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“Why wouldn’t you want everything on the same level?” Caleb says, resuming the discussion.

“Because we’ll both want home offices, and we’ll want them quiet.” She lifts a hand. “And if you suggest putting them in the basement, then that’s where your office will go. Mine will have windows.”

“Basements have windows,” he says, but he’s grinning. “Fine, so offices in the upper level and a main-floor bedroom?”

She shakes her head. “I wouldn’t want a baby on another floor from us.”

“Don’t forget I have two nieces. You definitely want them on another floor at night.” Another grin. “Remember they have these fancy things called…” He leans in and whispers, “Baby monitors.”

“And then we trip and die running up the stairs at night.”

“You want to be sleeping on the same level as the kids then?”

“Yes.”

“So … single story?”

She sighs. Deeply. “The office—”

“Convert the garage. Better yet, find a house with a granny flat. Use that for anytime we need to be quiet.” He waggles his brows. “Or need to be noisy. Granny flat with a sofa bed.”

“While the baby is alone in the house?”

“Babies are confined in cribs. They’re fine. The problem comes when they’re older. Then we stick them in front of the TV and tell them we’re going outside to work.”

Noemi rolls her eyes, but she laughs, too.

He peers out the windshield. “Shouldn’t we be there by now?”

They’re heading to a lakeside cabin for the weekend. They still live in the home her parents had bought as student housing when Noemi went off to college. When Caleb graduated, they’d weighed the pros and cons of him getting his own place, only to decide he’d stay for another year and share her room. The advantage, of course, was saving money. The disadvantage was privacy, in a five-bedroom house shared by seven students.

Since they have another reason for coming this way, Caleb had splurged on renting a fall-getaway cabin. It helps that it’s early autumn, past summer vacations and not yet into fall colors, so it’d been cheap.

As for why they’re in the area for the weekend?

Noemi inwardly squees at the reminder.

They’re getting a puppy. Caleb knows how much she’s always wanted one, and he’d been musing about finding a pet-friendly apartment, only to surprise her for her birthday. Not that he’d actually bought her a puppy on his own. Caleb would never do that. He’d bought a leash and a bowl and printed an IOU-a-Puppy certificate, which she had cashed immediately. That’s another advantage to her parents owning the house. Since none of their roommates have allergies, she can bring in a puppy.

Noemi looks at the GPS, only to see that the map has vanished, replaced by her latest audiobook. They’ve taken her little SUV because it’s more reliable. Also more comfortable, though she’d never say that to Caleb. He drives his dad’s former car. Noemi drives her mom’s former one. The difference is that Caleb’s is an eleven-year-old Kia and hers is a three-year-old BMW.

She taps the touch screen to bring the GPS up again. And it’s blank except for the dot that is their vehicle, moving across a void.

Noemi curses and picks up her connected phone. “Looks like we lost the GPS. Let me get it back.”

She swipes the map app off and taps it back on. The car dot returns on that empty background. Trying another navigation app doesn’t help. When she tells Caleb, he says, “Did we lose service?”

“Yes, but I downloaded the maps, knowing we might head into a low-service area. Something must have gone wrong.”

“Let me pull up the rental cottage’s website and check their directions…” She winces. “Which I can’t do without service.”

“Try mine. Maybe my provider works.”

She takes and unlocks his phone. “Nope, zero bars.”

“Oh, wait. The booking email included directions. It’s in my Action Items folder.”

“You are such a geek.”