"And this year's phoenix design," she says.
I nod. "Renewal and moving forward."
There's weight in my voice, something personal. She doesn't push, but I can tell she's filing it away.
Jenna returns with our food, and the conversation shifts to lighter things. Evan tells an elaborate story about a customer who tried to order a cake shaped like her ex-boyfriend's car so she could serve it at her freedom party. Maddie shows Piper her rainbow drawing and explains that each color represents a different type of cookie. I watch both of them with fond exasperation.
And I watch Piper; the way she leans forward when Maddie talks, genuinely interested, the way she laughs at Evan's terrible jokes. And especially the way her eyes keep finding mine across the table, soft and curious.
"You're staring," Evan says quietly, leaning across the table toward me.
I jerk my attention back to my plate. "No I'm not."
"Yes, you are, and for the record, she's staring too when you're not looking."
I glance up and see that Piper is, in fact, looking at me. When our eyes meet, she doesn't look away immediately; there's a question in her gaze, something uncertain and hopeful.
My heart does an uncomfortable flip.
"So, Piper," Evan says, louder now, clearly enjoying himself, "what brings a big-city content creator to a small town in Montana?"
"The job," she says automatically.
"Just the job?"
She pauses. "I go where the work is; I don't usually stay anywhere long."
"Why not?" Maddie asks, looking up from her drawing.
The question is both simple and complicated, and Piper doesn't know how to answer it.
I watch her carefully. "You don't have to answer that."
"It's okay," she says. "I guess I've just never found a place that felt like home."
"Maybe you haven't looked in the right places," Evan suggests.
Something flickers across Piper's face, but before she can respond, the diner door opens again, and a firefighter walks in. He spots me and walks over, nodding at our table.
"Hayes. I just wanted to give you a heads up, fire watch is elevated this week. Winds are shifting patterns, so keep an eye on the alerts."
My entire body goes rigid. "How elevated?"
"Nothing immediate, it’s just precautionary. You know the drill."
"Yeah," I say quietly. "I know the drill."
The firefighter nods and heads to the counter to place a to-go order.
The energy at the table has shifted. My jaw is tight, my hands flat on the table like I'm anchoring myself. Maddie seems oblivious, but Evan is watching me with concern.
"You okay?" Piper asks softly.
I force a smile that doesn't reach my eyes. "Fine, it’s just fire season makes everyone nervous."
But it's more than that, I can see in her expression that she knows it too. The tension radiating through my shoulders, the way my breathing has gone shallow, these are signs that I'm trying to hide, but unfortunately, I can’t.
She reaches across the table without thinking and touches my hand. "Hey, we're safe here."
