of them could prolong the contact. "You're married."

"You're on your honeymoon." Her fingers touched his brow, smoothing it before moving down over his high cheekbones to his soft lips. "You're wife is barely 50 feet away."

"You have a child and a husband and a house and a business." His hands roamed over her hair, capturing loose tendrils and rubbing them lightly. "And I'm a newlywed."

"You're getting laid every night. And morning. And afternoon." She replaced her fingertips with her lips, the light touch there for just a moment.

"So this makes no sense." He ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms, feeling the raised skin as shivers of desire and pleasure and remorse made their way through her. "And we should stop."

"We should." She kissed him again, lingering a bit longer this time. "Because this is wrong."

"It is." His hand tangled in her hair and held her to him, breathing her. "I'm going to kiss you now."

"I should stop you." She nodded as he brought her closer to him, her mouth hovering above his.

"But you won't."

"But I wo…"

He was standing almost out of the yard, leaning against one of the trees that lined the far edge of their property. She approached him slowly, stopping a few feet away. "I haven't seen you all day."

"We skipped breakfast again."

"An early start?" She smiled softly as she closed the distance between them, leaning on a tree opposite him. "Or a late one?"

He grinned. "Both?"

She laughed softly, watching him closely as he held out a hand to her. She took it and moved into his embrace. "It should feel wrong, don't you think?"

"What? Doing this or talking about everything else in our lives while we're doing it?"

"Both." She kissed him slowly, her tongue slipping past parted lips as his hands rested on her hips. "I feel like I should hate her or hate you or hate myself and instead…"

"Instead you feel so good." He moved his head to her neck, nuzzling the soft skin, nipping at the pulsing vein with his teeth. "And taste so good."

Her hands were on his chest, running over the thin material of his cotton T-shirt, tugging it from his jeans. Her breath was hot on his neck as he bent his head even further, nibbling at her shoulder, pushing the strap of her tank top aside with his tongue.

She pushed his shirt up, getting her hands underneath it so she could run them over his smooth chest. Her tongue ran along the collar, tasting sweat and heat and just him. He tugged her shirt over her head, breaking their contact for too long. He bent back to her warm skin immediately, his tongue trailing up her neck to her earlobe.

She moaned softly as she struggled to get his shirt off him, needing to feel his body pressed to hers. Where all their prior meetings had been slow and building, this one was demanding and urgent. She forced herself away from the drugging effect of his lips and moved his shirt up his body. Doug grabbed it and pulled it over his head, dropping it on the ground as they moved back into each other, his fingers finding the clasp of her bra and easily unhooking it.

The night was silent around them as they made soft, swollen sounds of passion, trying to get closer as he moved away from the tree and they fumbled their way to the ground, touching and caressing and kissing flesh that they found in the darkness.

His lips found one of her nipples and wrapped around it, suckling the taut flesh greedily as his hands cupped her breasts, holding one to his lips while his other hand massaged the other, his fingers curling around the nipple and rolling it, tightening it further.

She lay beneath him, her legs wrapped around one of his, grinding up against his thigh as his mouth wreaked havoc on her nerves, sending them all buzzing with sensation. He moved to the other breast, leaving the nipple hardening in the cold as the gentle night breeze brushed over her. She cried out quietly, pleasure and pain intermingling as his hand moved up to cover her, offering her warmth by way of his mouth, moving over her other breast and down her stomach.

She pushed him away and he pulled away, both of them panting harshly. The sound seemed to hush everything else. No frogs or crickets or other insects sang out at them in the night. Doug got to his feet and helped her to hers. They reached down for discarded clothes and kept their distance, passion still heavy between them.

"Goodnight," she breathed softly as she slipped her shirt back over her head, not bothering with her bra, and hurried back toward the house.

"Goodnight."

This time they said nothing as she joined him by the tree, just moving into his body and kissing him. He guided her down to the ground to a blanket he'd laid out on the grass. They continued kissing, meeting and breaking away with a feverish intensity as she pulled her shirt over her head and laid it aside.

He looked down at her for a long moment before leaning in to kiss her. "Should I tickle you to see 'em bounce?"

She smiled, laughing softly. "There are better ways of making them do that."

He shifted and sat beside her, tugging his shirt off and tossing it aside. As soon as he was free of it, he was above her again, his chest almost touching hers. The soft beat of silence held still around them as he moved, his mouth finding a nipple once again. Her fingers wound through his hair, holding him to her.

His body rested against hers, turning so that she could feel his erection pressed hard against her thigh. Her fingers trailed through his hair down to his neck then spread out over his shoulders. Sinew and muscle moved underneath her hands as he held himself above her body. He reached down and unfastened the button of her shorts, sliding the zipper down.

