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When I got to the Grant House, Daniel was waiting for me outside like he always did. He didn’t have Chloe. She’d gone back to the farm yesterday since she was off the bottle.

Change was inevitable. Only today it made me deeply, deeply sad.

I sat in my car for a moment longer than usual just to take it in—because it was the last time Daniel and Hunter would be waiting for me.

When I got out, Hunter plowed into me, then Daniel came at me with the same energy, wrapping me in one of his big bear hugs. They were both always so excited to see me.

Neil had never greeted me like this. Maybe it was a maturity thing. I remembered what Bri said about men being puppies at this age, and it felt true. Daniel had this pure happiness about him every time I showed up.

I closed my eyes and breathed in and just melted into his kiss.

He pulled away enough to look at me. “You ready for dinner?” he asked. “I thought we could walk over. It’s a nice night.”

I peered up at his smiling face and sniffled. “Yeah. Let’s walk.”

He tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

He peered at me, his warm hazel eyes looking into my soul. “It doesn’t feel like nothing.”

“I lost a patient today.”

His handsome brows drew down. “What happened?”

I paused a moment. “It was a seventeen-year-old. His kayak flipped. No life jacket.”

Daniel studied me wordlessly.

“You know what’s so dangerous about drowning?” I said, looking up at him. “It’s silent. So unless someone’s paying close attention to you, no one saves you.”

He brushed my hair off my forehead. “I see you. I would save you if you were drowning.”

It was sweet, but he wouldn’t. Because I wasn’t drowning here with him. I was drowning two hours away from here, alone.

“Let’s go eat,” I said, changing the subject.

He nodded. “Okay. Let me just put Hunter inside, and we’ll get going.”

A few minutes later we turned onto the bike trail that went to Main Street, and Daniel threaded his fingers in mine.

“So how was your day?” I asked, wanting to talk about anything that wasn’t me.

“Well, let’s see,” he said, talking to the trail ahead of us. “Hunter ate a ChapStick. Kevin Bacon got out again. This time, he let himself into the pharmacy and ate all the candy bars by the register. Scared the crap out of Mrs. Pearson.”

I laughed weakly. “Doug isn’t going to eat him, is he?”

He shook his head. “No. Doug’s a vegetarian.”

I wrinkled my forehead. “Really?”

“Yup. Doesn’t drink either. Kevin Bacon has a long life of frightening the villagers ahead of him.”

I laughed.

“Then I spent some time down by the river,” he said.

“Swimming?”