Slowly, arms out, legs bent at the knees like she was a cat on ice skates on linoleum, she lowered herself onto all fours. She paused in that position for a long beat, then finally sat, hugging her knees to her chest.

To her credit, she didn’t push him to talk; she just reached out and took his hand in her clammy one and held tight, whether from sheer terror or wanting to comfort him, he wasn’t sure.

“You seriously swim the lake?” she asked.

“Usually twice.”

She gasped in horror, and in spite of what he was feeling, he smiled. “You think I’m nuts.”

She managed a small smile. “You’re my friend, and no matter what life choices you’ve made, I support you. Even if I think you’re nuts.”

He actually laughed when he hadn’t thought he could, and his frozen heart thawed a little bit. “Thanks for supporting my choices. FYI, I’ve just made another one.” Cupping her face, he kissed her, a soft kiss with a hint of a promise that he hoped she took him up on sometime. But it was her move to make, not his.

She put her hands over his and kept her eyes closed as she slowly pulled back. “You’re good at that. And I’m betting you’re good at all the stuff that goes with it.”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

She smiled. “I’d like that. But . . .” She opened her eyes. “Something’s wrong.”

He shrugged. Yeah, there was something wrong with him, probably a whole bunch of things, actually. But he didn’t have words for it right now. So he leaned back and stared at the water.

Piper leaned back too, carefully not looking at the water. “Winnie’s working on the house. And Gavin’s taking on some small jobs.”

“And you’re telling me this because . . . ?”

“Because we’re friends.”

“We are, but I know you now,” he said. “You’re telling me this because you want me to open up as well.”

“Yes.” She smiled, but her eyes remained serious. “Because otherwise I’m risking heart failure for nothing out here.”

She wasn’t joking. He could see her pulse leaping at the hollow of her throat. “I’m fine, Piper.” A lie, of course. He wasn’t fine. He’d been going through Rowan’s things. A macabre task, but his dad had asked him for help packing it all. Memories were one thing. Walking past Rowan’s bedroom every single day, which was practically a shrine to him, was another.

So Cam had taken that task on for his dad, which was how he’d found the engagement ring Rowan had bought to give to Winnie. His chest hurt at the thought. “I packed up Rowan’s things today.”