Finn scoffed. “Says the lad who plants flowers for a livin’.”

“I like flowers!” Katie announced proudly.

Owen tapped her nose with his finger. “As you should, young lady. That’s why the world needs landscapers and flower shops.” He pointed to Mike and Finn. “But we’ll still keep these fancy boys around, just because we like them, okay?”

The girl’s auburn curls bounced as she nodded in agreement before running back inside. Finn handed Mike one of the beers he was holding, giving another to Owen. They sat at the patio table and tapped the bottles together lightly in a toast before drinking.

There weren’t many things better than a cold beer on a hot June afternoon. It was Father’s Day, and Mary had insisted on having a house party, even though her husband Sam was practically immobilized by the contraption he was strapped into after having shoulder surgery a few days ago.

She wasn’t handling the work of entertaining alone—their grandmother, Maura, was in the kitchen with Finn’s wife, Bridget. Owen’s wife, Lucy, was sitting with the book club seniors at the dining room table, sharing some funny bridezilla stories from the flower shop. Mary was making Sam, a state legislator, comfortable in the recliner while Hazel did her best to keep up with their three kids. And Hazel’s mom was walking toward the open sliding doors to the deck.

Zoey’s hair was loose, with one side pinned back from her face with a plain barrette. She was wearing a dress—something rare enough that everyone made note of it. He could tell it annoyed her from the way the corners of her mouth tightened, even as she smiled at their comments. The pale yellow dress had tiny daisies scattered on it. It was loose, although he could definitely see her curves beneath the soft fabric as she walked. She wore white sandals, so flat and strappy that she may as well have been barefoot.

“Is this a meeting of the men’s club out here?” she asked, smiling, but carefully avoiding making direct eye contact with Mike. They’d discussed this cookout in great detail last night, and she’d given him a long list of dos and don’ts. Mary was her friend and his sister, so it would be awkward if they didn’t attend. But Zoey made it clear that they could not arrive together and could not even be seen together, unless in a group. They could not touch under any circumstances, and definitely could not sneak upstairs for a hot kiss, as Mike had suggested.