A break was exactly what Ray needed. A change to the routine; time to think and reflect. Who knew if Asher felt the same need? At the end of the day, he was here too and for whatever his reasons, Ray was glad of the fact.

For the last few months he'd been feeling a little more melancholy than usual, so Ray was planning to put the seclusion to good use to get himself out of his funk. Piling a few more spoons of sugar into his coffee, Ray figured long naps, sunbathing and comfort-eating were good first steps on the road to recovery.

He picked up the two mugs and meandered around the boat, searching for Asher. Blowing on his drink as he reached the bedroom, he paused in the narrow doorway to observe.

"You know the sheets are gonna smell of smoke tonight..."