She lifts a brow. “Then why do you keep looking at your watch like it owes you money?”
“I don’t.”
“You do,” she says, reaching for a stray twig on the railing and tapping it against my boot. “And you didn’t even deny it well.”
I secure the last screw and stand, brushing off my hands. “I’m going for a walk.”
“A walk,” she repeats like she’s been handed the single least believable answer in the world. “Alone?”
“Not alone,” I hear myself say.
Her eyes go wide in that sparkly, delighted way that always leads to trouble. “Oh?”
I should lie. I should redirect. Instead, I open my mouth and spill the truth.
“I told Emma I’d take her up to Ridge Point.”
Gran leans back, crossing her arms. “Aurora’s supposed to be bright tonight.”
“I know.”
“And you invited her.”
“She asked.”
“But you said yes.”
I let out a slow breath. “Gran…”
She steps forward and pats my cheek like I’m still six years old. “Take a blanket.”
“It’s fine.”
“Kenny. Take a blanket.”
The warning tone is clear enough that I grab the one hanging on the back of the kitchen chair without another argument. Gran hides a smile behind her mug.
“Have fun,” she says.
“I’m just being helpful.”
“Mm-hm.”
“It’s not a date.”
She takes a sip of tea. “Of course not.”
I give up and leave before she can say anything else that might make my ears burn.
I pull up to Emma’s cabin just as the sun is dipping low, the sky streaked pink and gold. She steps out onto the porch with her camera bag, bundled in a dark jacket and a knit hat that has a tiny pom-pom on top.
For some reason, that detail goes straight to my chest.
“You ready?” I ask.
She nods, and her breath curls in the cold air. “Yep. I’ve been watching the forecast all day. They said there’s a strong chance the aurora will peak soon.”
“Then we should get moving.”
