The guys from Basile dropped me off at Rat before dawn, before they went to check their pots. They didn’t want me to see their fishing spots, I gathered, though I didn’t much care.
I nodded goodbye as their boat disappeared into the darkness, my pocket full of cash and a carton of beer in my arms. I’d fixed the generator, then rewired most of the houses on the island. If I get many more days like this, I’m going to buy Dean a beer. I’d never made so much money on holidays before.
I walked slowly back to my place, dropping the beer off on the veranda. There was plenty in the fridge. I wouldn’t need these for a while.
I went over to Vanessa’s place, but all the lights were out. As it was the early hours of the morning and she wasn’t fishing until her crew returned in the afternoon, she was probably fast asleep. I left without knocking on the door.
With a sigh, I trudged home to my place and went to bed alone to dream about her, a poor substitute for the real thing.