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My head moves up and down robotically. “Yeah. Really nice.”

“I wonder if she’s still obsessed with jigsaw puzzles. Remember that one that was all different shades of green?”

I crack a fond smile, thinking back to the time we’d gone with Kyle over to her apartment off campus. I’d never heard Olivia curse quite as colourfully as she did trying to do that damn puzzle.

“You should ask Juniper for one of the puzzles the wildlife rescue made out of our calendar shoot. I bet she’d get a kick out of that.”

Griff’s cheeks turn a dark red that matches his hair. Yeah, he’s into her.

“You’re just suggesting that because you got to take pictures with your shirt off, cuddling with fucking foxes. I had that terrifying hawk on my hand the entire time,” he grumbles. “Pretty sure I look like I’m about to shit my pants in every photo.”

I chuckle. “Good point. Fine, we won't let her see the puzzle or the calendar.”

We both fall quiet and eat another slice of pizza in an easier silence before Griff asks, “Are you gonna stop by the Special Olympics thing at the university tomorrow?”

“No, I promised Armstrong I’d go in and give him a hand with the field first-aid course he’s running for the volunteers. Are you?”

He nods. “Luca reached out, asked if I’d go for a bit.”

I take a deep breath. Wingman time. “You should text Olivia. Meet her for lunch or something.”

“Yeah. Maybe I will.”

Dear god. If he doesn’t man up and ask her out, I’m gonna lose my shit. Or do something even stupider and ask her out myself.

9

OLIVIA

I had hoped to leave the lab much earlier today to avoid the bottleneck in the parking lot, courtesy of the Special Olympics camp going on this weekend. Unfortunately, losing track of time is something at which I’m extremely talented.

Still, I can’t find it in me to be frustrated as I look at all the happy faces on the children and youth around the parking lot while leaving the sports fields and the massive indoor sports dome.

It’s dry today, just like it was yesterday. And surprisingly bright outside. A welcome change after the steady rainfall of the last two weeks.

One girl is propelling herself in a wheelchair, talking a mile a minute to two adults about her day, while a boy with Down syndrome giggles and runs circles around the adult with him.

“Coach Griff!”

The name makes my head spin automatically, searching for him. I’m not surprised to see Griffin here, not at all. When I find him crouched down low next to an old pickup truck, I see him taking a baseball from a kid wearing noise-cancelling headphones, who’s rocking back and forth. Griff smiles gently at him before glancing up at the boy’s family. I don’t know what they’re saying, but I watch as Griff signs the baseball, then holds it out to the boy.

Another kid approaches him, her gait unsteady. Cerebral palsy perhaps, or a different neuromuscular condition. Griff gives her a wide smile and a high five, and her face lights up under his attention.

“Oops, sorry.” Someone bumps into me from behind, right as a ball lands on the ground next to me, rolling under a car. I pivot to see a teenage boy with a prosthetic arm giving me an apologetic look.

“Charlie!” A familiar voice has me glancing to the side where Isla’s walking up to us, a handsome older man at her side. “Hi Olivia! Sorry about that, these two don’t pay attention.” She nods at the teen and then the man at her side.

“Yeah, my bad, I was trying to make the catch.” The teen rubs the back of his neck with his hand.

“In a busy parking lot, no less,” Isla chides, letting out a huff. “Now the ball’s under a car.”

“I’ll get it,” Charlie announces as he drops to the ground.

To my surprise, Isla reaches out and pulls me in for a hug. I stiffen for a second before relaxing and hugging her back. “Didn’t expect to see you here on a Sunday. This is my son Charlie and my fiancé Luca.”

“Nice to meet you both,” I say. Then, feeling the need to explain myself, I continue, “I had some last-minute stuff to do at the lab before I go into the field next week.”

My fingers play with the cuffs of the shirt I’m wearing as I take in Isla’s happy smile, the diamond ring glinting on her finger, and her shiny red hair twisted into a pretty braid that cascades over her shoulder. She’s effortlessly beautiful, petite and curvy, wearing a Cedar Creek Thunder cropped-style hoodie and a pair of joggers. But what truly stands out is her happiness, and how her love for Luca shines on her face. The open and deep affection between them is evident in how their bodies are turned toward each other, as if they can’t get enough.