Rayanne regarded him. “So you’re the one Greta did the house swap with. What do you think so far?”

“Of Owl Island? I love it. It’s really beautiful. I’m not used to the cold, but now that I’ve got the whole jacket thing down, it’s great.”

Rayanne narrowed her eyes, like she wasn’t sure she could believe him.

“And what do you think of Ash?”

“Of…Ash?”

“Yeah.”

“Rayanne,” Ash said. “Don’t mess with him.”

“Fine,” she grumbled.

Silence fell.

“Dolphins only close one eye when they sleep,” Rayanne blurted.

“Oh,” Truman said politely.

Day nodded.

“I’m doing this new thing where when I want to say something that’s none of my business, I say a fact instead,” Rayanne said. “I wanted to hear about how your relationship with Ash is going.” She darted a look at Day. “But…”

“It rather mitigates the effect if you go on to report the thing you wanted to say, darling,” Day said.

“Oh wow, are you guys a couple?”

Rayanne smirked and Day nodded that single nod.

“I was wondering if Ash and Greta were the only queers on the island.”

“Well,” Rayanne said conspiratorially and leaned in.

Day cleared her throat.

“Oh right, damn, that’s a secret. Never mind. Uh, Greenland sharks can live up to five hundred years.”

“Were you reading that book on oceanography that Don and Maisey keep trying to get rid of?” Ash asked.

“Yeah. They put it on the dictionary stand, so my facts will be ocean-related for the next while.”

Truman’s head was spinning.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Did you tell them we were…?” he asked Ash, surprised.

Ash shook his head. “Nope.”

“Then how’d you—?”

Rayanne rolled her eyes again. “Oh, dear heart, it’s all anyone’s talking about!”

Day closed her eyes in what might have been apology or mortification.

Truman didn’t have a response to that, so instead he said, “When’s good for y’all to do the event?”

Rayanne and Day exchanged a speaking glance.

“We’ll need some time to spread the word and put it all together. If we want anyone from the mainland to come, we’ll wanna wait till after New Year’s. No one comes out the week before Christmas, and all the local ads are sold months in advance,” Rayanne said. While she spoke, she eased the purloined cigarette out of Day’s pocket and flipped it to her lips. “We could do the first weekend after New Year’s,” she suggested. Then she knelt again, pushed open the window, and lit the cigarette, and Day did nothing to stop her.

“The first one could be a trial run for Valentine’s Day,” said Day.

“Oh, shit, of course,” Ash said. “It’s my biggest selling holiday,” he told Truman.

“Makes sense. January, huh? Aw, I guess I’ll miss it.”