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Cass followed along next to him as they crossed the narrow street together, then held open the door to the tiny café for Ash to enter.

A few minutes later, they were settled at a two-seater table on the outdoor patio, under the shade of a bright-orange umbrella, sipping their drinks and waiting for their food to arrive. Bri still slept quietly in her stroller next to them, not making so much as a peep.

A pleasant, soft breeze swept in off the water, cutting into the heat of the day, and Ash sighed and leaned back in his chair. Across the table, Cass took a sip of his iced tea and looked out over the small marina next to them.

“It’s so nice here. Do you come a lot?” he asked.

Ash shook his head. “Not too often. Honestly, Bri and I eat at home most of the time. I used to come here more, though. My friend Grant goes kayaking a lot, and he used to always drag me along with him.”

“Oh, you can rent them here? I’ve never gone.”

“Yeah. It’s fun.” Ash leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, holding back the urge to say they should try it together sometime. Cass would be on his way home to California in just a few hours now, and he’d have no real reason to come back. The thought made Ash’s stomach drop, and he picked up his glass of water to distract himself.

“So, how did today go?” he asked.

Cass’s smile lit back up, and he set down his drink and leaned back in his chair. “Pretty good, actually,” he started. He opened his mouth to keep going but then shut it and shook his head. “How much detail do you want? Because I’m actually much more excited about it all than I was even yesterday, and I could probably go on and on for quite a while if you let me. But I don’t want to bore you.”

Ash laughed and sat up straighter. “As much detail as you want to share. You won’t bore me at all, I promise.” He tilted his head toward Bri’s stroller. “Remember, most of the conversations I have right now consist of one- or two-syllable words that are only understandable because I’ve learned to translate ‘Bri speak.’”

“Alright, alright.” Cass gave Ash a soft smile and then started recounting the last few hours, talking animatedly as he told Ash all the details, including more personal things. Like the fact that even though he was starting on what should be a pretty solid career path, he wasn’t really sure what was in his future since he didn’t foresee a time when he wouldn’t need to be home to take care of his mom. There was a flicker of sadness or maybe uncertainty in Cass’s eyes when he said that, but he quickly moved on to a new topic—how beautiful the University of Washington campus was, even just the small part of it that he’d seen. Ash had to agree with that; he absolutely loved the campus, which was one of the reasons he hadn’t left with his sister and the Wallers to move down to California.

Their food arrived shortly after, and the conversation continued while they ate, jumping easily and organically from topic to topic. Bri slept soundly the whole time, her stuffie still sitting dutifully in her lap.

When the check came a good hour later, Cass quickly reached out and picked it up before Ash could.

“My treat, remember?” he said, grinning almost triumphantly.

Ash’s cheeks heated up. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

Cass gave a weak shrug but also didn’t look away for several seconds. His eyes seemed to see right through whatever walls Ash was trying to put up, and a sudden, deep ache for more of that connection settled in Ash’s chest. He looked down quickly, his heart thrumming.

There was a pause, and then Cass cleared his throat. “You said there’s a park nearby? Is it stroller-friendly?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Ash managed, though his words stuck in his throat. He forced himself to look back up, though he couldn’t quite hold Cass’s gaze this time. “It’s just over there.” He tipped his head to his right, over toward Fritz Hedges Waterway Park. “It’s not big, just like a short strip along the water, but I love the view.”

“Let’s do it, then.” Cass leaned forward, pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, and then counted out a few twenties and stuck them inside the check holder. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Ash stood slowly, pushed his chair in, and took a moment to check on Bri, who was still out cold. Then he followed Cass back out of the café, pushing the stroller ahead of him. Once they were out on the sidewalk, Cass moved into place beside him, and they walked the short way to the park in silence. The path curved toward the water, a small grassy knoll on one side and a shallow, gravel-covered shore on the other. A couple of kayakers were just returning, their boats sliding up onto the shore as they hopped out, and a woman was playing fetch with a sopping-wet golden retriever, who bounded in and out of the water gleefully every time the woman threw the dog’s ball.

They continued on the brief walk through the park, then looped back to a short pier that ran out over the water at the park’s south end. Ash stopped Bri’s stroller right along the railing and glanced over at Cass, who stood back a few feet staring out at the water, his hands shoved into his pockets. A slight breeze ruffled Cass’s hair, and Ash’s heart stuttered.

God, what was wrong with him?

He looked away again and stepped around the stroller to the railing. Cass moved up beside him, far enough away that they weren’t touching but still close enough that Ash could feel it. He swallowed hard as that deep ache came again. This time, it was heavier, and the longing was specific, like it had been outside of his car.

An arm around his shoulders.

A kiss to his temple.

A hug that lingered and didn’t let go.

He exhaled a shaky breath.

“I, uh, I told you it was a small park,” he said with a weak laugh. Maybe if they could start up a conversation again, he’d get out of his head.

“You did,” Cass said, also laughing softly. “I think it’s nice, though. Peaceful.”