Harmony chuckled and reached for his hand, then caught herself and pulled back again. “Would you believe I’ve never been to a bonfire?”

Nolan stopped walking and regarded her suspiciously. “Never?”

She shook her head and giggled. “Nope, no campfires, either.”

“What?” he practically shouted. “Why the heck not?”

“One of the joys of being a foster kid. None of our temporary guardians were too concerned about making memories with us.”

His face fell, and before she knew it, he’d pulled her to his chest in a hug.

She laughed nervously against him but didn’t push away. “Nolan. Really, it’s okay.”

Nolan stroked her hair and made calming noises as if she were the one who was upset and needed to be calmed. He clucked his tongue and mumbled half to himself, “If you’ve never had a fire, I’m guessing you’ve also never had s’mores, and that will not do.”

“I know what s’mores are,” she countered, leaning back to glare into his eyes. “And I doubt I’m so deprived that it warrants all these theatrics.”

He squeezed her close again. “You’re wrong about that, and we’re going to fix it. We’re going to fix it tonight.”

“Nolan, really, it’s fine.”

“It isn’t yet, but it will be soon.” He released her, then turned back and started walking in the direction from which they’d first come.

The dogs spotted the sudden shift and chased after him, barking merrily as they pushed through the gentle waves. Pancake stopped often to make sure his little buddy was still with him, making Harmony’s heart swell with love for both creatures.

She followed after man and dogs, moving in double time to catch up with Nolan’s long, determined stride. “I’m having a nice time at the beach. Can’t s’mores wait?”

He kept moving at his impossibly quick pace without even looking back. “Spoken like someone who’s never tried the little pieces of heaven,” he called over the sound of gulls crying and waves lapping at the shore. “Yes, we’ll definitely need to fix that.”

Harmony laughed and shook her head, even though secretly she was quite flattered that Nolan wanted her to experience all of his favorite memories. It was almost as if she were making up for all the time lost during her childhood. Getting a second chance to do things right.

“Okay, so what now?” she asked when the car loomed back into view.

“I’m going to drop you off at home, head to the store to grab some supplies, and then come back to introduce you to the best dessert this world has to offer. Hey, do you know if Mrs. Clementine has a fire pit?” He grabbed his keys from his pocket and unlocked the car. Its lights flashed in greetings.

Harmony’s legs had begun to ache from the sudden burst of exercise, but luckily it was nearing its natural end. “I don’t know, but I can ask,” she said. “And why can’t I come with you to get supplies? It’s not like the recipe is a secret.”