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For the first few minutes, Cody kept it exactly how he said he would. He talked about college classes with the kind of annoyance Tanner remembered from school, though Cody made it funny now.

“I’ve got one lecturer,” Cody said, “who says ‘circle back’ every ten minutes. I have no idea why when the course is psychology course.”

Orsen took a sip of coffee. “Maybe he just likes saying it and he likes you all hearing it.”

“You’re so supportive.”

“I’m honest.”

Cody pointed at him. “See? This is why I’m the social one.”

Tanner stayed mostly quiet, but not because they left him out. Cody kept the talk moving between small-town gossip, and the general business of who was doing what. TJ had apparently broken a chair in the station last week and blamed the bolts. Dee had told everyone it was because he leaned back too far while reading reports. Taylor was covering extra shifts and complaining about it. None of it mattered and that was the point. It was a normal conversation, and normal conversations were something that had been missing from his life.

Eventually Cody looked at him over the rim of his cup. “How’s the house?”

Tanner shrugged. “Standing.”

“That good, huh?”

“Roof doesn’t leak.”

Cody smiled faintly. “A luxury.”

Tanner looked down at his coffee. “Guess so.”

Orsen asked, “Do you need anything?”

Tanner frowned. “What?”

“For the house.”

Tanner’s first answer was a straight no but then he paused. “I’ve got it covered,” he said instead.

Cody leaned back in his chair. “You know if Savannah needs company, I’m excellent at cartoons and snacks. I have plenty of experience.”

Tanner looked at him. “That doesn’t sound great.”

“It’s a skill set.”

“It’s a threat,” Orsen snorted. “I’ve seen him with the kids.”

Cody ignored him. “Point is, you don’t have to do everything on your own.”

That got Tanner’s back up in spite of everything else. “Yeah, I do.”

Cody’s expression changed, becoming more careful. “Alright. Bad wording.” He put his cup down. “You’ve had to do everything on your own. I get that.”

Tanner stared at him. Somehow he didn’t think Cody got it at all, but he kept quiet.

Cody held his stare and when he spoke, his voice had dropped some of the easy humor. “I’m not trying to take over anything. I’m just saying you don’t have to keep the door shut on everybody forever. There are people here who are willing to help you, if you let them.”

Tanner looked away and looked out of the window. Across the road, the preschool sign stood bright against the fence. He could still hear Laura’s polite voice in his head. Just bring it in when you can.

“People say that,” he muttered. “Then they start asking questions.”

Cody nodded. “Some do.”

“And some report things.”