Bessie looked down to watch his hands as he undressed her slowly, easing material away from her body. She shivered suddenly as his fingers brushed her the lower part of her stomach, just above the flimsy material of her panties. She reached down and captured his hand, stilling it there, the heat of his touch burning against her skin.

She moved away from him, free of his touch though not of his gaze. She eased her shorts and panties off her body herself before moving back to him. He watched her with hooded eyes before reaching down and unfastening his jeans, slipping them down his body. He reached for the waistband of his boxers, but she stopped him, easing it over his erection and moving them off his body herself.

Naked now, they moved together, touching and kissing and feeling and finding. Discovery made by fingers and tongues as they worked their way over one another's bodies, searching for places of pleasure and desire, listening to low moans as a tongue or teeth found a sensitive spot. She suckled the firm flesh of his neck, flicking her tongue in the small hollow at the base of his throat in order to hear him groan her name into her hair.

He ran his fingers up and down her thigh, feeling her body shiver beneath his. She pulled back from his neck, the wet warmth of her kisses left behind in the night. With slow grace he moved over her, sliding between her legs. She spread them apart to accommodate him, gasping softly as she felt the hard flesh of his cock graze across her skin.

He bent his head down and captured her nipple, tugging the hard tip into his mouth with the light touch of his teeth. Lowering himself onto one elbow, his free hand trailed down her ribcage to the soft tangle of hairs at the apex of her thighs. She caught her breath as his fingers raked through it, slipping down through wet flesh to find her clit.

Bessie moaned and turned her head, her lips finding the curve of his bicep. She nibbled the tensed muscle, her body writhing on the blanket as he pressed his thumb to her clit, two fingers slipping down further to move inside her. His name was muffled by his own skin as she breathed it against him, arching her hips up into his body, hard with tension and need.

Doug's low groan seemed alive in the night as he removed his hand from her and wrapped it around his cock, guiding it to her slick passage and pushing just the tip inside her.

She turned her attention to his face, eyes black with desire as he looked down at her, the clear knowledge of who she was and what they were doing stark in his eyes. Her lips parted on his name as he shook his head and lowered it to kiss her, his tongue pushing past her lips as his cock slipped deeper inside her.

Bessie wrapped her legs around his, arching her hips up to meet his as he thrust down into her. His head rested in the hollow of her neck as he held her close, their bodies moving in unison; a quick, steady rhythm of breaths and the sound of skin sticking and touching in the humid night as he pushed his cock deeper, as her legs tightened around him. His breath was hot in her hair; hers lost as she swallowed huge gulps of air, struggling to breathe as he gasped out her name, thrusting impossibly deep, impossibly hard.

His body shivered violently as he came, still pumping inside her, pushing her further and further until she cried out, tears trailing from the corners of her eyes, mixing with the perspiration from the humid night and their heated lovemaking.

Doug lay above her in the sudden silence of the night, one hand moving to wipe away her tears. "You okay?"

She smiled and nodded, her fingers still against his lower lip. "Yeah."

"We should…" He looked around in the darkness, the two of them still alone, still undiscovered. "Go in."

"We should."

He moved off of her slowly, shifting to the side so that they could both get dressed. As she stood, he bundled the blanket up in his arms and leaned back against the tree. "You go first."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm just going to sit out here for a while."

"Okay." She touched his hand, holding it until she was almost out of reach. "Goodnight, Doug."

She sat beside him without saying a word, careful not to touch him. "So, what time do you leave tomorrow?"

"Right after breakfast."

"Did Allyson enjoy her stay here?"

"She did, I think."

"And do you feel better about Boston?"

"Feel better, like I can stay there and not wonder about what I'm missing here at home?" He looked over at her, his face not giving anything away. "Or feel better because Capeside wasn't what I thought it was?"

She shrugged, refusing to give him an answer.

"Capeside's home. It always will be." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "But I love Boston too."

"Boston's a great city."

He turned and smiled at her, his eyes hidden as a cloud passed over the moon. "I love it here, Bess. I always have. I always will."

"But you're a big city cop now." She nodded, knowing all the answers before she'd sat down and, in truth, was relieved to hear him say them aloud. "And a big city cop needs a big city to serve and protect."

"Yeah."

She nodded and got to her feet, looking down at him as his gaze returned to the lights shining on the water. "I'm glad you came home, Doug."

"Me too."

"I'm heading inside." Her hand hovered above his hair, wanting to touch him and knowing that she wouldn't, knowing above all else that she couldn't. She took a step back and turned to go. "Enjoy the quiet."