"You really need to have at least a get together."

Duncan looked at Nancy. They were sitting out on the deck talking business while Reed, as usual, beachcombed and looked for shells. It was a beautiful July evening, the kind they had time without number in Malibu.

"I don't see why. Nothing's happening until next year, anyway. I'm just going to be recording in the fall."

"I'm just telling you what the vibe is around the office." By "office," Nancy meant MAA, his management and publicity office. He had no office per se devoted just to him; he was just one of MAA's many high-profile clients.

"What are you hearing?" Duncan sounded skeptical.

Nancy shrugged her perky shoulders. "Just that you've been below the radar for a long time, and you should do something just to remind everyone you're still around."

"Who said that?"

"I don't remember, I was just there, dropping stuff off, picking stuff up, you know, and people were asking where you were and what you were doing, that's all. And someone said it was like you'd dropped off the face of the earth."

Duncan sighed. The past couple weeks, of being with Reed, of just living, had been nothing short of wonderful, and he had no desire to turn his home into a pub-crawl like space, even for one evening. Spending his days in her quiet company and his nights with her in his bed, was a little slice of heaven, as far as he was concerned.

He didn't think Reed would like it, either.

He watched her as he contemplated Nancy's suggestion. Reed was crouched, looking at something in the sand. Her hair fell over one beautiful shoulder, little wisps being carried by the breeze. She'd tanned to a beautiful color, also, like warm caramel, which was set off nicely by the khaki shorts and tank top she was wearing today. Her toned legs were flexed as she looked at whatever was holding her interest in the sand, and Duncan could tell, even though her face was obscured by the sheaf of her hair, that she was smiling.

"She's looking good, isn't she?" Nancy's voice cut into his thoughts. "I see she finally got some decent clothes."

Duncan turned to Nancy. "You know what? Could you just not discuss her? At all? I really don't like how you talk about her."

Nancy blinked at him. "Oh, come on! It was a compliment, Dunc." Nancy gestured to where Reed was now rinsing whatever she'd found in the small waves at the water's edge. "She was quite the dowdy when she came, you must admit. At least what she's wearing now fits her properly and is of nice quality. Though how she could afford it is a mystery, isn't it?" She turned to Duncan. "Where does she get her money? I happen to know that simple little tank top she's wearing is at least two hundred dollars."

Duncan didn't respond.

"Oh, say it ain't so!" Nancy sat up and looked at him. "You're buying her clothes now? Are you?" She put a hand on Duncan's arm. "That woman is going to take you to the cleaners if you're not careful. What kind of hold does she have over you, anyway?"

Reed rose and turned at that moment, accentuating her lovely figure, and waved at Duncan, indicating that she'd found something "nice."

Duncan smiled and waved back, kissing his fingertips first.

He turned to find Nancy staring, first at him, then at Reed, then back at him.

"No way," she said. "You and her?" Her voice was soft with disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"I'm perfectly serious," Duncan finally responded. "Neither of us planned it, but it happened, and I'm really happy."

"But isn't she leaving in a little over a month? What's going to happen then?"

Now it was Duncan's turn to shrug. "I don't know, we haven't discussed it. I don't see why she'd have to leave, though, if we have a good thing going here. It doesn't sound like she has anything waiting for her back in Florida, anyway."

Nancy shook her head. "And doesn't that strike you as strange? That someone her age has no family, no people at all, after twenty some odd years in one place?"

"What are you talking about? She was an only child, her parents were killed, now she's all alone. I see nothing strange about that at all." Duncan's tone was short and curt. "Anyway, I don't want to discuss any of this with you, okay?"

Nancy turned back to look out at the beach once more. "Fine. So what about the party? Just a small gathering of people from MAA, your label, and some of your friends?"

"Whatever, you arrange it, yeah? Just pick a weekend night, we have a routine during the week that we enjoy and I won't have it disrupted by politics."

"Of course." Nancy opened her laptop and began clicking. "Two weeks from Friday, okay?"
Duncan nodded dismissively.

She left shortly after, and, predictably, Reed looked up to confirm she was gone before leaving the beach and coming to where Duncan sat.

He pulled her into his lap so she could show him her treasures up close. 

"Look at this one, look," Reed exclaimed. It was a very small abalone shell, complete with holes, the nacre of its interior glowing with iridescence in the afternoon light.

"That's quite nice," Duncan agreed, holding it up to examine it more closely. "Would make a nice pendant, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, I could just slip a chain through one of the holes," Reed enthused, nodding.

Duncan handed the shell back to Reed.

"What did Nancy want?" Reed asked curiously.

"We're going to have a party," Duncan told her. 

Reed made a face of dismay.

"Just a small one, in two weeks. Apparently, I'm beginning to stagnate a little, and I need to do something to 'increase my presence,' so to speak."

"I guess I can just stay in my room," Reed said, resigned.

"What? No, I need you by my side, to help me get through this," Duncan corrected her. "Please don't make me have to go through this alone."

"But I won't know anyone," Reed protested. "And you'll have to explain who I am and why I'm here to absolutely everyone."

Duncan put his arms around her, pulling her into his torso and tucking her head into his neck. "So? What would be wrong with that? Hm?" he asked softly. "I love being with you, I love having you in my life, why can't other people know?"

Reed shrugged uneasily. "I don't know, it just seems like a lot of bother, doesn't it? Especially since I'm leaving soon?"

"You know, I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Duncan said, looking out at the ocean.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He gave her a squeeze. "I've been wondering why you have to leave?"

Reed sat up so she could look at his face. "I—I just do, that's all. I couldn't impose on you longer than what we said. I gave myself a year to try this, and the year's up in September."

"You're going back to Florida?"

Reed nodded, thinking of Sam and Ryedale.

"Why?"

"What do you mean? It's where I'm from, it's where I live, it's where my life is."

Duncan shook his head. "You never mention it, you never talk about the friends you have there or anything. Why not just stay here?"

"For how long? Until you get tired of me? Until we have a fight, and you ask me to leave?" Reed didn't mean for her voice to come out quite as bitter as it did. "No, Duncan, better to stick to the plan, to part while everything's good, while everything's happy—"

"D'you hear what you're saying?" Duncan asked, his voice rising. "Better to leave while we're good, we're happy? What kind of bollocks is that?" He gazed into her troubled eyes. "I think that when something good comes along, we hold on to it, hold on tight." He leaned in and kissed her, a gentle kiss. "I don't know about you, but these past few weeks have been some of the happiest of my life. Honestly, Reed, you hitting me with Rhonda was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Even Reed smiled at his words.

"Please just stay."

Reed sighed, thinking again of Sam, patiently waiting for her back in Oklahoma. "I can't," she finally said.

Duncan gave her a little shake, frustrated. "Why not?"

They looked together at the spectacular sunset for a moment, silent.

"I can't tell you, please stop asking," Reed finally begged, putting her arms around him. "Can't this be enough?"

"I guess it'll have to be," Duncan answered, defeated. "I'm going to keep trying to change your mind, though, okay? I've got a few weeks yet."

Reed smiled at him, the smile he loved. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't," she told him. "Now when's this party, and what do I have to wear?"