“True.” He thought for a moment. “Lucas can drive the boat. Jack and I will hang out in the cabin until we’re clear.”
She nodded. “That should work. I’m sure Jack would love the day out.” She smiled. “It would be a lot of fun. Would we go back to Thieves’ Island?”
“We could, or we could just go up the coast. It’s a beautiful trip and we’re less likely to run into anyone. Although there is a small island near St. Augustine we could stop at. Pine Island. Nothing much to see, but there’s a sandbar around the island. There might be people there, but less chance of that on a weekday.”
“The coast side is probably a better idea. The fewer people the better. When do you want to go?”
“I can go anytime. I’ll have to check with Lucas. I know he’s got a lot going on. If we have a day to plan, we should be fine, right?”
“I think so. Frankie might not want to give up a whole day of work, but if it means spending the day with Lucas, I’m sure she’ll manage it.”
Mitch smiled. “Or you and I could just go.”
She tipped her head. “Just the two of us?”
“Too soon?”
“No, not too soon.” Her smile was a little shy.
He didn’t want to push it, so he went back to the group idea. “You talk to Jack and your crew, I’ll talk to mine, and I’ll reach out to Lucas as well.”
“Will do. Does Kyle want to talk to me now?”
“He’s in the pool with Ruthie, so I’m guessing it’s not the best time.”
“All right. Well, maybe I’ll go see him before I leave and find out when he wants to get together.” She picked up her water bottle again but didn’t drink, just held it. “How are you doing with everything? Lots of change in your house. Are you still journaling?”
“I am. Maybe not as much as I should, but I’m doing pretty well. There has been a lot of change, but it’s been good change. Kyle, Ruthie, Bunny, and now Beryl.” He smiled, shifting his gaze toward the horizon line. “It’s funny how the thought of a houseful of people would have sent me into a rage just a few weeks ago. Now, it makes me happy.”
He looked at Harper. “You make me happy.”
Her eyes sparkled with affection. “You do the same for me.”
“Are you looking forward to our trip to L.A.?”
“I am. Getting to be a part of this movie is just amazing. But when I think about L.A., I think about how I still need to deal with my place out there. Clean it out, pack up what I’m keeping, get rid of what I’m not, and that isn’t going to be fun, but it needs to be done.”
“Maybe I could help.”
She made a face. “You don’t want to deal with all of that.”
“Neither do you. Moving is not fun. But we could fly out, do our meeting with the producers, then rent a truck and drive your stuff back.”
“Mitch. Are you being serious?”
“Yes. Don’t I sound serious?”
“That’s a lot of time out of your schedule. Time when you could be writing. I don’t think—”
“The time isn’t an issue. And we both have family around to look after our dogs, so they’d be fine.”
“But—”
“Harper, if we’re going to be…a couple,” it was weird to say that word, he recognized that, “then that’s what couples do. They help each other with the hard things.”
She sat without speaking for a few moments. She sipped her water, then put it back on the table. “Moving would be a real test of our relationship.”
He laughed. “It might be, you’re right. But it would be easier than doing it by yourself, don’t you think?”
