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Hudson: They have quite the appetite.

Sloane: That bad?

Hudson: Bring the bug repellent.

I considered sending something now.

Still coming?

Too uncertain.

Drive carefully.

Too parental.

I changed shirt twice for this.

Absolutely not.

I locked my phone and slipped it into my pocket. If she came, she came. She had said she would, and I was choosing to believe her.

It took me two tries to get the ATV started, and I drove the short distance to the hall with a crate of blankets secured behind me. The late-afternoon sun sat low enough to soften the property without losing its heat. By nightfall, the lawn would be cool, and the field behind the hall would turn dark enough for the projector.

We used the rear wall for movie nights because the surface was broad, pale, and mostly unobstructed, making it a perfect place to mount a large screen. My great-grandfather hadn’t built it with films in mind, but the pack had spent decades finding new uses for every part of the building, even the field.

When I arrived, Mom had already positioned the projector table. Julie was carrying trays between the kitchen and pavilion, wearing pink sneakers, white jeans, and an apron printed with tiny tubs of popcorn. That woman loved a good theme.

“You’re early,” she said when I carried the blankets past her.

“Thought you guys could use some help.”

She studied my face for a second. “You’re nervous.”

“What? I’m holding blankets.”

“That’s not an answer.”

I kept walking.

Julie followed. “Did you change clothes?”

“No.”

She gasped. “You did.”

“I regularly wear this.”

“Not when it’s seventy-three degrees.”

“It will get colder.” I dropped the crate near the hay bales. “Do you need help with the food?”

Julie smiled with entirely too much satisfaction. “I need nothing.”

I snorted. “That has never been true.”

“It is tonight.”

I walked to the seating area before she could continue. We had arranged hay bales in several loose rows, leaving enough space between them for blankets and lawn chairs. Some would complain that hay was itchy. Others would choose it over chairs for the experience. The littles would climb across it all regardless of its intended purpose.