I braced for Ash to say that it wasn’t really his party, he just happened to share a birthday with her. He’d said it before. Maya hated it, naturally, though it was, in a way, true. The Salmon Creek kids had grown up together, and they’d thrown birthday bashes for each other since they were old enough to organize them. I envy that, growing up with the kind of childhood you usually only read about it books. But Maya and Daniel make sure they do it for everyone now. Well, except Derek, who would sooner be devoured by fire ants than endure a party in his honor. I suspect Ash would prefer the fire ants, too. He’d just never say so to Maya. This time, though, he thankfully left without comment, Daniel saying only that it was a “construction thing.”

A few minutes later, Daniel returned and led Maya out. “The party is at the climbing ridge,” he said.

“To which you added a few holds for my birthday?”

“That would be a spoiler.”

“Um, you haven’t let me use it in two weeks. I kinda know you added holds.”

“Maybe I was adding something else.”

“Seriously?” She grinned at him. “What?”

“Spoiler.”

She kept needling him as we walked. When she saw where we were heading, she said, “The climbing ridge is that way.”

“Yep, and your first present is this way.”

“At my house?”

“Yep.”

We stepped from the woods to see Ash awkwardly sitting on the low front step of the rehab shed. Or it looked like the rehab shed. There was an entire second room on the back along with an external wire-covered run.

“You…” Maya stared at Ash. “You did…”

He shrugged. “You needed more room, and you said you’d like a run added someday so…”

She ran over and caught him up in a hug before he could escape it. He wriggled free after a moment and said, gruffly, “Glad you like it. Wasn’t just me, though. Daniel did the blueprints, and he and Corey helped with all the material prep.”

Maya turned to Daniel. He got the same exuberant hug, accepted with far more enthusiasm. When she pulled back, Corey stood there, arms extended. She rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I promise not to grab your ass this time,” he said.

“Good, then I can promise not to smack you for grabbing my ass this time.”

“Nuh-uh,” Daniel said. “Don’t say that. The only reason he grabs it is to get the smack.”

Corey grinned. Maya smacked his outstretched arm and said, “There. We can skip the stages in between.” She grabbed Daniel’s hand and said to Ash, “Take me inside. Show me what you did.”

“Uh, party waiting?” Corey said, pointing toward the woods.

“Go on. We’ll catch up.”