“We found him roaming around the boatyard, and no one claimed him, and my mom kept feeding him.… Go on—pet him. He doesn’t bite, but he is super gassy. That’s his magic power.”

“Ah, pass,” I say, holding up my hands and chuckling.

“Still scared of dogs?”

“Not scared.”

“Ever since that Doberman, when we were nine. The one by the school.”

“I hated that dog,” I admit. “It’s not that. I don’t know … I’ve just never been around any. Not up close and personal.”

His nose crinkles. “I don’t remember that. Are you sure? Never?”

“A few cats at some of the small bookstores that my mom’s managed, but no dogs. I’ve never really had a pet. Never been anywhere long enough, I guess.”

“Well, if you ever want to practice dog ownership, Bean is happy to oblige. And the good thing is, he’s got a short attention span,” he says as the dog scampers off, tongue lolling as he chases a paper airplane. “Come on. Let’s eat before someone else corners us.”

We pile plates with food—a mishmash of everything from spanakopita and moussaka, to pork egg rolls from Mr. and Mrs. Wong, and not one, but three kinds of potato salad—and find an unoccupied table. It’s a little awkward between us while we eat. We don’t have much to say, and it’s so noisy … so much going on in the small backyard. Conversations. Laughter. And it continues like this until one of his uncles—George, who is a little tipsy—trips over a water sprinkler. Thank God, because it attracts everyone’s attention, and Lucky finally breaks the awkward silence between us, reminding me of funny stories about Uncle George embarrassing himself at other Sunday dinners.

“You hate this,” Lucky suddenly says, toying with the tab on top of a can of grape soda. “Being here. You were worried about being here today, and I said it would be okay, but now you’re not talking, so I’m pretty sure you hate it.”

I think for a moment. “You know what? I actually don’t. It’s just that I forgot what it’s like. I’ve been used to just me and Mom. It’s been weird since we’ve moved back here for Evie to be added into the mix. Not bad-weird. Just …”

“An adjustment.”

“Yeah.”