Chapter 19

Reyna's recovery was slow. The family wanted to take her home, but she was unable to be moved. The hospital staff was accommodating, and after a while, their fame was hardly noticed. Shay stayed until her mother regained consciousness and was out of the woods.

Sullivan and Sawyer traveled back and forth between the set on Oak Island and south Florida while Ophelia and Pops stayed with Reyna. Word had gotten out that Reyna Richards had been in a boating accident, but none of the details had been released, only that she was resting comfortably in the hospital as she recuperated.

They rented a house, and Sullivan had her car delivered to Ophelia to drive Pops to and from the hospital. It was taxing on all of them, but they worked together to get through it.

Sullivan needed Ophelia to return to Oak Island to help with the final move back to L.A., so Sawyer relieved her to join him.

It had been almost three weeks since Reyna's accident, and her doctors felt she could be safely moved at the end of the fourth week. Sullivan's goal was to be finished shooting and completely off Oak Island when it was time for his mother to leave the hospital.

Ophelia's return to Oak Island was surreal. As she walked from her car to the house, she felt as if everything that had happened three weeks earlier had been a dream.  Had Sullivan found her asleep in his bed, had he kissed her and told her he was attracted to her? Had her mother and half-sister been as rude as she recalled them being? Had Paloma really hit on her?

Did any of it really matter anymore?

It had all seemed so important then, but now, none of it seemed important after almost having lost Reyna.

Ophelia reached the house and climbed the steps, looking at the view. It was still a beautiful place. With a sigh, she turned to open the door, only to have it fly open, and Polly almost knocked her over in welcome.

Ophelia laughed and knelt in front of her holding the wiggling dog as close as she could as she laughed. When she looked towards the door, she saw Sullivan leaning against the jamb, watching the greeting with a smile.

Well, she had almost convinced herself that the part about Sullivan didn't matter, but looking at him now, she realized he would always matter.

He looked good. He was wearing a thick cream cable knit sweater with the sleeves pushed up, blue jeans, and barefoot. His hair was its usual end of shoot untamed mass, and he hadn't shaved in a few days.

Ophelia didn't know how long they stared at each other, but eventually, Sullivan joined her, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek as he took her suitcase and carried it into the house.

Everything was quiet.

"Where are Marc and Paloma?" Ophelia asked as she closed the door behind them, shutting them into what felt like their own little world.

"They left, and the only people left besides us are the crew. They will spend the next few days packing up the set and returning the house to normal." Sullivan left her suitcase by the stairs. "Are you hungry? I thought when you were finished getting unpacked. We could go up to the hotel for dinner."

Ophelia licked her lips in nervousness. Something felt different.

"Why am I here if the crew is packing up?" She reached down and rubbed Polly's ears to ground herself. "I'm not really needed, am I?"

Sullivan shoved his hands in his back pockets as he debated something while he watched Ophelia's hand caress Polly's ear.

"You are very much needed," He finally said after a few moments of silence. "Can we talk about this over dinner?" he asked again.

Sullivan's words made her heart miss a beat. "Sure, let me put by things upstairs. Will ten minutes be alright?"

He nodded and watched as she walked past him and up the stairs with her suitcase bumping along behind her.  It took her less than the allotted ten minutes, and when she returned downstairs, she saw him through the window. He was on the porch watching Polly sniff around the yard.

"I'm ready," Ophelia softly said as she opened the door. When he didn't turn around, she joined him. The sunset was still early in the evening, and it was just beginning. They faced east, so they didn't get to see it in all of its glory, but they stood in silence and watched the shadows grow as it sunk lower behind them.

Ophelia was watching a shrimp boat moving down the river on its return trip home. "I wish I had been on that boat with Pops and Reyna," she said, full of survivor's guilt.

"What would you have done?" Sullivan asked incredulously as he turned to look down at her.

