They got off the train in the White Plains station and the group split up. Matty, Via, Seb and Crabby waved goodbye and hopped in a car with Matty’s grandparents. The rest of the group walked the quarter mile to their Airbnb, chosen for its proximity to the train station. All of them had had work on Friday, so it was Saturday midmorning that they settled into their rooms at the Airbnb, the commute having been about only two hours total. The cemetery visit was set for tomorrow, so all of Saturday stretched out before them.

An hour after they arrived, John found himself in a hammock, a beer in his hand and Mary plastered along his side.

“Why are you frowning?” she asked him, her fingers tracing his eyebrows.

“It’s so quiet,” he complained. He was made nervous by the rolling stretch of green grass below them, by the lack of traffic noise. It was probably his imagination, but he thought the sky to be a disconcerting blue out here in the suburbs.

Mary laughed. “Would it make you feel better if I slammed a few car doors and shouted at some passerby?”

He laughed too. “Infinitely.”

John fiddled with Mary’s golden hair, took a long sip of his beer and decided to tell her the real truth about why he was frowning. “I was supposed to go on vacation with my dad this weekend.”

Mary stiffened. “What? Oh, my gosh, John. I didn’t mean to mess up your plans!”

“You didn’t,” he reassured her. “I’d already said no a couple of weeks ago. It’s just funny, knowing that he and Maddox are off somewhere bonding, and I’m not there. Not that it’s the first time it’s ever happened. They vacation together every year or so, and have since Maddox was a kid. But it’s the first time since we reconnected that I’ve been on vacation somewhere else at the same time. Usually I’m too busy working myself into the ground to give it much thought.”

“Why did you say no to the trip?”

John was quiet for a while, gathering his thoughts. “Honestly, there were a lot of reasons. Wanting to spend time with you was probably the most obvious one.” He paused. “Mary, I’m sure it’s quite clear to you, but I don’t have a ton of money. Don’t get me wrong. I’m good with money. I’m responsible. But New York is expensive, and public defenders don’t get loan forgiveness until the ten-year mark. I’ve got a ways to go yet.”

She snuggled closer to him, but he could feel her tension. “I know that.”

“Right. Well. My dad is very rich. And whenever he invites me to do something with him, it’s way too expensive for me to ever pay my own way.”