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He chuckled. “I plead the Fifth. Unless you want to guess.”

“So you can plead the Fifth again? No, thank you.”

In her mind, he was always truthful with her. And he liked to joke. So it was probably a combination of both.

Ahead of them, Bella and Tiff walked shoulder to shoulder, their heads bent together, laughter carrying back on the breeze. Bella kicked at a leaf, sending it spinning, then pointed her phone down at their feet while they kept doing it. Probably going to post videos on social media.

She hated the kids did that so much, but times had changed.

Then the girls both lifted their phones and took selfies of each other making hand signs.

“They seem to be enjoying themselves,” Marly said quietly. “And we are far enough in the back to not get caught up in those pictures.”

“They seem it to me,” he said. “I don’t know Tiff all that well, only what Bella says. It’s a new best friend this year.” His voice was lower.

“What happened to last year’s friends? Or is it just that age?”

“I’m assuming the age. I don’t remember my friends changing all that much, but I got along with everyone.”

“Just like now,” she said. “But me, my close friends all changed year to year with what activities I did.”

“Or how little you did.”

She turned and squinted. “I was very active. Just not Colson Ryder active.” He laughed. The sound was enough to have Bella turning her head at that. “We are being watched.”

“We’ve been watched out together since the first date we had. And for the record…”

“Oh, the record,” she said. “Let me get ready for that.” She squared her shoulders and prepared to take the information in.

“Wiseass,” he said. “As I was saying, I’m not nearly as active as I was back then. I think more of it had to do with not wanting to be home.”

Because his home life sucked. She’d heard it enough. When they dated back then, Colson was at her house more than she went to his.

She’d met his mother. She didn’t remember much about his father other than Colson seemed embarrassed by him.

She remembered the talks that her parents had late at night when the doors and lights were shut and she shouldn’t be listening, but she was.

That Robert Ryder was a drunk, but Jane was decent and her biggest flaw was staying with her husband.

“You’re doing great with Bella, you know that, right? Anyone can see it. Just the way she looks at you, how comfortable she is. Even that she asked you to be her shadow today.”

He glanced at her, surprised. “That’s some more high praise from the DA.”

“Now, now. Don’t be that way.”

“What way?”

“That I said something to embarrass you. I’m just saying, that she looks relaxed. That is high praise from a woman who notices effort,” she corrected. “And you know, effort is important to me.”

He nudged her arm again, lighter this time, his eyes lightening some, slowly relaxing himself with today’s adventure.

It wasn’t only his first time going on a date with teens around. It was hers too.

“If you keep saying things like that, I’ll start fishing for more compliments.”

She tilted her head, her eyes sliding over him in a way that said more than the words out of her mouth. But she was going to say them anyway. “You look yummy today.”

“Yummy?” he choked out. “It’s jeans and a T-shirt.”