"Probably more than any of those hobby sailors did.  I grew up on one of those." Ophelia nodded toward the shrimp boat. "I was casting nets when I was six and driving her by the time I was ten. I knew these waterways like the back of my hand. I could have possibly fixed the radio or at least noted the weather forecast." She shook her head at the thought of people underestimating the power of the sea.

"You grew up on a shrimp boat?" he asked, surprised.

"I did."

"But you don't know the waterways off of the Keys?" Sullivan pointed out to remind her that she might not have been able to do anything different.

"A person has to spend a lifetime learning the water. The way it moves and changes. If you've lived on it long enough, you learn to read it to some degree wherever you are." Ophelia wrapped her jacket around her as a sudden gust of wind whispered through the trees.

Polly lifted her head and sniffed. She must have caught Ophelia's scent because she ran to join her on the porch, all smiles.

"Should we go?" Sullivan asked as he opened the door and sent Polly inside.

"Sure," Ophelia agreed as she started down the steps. "Do we have reservations, or are we winging it? If we're winging it, you might want to lead." It was a reminder of what had happened last time she had tried to get served at the hotel.

"We have reservations," Sullivan informed her as he joined her, and they began the short walk down the bike path toward the hotel.

"I always forget how beautiful it is here." Ophelia looked at the manicured lawns and gardens of the historic mansions in the fading light. "I can almost imagine the way it looked over one-hundred years ago when all of those rich families came here to vacation on their privately owned island." All of the houses were public now. "It makes me sad that all of those families had a little piece of heaven, and they just grew bored with it and sold it."

"It's always onwards and upwards with many of the rich. Newer is better," Sullivan agreed with Ophelia's statement. "Despite not having a great home life as a child, it still must have been something special to grow up here."

"I realize that now, but I didn't then. I couldn't get away fast enough. I guess I've finally come full circle thanks to you." Ophelia gave a sad smile. "If it weren't for you, I never would have come back here."

"Your mother and sister, have you talked to them again?" Sullivan slowed his walk, and Ophelia did as well.

"No, not to say anything important. The few times we saw each other, we acted as if we didn't see each other." Ophelia gave a sad smile at the thought of the ridiculousness of it all.

Sullivan stopped and turned to look down at her, holding her upper arms with his hands to still her. "I want to say I'm sorry if my bringing you here caused you pain or upset you in any way. I wouldn't have done it if I had known the facts."

His eyes drilled into hers with the urgency of his apology.

Ophelia smiled up at him. "It's alright. I think a big part of me wanted to come home and test the waters anyway. I wanted to see if it was as bad as I remember it being, or if my young angst-ridden self had made it out to be worse than it was in reality."

"And what did you determine?" Sullivan asked with a frown.

"That it was as bad as I thought it was." Then she laughed because it really didn't matter, she had her life, and it had nothing to do with any of her family.

Sullivan took a deep breath, and they started walking once more.

"A lot had happened over the last two months. We came close to losing something that we both hold dear." Sullivan frowned as he talked, and Ophelia remained silent as her heart picked up its pace.

She didn't know what was about to come, but she knew it was important.

"I have come to realize that life is too short to not go after what we want."

"And what do you want, Sullivan?" Ophelia asked as she stopped and turned to look at him.

"I want you, Ophelia. In my arms and my bed."

Ophelia took a shaky breath. He hadn't said in his heart or even his life, although she was pretty well ensconced in his life already. She had to test the water.

"And what happens when it ends? Where will that leave us? That problem doesn't just disappear, Sullivan," she whispered.

He nodded. "I know. That's why we would need a beginning and an end. An agreed-upon time limit so there are no promises made and no feelings hurt."

Feelings would be hurt, at least on her end, they would be.

Then it clicked in her head. She and Sullivan had never been alone overnight in the same place except for the night of Reyna's accident.

"That's why I'm here. I'm not really needed, but it is a chance for us to be alone." Ophelia nodded as she spoke her thoughts aloud. Her heart was numb.

