Cassie stood on the dock looking out past the harbor and into the Gulf. The weather lady on TV assured her audience the next few days would be carbon copies of today, hot and humid, with the possibility of a passing thunderstorm but nothing serious.

Why had the angel in the sea called to her if no bad weather had been forecast?

Rafe approached from behind, wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on the top of her head. "If it was me, I would've taken advantage of my crewmates after winning that wager and ordered an expensive dinner. Why did you just order a turkey club?"

The premonition stole her appetite, and she could only eat half her sandwich. "It was a hollow victory. They let me win."

"So what?"

Cassie hadn't said anything yet to him about her calling, worried about how he might react. She also felt apprehensive about what awaited her and didn't want to be alone, so she came up with a pretense. "Rafe, thank you for agreeing to camp out with me tonight on the key."

He went silent for a moment before saying, "I don't want to read too much into your invitation to camp, but are we finally going to...you know?"

It's what they both wanted. Except, she needed to reveal the important things to him she had learned while cocooned. What would he think? She cleared her throat. "Rafe, I'm different from other girls."

"Duh, I already know that."

"You don't understand. Remember on Jurassic Park when the Jeff Goldblum character said, 'Life finds a way?'"

"Cassandra, I'm not big on movies. What are you trying to tell me?"

She took a deep breath. "I will get pregnant. Right away. I'm not on the pill. Even if I was, the chemicals in those pills don't work on me."

He regarded her. "How do you know that?"

"I just know. Rafe, please understand. I'm not ready to do what you want."

She watched his expression carefully for any sign of anxiety.

He remained neutral. "We could use condoms."

"True, but what happens if there's an accident? I would keep the child, Rafe.  Not doing so would be a crime against my kind."

"This is a really deep conversation."

"I'm saying no, Rafe. I want to be totally up front and honest with you."

He went silent for a long time and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You're worth the wait."

Except she did want to. At least, she thought she did. She was so conflicted.

Rafe released her from his hug. "Everything is loaded onto my boat, a tent, supplies,  and snacks."

They motored out of the harbor into the Gulf. As they approached the key, Rafe asked, "Where do you want to setup?"

"Close to the lighthouse but away from any other campers." She had the urge to investigate the abandoned structure.

Rafe moored his boat at the tourist dock, and they carried all their gear to a secluded spot within view of the lighthouse. It only took ten minutes to setup their little tent in the sand. They spread a blanket and sat facing the Gulf. A bank of clouds shielded them from the sun. "Sorry, Cassie, it looks like there isn't going to be a romantic sunset."

Rafe moved close. He reached an arm around her and draped his leg over hers. "Have you heard from that Webb guy? Didn't he say he would keep in touch?"

She giggled. "Do you really want to talk about Mr. Webb right now?" But what he said did bother her. The man admitted to watching over her for five years. But after a month, why hadn't he called to check up on her? "I hope nothing happened to him. When we get back to Tarpon Springs where there's cell service, I'll call him."

She glanced at the lighthouse. "Is there any chance we could check out the inside?"

"I think it's locked."

"Rafe."

He groaned. "Okay, we can check it out." He stood and held out a hand to help her up. Cassie folded the blanket and brought it along.

The structure was odd looking. The light sat atop a comparatively slender cylinder poking out of the ground buttressed by an iron skeleton for support.

"Locked," Rafe said when they got to the door. A standard U-shaped key lock ran through a hasp connecting the door to the frame. He pulled on the lock on the off chance it wouldn't be secured.

The wooden frame rotted from years of exposure to the salt air gave way and the entire hasp broke free.

Rafe wore a mischievous grin. "Oops."

Cassie held a hand over her mouth stifling a giggle.

He glanced around as if making sure nobody witnessed their unintentional act of vandalism. "I take this as a sign we should go in."

Cassie followed him inside and shut the door behind them.

There was no light switch, and it was getting dark. Enough illumination shown through small windows for them to have a quick look around. It smelled musty but the interior was surprisingly clean which was probably explained by the park service giving regular tours.

She pointed to a plaque. "Rafe, check this out."

The plaque listed historical facts. The lighthouse was built in 1887 and was in continuous operation from that time until 1949. It stood 102 feet high. Another plaque listed all the light keepers by date.

Rafe cleared his throat. "Cool. Let's go to the top."

She let him take her by the hand and lead her up the spiral staircase. The handrail was firmly set, so Cassie wasn't worried about them falling on their way down in the dark.

At the top, they walked out onto the observation deck and took a few moments to enjoy the view into the Gulf and of the mainland on the other side. Dusk had settled in. The air grew hazy. The lights from Tarpon Springs appeared as if they were looking at them through a gauzy material.

The usual breeze typical for that time of evening was absent which probably explained the haze. Rafe spread the blanket on the observation deck. Moments later they were lying on the blanket.

They had nothing else to say to each other as night settled in. Soon, they both fell asleep.