She stared after him in disbelief as he walked away, carrying the box from the hardware store. She was seriously beginning to wonder why he had wanted her to stay. Was it because they needed to see if they could work things about between them? Or was it just because he could use another warm body to get the camp ready. Well, she had given him a week. If he didn't come back down to Earth and get his head straight by next Friday, she'd be on that bus. She turned and started walking through the trees, down toward the dock. She simply couldn't understand why this whole thing was so important. It was only real estate, after all. Granted, it wasn't exactly a booming area, but would it really make that much difference if there was a summer camp established on the property? If Steve wanted to sell it, why wouldn't he just put it on the market and let it go at that? He had argued that the summer camp would make a difference; a big difference. That it would turn a basically worthless piece of property into an income producing property, which would make it that much easier to sell.

They had argued about it. She couldn't see his point. How could lakefront property be worthless?

'It isn't about whether or not it's income producing property,' she had said, 'It's about the obsession of yours with this 'Cristy family curse' nonsense. That's what it's really about, isn't it?'

'Don't be ridiculous,' said Steve said, 'You know perfectly well there isn't any curse.'

'That's right,' she had said, 'I know it perfectly well and you know it perfectly well, so why isn't that enough? Why do you have to prove it to the people in this town? Who cares what they think?'

'It isn't that,' Steve had said, 'You don't really understand.'

'So, explain it to me then,' she demanded, 'I mean, what is it? You want to stay in Crystal Lake for the rest of your life and run a summer camp two months out of the year? For heaven's sake, Steve, write it off. Put if up for sale with an agent. Cut your losses, and let's go do something with our lives.'

But it wasn't all that simple. Steve had unfinished business and he wanted her to wait and help him finish it. Meanwhile, she had unfinished business of her own back in LA and she wasn't all that certain she wanted to finish it. Maybe it was her business here with Steve. She could be finishing in any case, she had a week in which to make up her mind. Why did relationships have to be so goddamned complicated?

"Bill?" she called out to the young man working by the dock.

"Steve wants to know if we need more paint."

"The paint's all right. I think we're going to need some more thinner though."