She was living proof that you couldn't make someone love you.

"That, and I thought you could use a little downtime before we all go to L.A. If you say no, then we will stay here for the rest of the week in a strictly platonic fashion," Sullivan said as he met her eyes. "But I'm not going to lie, being alone here with you platonically will be difficult for me."

At least he was honest, and while her heart was breaking because he didn't love her, she was a little thrilled that he desired her so much.

"So, if I said yes, this would be the only time we will have together?" Ophelia asked for clarification.

Sullivan nodded.

"What if it's not enough time? The idea is to get this," she moved her hand between them, "out of our systems, right?"

"It will have to be over. That will be the agreement." Sullivan watched her absorb what he said.

"Can I have some time to think about it?" Ophelia asked as she began walking again.

"Yes." Sullivan began walking with her, and they walked in silence the rest of the way to the restaurant.

Ophelia had to be honest with herself. She was in a place that millions of women had wanted to be, but she knew she wasn't one of a million. She loved Sullivan with all her heart, and agreeing to this might break her. On the other hand, something was better than nothing, and a couple of memories to keep her warm at night might be all that she got.

When they entered the hotel, all eyes turned to them. They walked straight to the dining room and didn't have to wait to be seated. Ophelia noticed Gavin, Noelle, and Kaylee eating at a table in the opposite corner as they were led to their own reserved table.

Ophelia pretended she didn't see them as she and Sullivan settled into their seats while being handed menus.

"How did the rest of the filming go? Did you get what you wanted from Paloma?" Ophelia asked as she looked at the menu. She wasn't very hungry, but she should try to eat something.

"Yes." Sullivan nodded with a smile, and Ophelia was happy that he was content with what he had been able to film.

They talked a little about the film, his mother, and his sister. Then they moved on to general things, he asked her more about her childhood, and she asked him about his youth. They discussed books, politics, and art. Nothing was off-limits, and Ophelia hadn't had such a stimulating conversation in years.

As they were being served their dessert, Gavin and Kaylee approached them. Ophelia noticed her mother didn't join them. She was waiting by the door, looking at her phone.

"I hear you're just about finished?" Gavin said as he patted Sullivan on the shoulder like they were old friends.

"Yes, we'll be gone by the end of the week." Sullivan gave his polite smile.

"It's a shame you and Kaylee didn't get to spend more time together while you were here visiting, Ophelia," Gavin said in a jovial voice.

"I wasn't visiting. One would have to be welcome to call it a visit. I was working, and I think it is safe to say that Kaylee and I don't want to know each other," Ophelia pointed out before she took a calming sip of her wine.

A heavy silence fell between them, and Ophelia could feel the hate radiating off Kaylee. After a minute or so, Gavin said his goodbyes and left with Kaylee trailing behind.

"That was blunt," Sullivan pointed out as he poured her more wine.

"Kaylee and her father only wanted to make nice, so Kaylee would have an excuse to come and visit in L.A. Plus, I have concluded that I feel sorry for them. This little life, in this little place, is all they have, and that's sad." Ophelia shrugged, meaning every word of it.

They finished the wine, and their dessert then started the short walk home. It was a chilly night, and the stars were bright. Ophelia had made up her mind to take Sullivan up on his offer. She had little doubt that she would live to regret it, but it was a chance she had to take.

She reached out and took his hand with hers. He stopped and looked down at her, knowing what it meant.

"Are you sure, Ophelia?' Sullivan asked in a husky voice she had never heard before.

Ophelia nodded, and Sullivan pulled her close, cupping her face in his hand and tracing her lips with his thumb. "You are so beautiful."

"Thank you." Ophelia's voice was just as husky.

He lowered his head toward hers, and she heard him exhale a shaky breath. He paused a moment before his lips captured hers as if he wanted to savor the moment. Then, with more passion than she could have ever imagined, he kissed her.