“Oh, that’s not the problem,” Dax said to him. “She’s the one who needs to fall in love with me. I’m trying to woo her carefully, though, so she doesn’t suspect and kick me off her boat.”
“Ah! Then let’s plot, shall we?”
Ree hurried after them. “I want to help!”
“Excellent,” Pa said.
“Marin’s super smart,” Ree said, “but she’s not very good at romance. She’s already missed at least six romantic moments, and I’m not even counting the sunsets, which are obvious opportunities. Even I know that, and I’m a plant.” He jiggled his leaves for emphasis.
Marin stared after them, her mouth hanging open. Exactly when had she lost control of that conversation?Probably right from the beginning.She shook her head. Maybe they should have had a more detailed discussion about what exactly she expected out of him as her fake lover. She didnotwant him to deceive her parents. On the other hand, if it kept Pa amused during her visit, that was fine. They could always fake break up later if necessary.
Glancing at her mother, she saw Ma was smirking at her. “What?”
Ma patted her arm. “I like him already.”
“I’m not…” Marin took a deep breath. “I just want to get through the End-of-Harvest Festival with as little drama as possible. Make you two happy. Eat some pie. Have a nice visit.”
“Your father just wants you to be happy.”
“I am,” Marin said. “I don’t need to be paired up with someone to be happy.”
“Of course you don’t, dear,” Ma said. “It’s just that it’s what’s made your father happy so he assumes it’s what everyone needs. I’m glad, though, that you’ve allowed yourself companionship, however you’d like to label it. Dax seems like a very nice young man, and Ree is a charming… um, is it rude to ask what he is?”
“He’s a wax myrtle,” Marin said, happy for the change in subject. “I picked him up on the island of Belde. His lifelong dream was to be a sailor, and it’s not like he had many other options. He’s actually a really good deckhand, despite not having hands.”
“Come inside,” Ma said, looping her arm through Marin’s. “You’ll want to get dressed for the festival. I’ve washed your festival dress, in case you wanted to wear it. As for Dax, the neighbors have a son about his size. I’ll see if they have a spare outfit.” Together, theywalked up to the house, the scent of peach pie cooling in the window growing stronger with each step. “The wax myrtle… we could tie ribbons around his branches. Would he like that?”
“He’d love it,” Marin said. “That all sounds great. Thanks, Ma.”
“It’s good that you came back,” Ma said, squeezing her hand. “But it’s even better that you’ve decided not to be alone.”
“Being alone isn’t so terrible,” Marin said. “I had a lot of time to think. And heal.”
“But did you? Heal?”
“Sure,” Marin said. She realized as she said it that that didn’t sound incredibly convincing. “Yes. I’m fine. Stop looking at me like you don’t believe me.”
“I’m just glad you have a crew now, that’s all.”
Marin thought of a half-dozen different replies to that and settled on, “Me too.”
As soon as the moon reached the top of the dormant volcano, that’s when the flicks could be heard from all around the island:rattle, rattle, rattle.
“Wait for it,” Marin whispered to Dax and Ree. Both of them were outside on her parents’ porch. She’d exited after them and stood behind them both, looking toward the village with the volcano behind it.
Ree bounced on his root ball. “Wait for what?”
“The cats.” She nodded toward the treetops, heavy with cats.
All across the island, the sound of the flicks startled the cats from their perches—from the rooftops and the treetops and wherever they loafed. They took to the sky, wheeling and swooping above the island, with the full moon and the array of stars behind them as their backdrop.
“Nowit’s the End-of-Harvest Festival,” Marin said with satisfaction.
Gawking at the cat-filled sky, Dax said, “That’s quite a sight.”
“One of my favorites.”
“Do you think Stowy is with them?” he asked.
