I stop at the counter. “Sure. Um, there are a couple of pizza places and a Mexican place in town. And Fletcher’s, of course.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Fletcher’s, I guess. We really don’t eat out much.”

A flash streaks through his features, but it’s only there for a moment. Then he nods. “Cool. Want to order from Fletcher’s, then?”

“Sure. Eating out on a Wednesday? Fancy.”

He laughs at me like I’m being funny.

“I mean it,” I say, sitting at the counter. “Midweek takeout is a fancy-people thing.”

He sits beside me. “Well, you wouldn’t believe how fancy I usually am, then. By the time I get home from practice, I’m not even thinking about making food.”

“Well, I’d rather not think about it either. So no judgment here.”

We share a smile.

“What did you do today?” I ask him.

He stretches his arms out in front of him. “I helped Dad finish a fence in the backyard. I now have a host of new topics to discuss with my therapist.”

I giggle because I can tell he’s joking. “It was that good, huh?”

“Turns out that I can swing a bat and hit a four-hundred-foot home run, but I can’t properly use a posthole digger.” He grins. “I can also swing a level bat, but my opinion of level for a fence is off. Which might be true,” he adds, almost vaguely. “Anyway, it was a fun day. What about you?”

“I had a war with a shipping company today over a container of parts we sent to Panama. So that was a blast. And then Kirk told me that I didn’t have to go to Parkersburg on Friday for a bus auction because Burt is going. That was fabulous on one hand because I don’t want to go, but it also sucked because Burt makes everything harder than necessary. But that’s all fine because he changed his mind at the end of the day, and now . . . I’m headed to the auction.”

“Auctions sound fun.”

I shrug. “I honestly don’t mind them. It’s exciting to bid on buses and decide which are worth the price and all of that. But when Val isn’t around, it’s trickier to get Ethan picked up from school and for someone to hang out with him while I’m gone.” My spirits start to sink, so I shove them away. “Anyway, it’s all good. Everything worked out.”

Cole watches me carefully. “You really like your job, huh?”

“Yeah. I do.”

The answer comes instantly. It falls from my lips without me thinking about it.

“I love the challenge of it,” I say. “It’s different every day. It’s a constant spring of information. But more than anything, I like being a part of something.”