Ben laughed and tossed a balled up napkin across the table at Jackson. “Hey, at the end of the day, I have another lunch date with her.”

“Yeah, her and her parents. That’s kind of fast, don’t you think? Skipping straight to the ‘meet the parents’ portion of a relationship?” Jackson looked over at Zach. “Am I right?”

“Don’t drag me into this. The only reason you haven’t spirited Paige off to Florida to meet your mom is her work schedule. As it is, her parents have started joining the big family lunches with your sister and her crew almost every Sunday. So as far as merging families, you’re way ahead of the curve. Why shouldn’t Ben be, too?”

“See?” Ben grinned and reached for his sparkling water. “Besides, if you factor in carrying a torch for ten years, we could get engaged next week and I don’t think it’d be too fast.”

“Who’s getting engaged next week?” Paige slid a plate into the middle of the table before squeezing into the chef’s table booth next to Jackson.

“Hopefully no one.” Zach pointed at Ben. “Just because you’ve reconnected with your long lost love doesn’t mean you need to rush your fences.”

Ben shrugged and picked up one of the eggroll-like things from the plate. “Mmm. What’s in here? It’s good.”

Paige chuckled. “Maybe I’ll wait ‘til everyone’s had some before I give out the recipe.”

Jackson pulled his hand away from the plate.

“I’m kidding.” Paige dropped one of the rolls onto the smaller plate in front of Jackson. “It’s just chicken and vegetables. I’m trying out a new recipe for the sauce that’s in there, but it’s nothing weird, I promise.”

“You promise?” Jackson poked the eggroll.

“Hey, I said it was good.” Ben reached for another and popped it in his mouth. “You’ve got to be the most unadventurous eater I’ve ever met. How’d you end up with someone who can cook like this? It doesn’t seem fair.”

Paige and Jackson exchanged a look.

“Ugh. Stop it, you two. You’re going to make me lose my appetite.” Zach snatched an eggroll and cut it neatly in half with his fork. He tipped up the cut end and peered at it before forking it into his mouth. “Mm. These are good.”

“Told ya’.” Ben looked toward the kitchen as voices raised over the clattering and banging of pans.

“And that’s my cue.” Paige brushed a kiss across Jackson’s cheek as she stood. “I’ll be back with more food in a few.”

“The food’s better, I’ll give you that. But it’s quieter at home with video games and pizza.” Zach reached for the last egg roll.

Jackson shrugged. “I guess. It’s not like the two of you have to tag along. I can always bring a book to pass the time. But with Paige’s schedule, this is what our Friday night dates are going to be like for the foreseeable future. She’s worth it.”

“She’s good for you.” Ben shifted. Was it possible to ease the angle of his knee and lessen the ache? Something had to make it stop. “Figure out where you’re putting in the garden yet?”

“She wants to come over tomorrow morning and take a look, but I’m thinking we should wait ‘til spring.”

“Are you still going to be living with us come spring?” Zach gulped down a long drink of water.

Ben waited for Jackson to dismiss the question. When it wasn’t immediate, he frowned. “Why is this even a question? You can’t leave.”

Zach shook his head. “Dude, do you even have eyes? Look at the two of them. If that’s not headed toward marriage, I’m a Benedictine Monk.”

Marriage? Okay, so sure, Jackson and Paige were a great match. But they hardly knew one another. And yet...sometimes you just knew. Wasn’t Marie—Rebecca—a case in point? He needed to get used to thinking of her as Rebecca. It certainly suited her better, but it was still an adjustment. He planted his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand.

“I’m not sure any of us will be living in the same house come spring. I got an email from Jason this afternoon. Seems he and Karin are taking a furlough and would like the house. They’re not firm on dates yet, so it might be summer, but...” Jackson shrugged.

Just great. Ben glanced at Zach. “Want to look for something together?”

“Sure.” Zach grinned. “But I call dibs on the master if there’s a bathroom in it. Schlepping down the hall is for the birds.”

“That’s fine. If we’re not sharing, at least I won’t be searching for a toothbrush-sized sliver of counter space in between all your hair products.”

“Don’t do anything rash, all right? He just sent the sort of heads up email. I wasn’t even going to mention it until I had more information. Clearly that would’ve been the smarter choice.” Jackson blew a kiss toward the kitchen.

Ben stuck his finger in his mouth and made an exaggerated gagging sound.

Zach snickered.

“Hey. It gets us free food, don’t knock it.”

“And it was good, don’t get me wrong, but are we hitting the movies tonight or not?” Ben looked at Zach.

“Yeah, come on. We’ll leave loverboy here to moon over his sweetheart and go watch some buildings explode.” Zach slid out of the booth and grabbed Ben’s crutches from where they were propped against the wall.

Ben hoisted himself to his feet. “Tell Paige thanks for the food. It was good. And keep us posted on the house, okay? It’s better to know sooner than later. All right, Zach, let’s scoot.”

Zach held the kitchen door open for Ben as he navigated into the dining room. Did you ever get used to using these ridiculous things? They were awkward. And his armpits hurt. As did his knee.

The rubber stopper on the end of one crutch caught on the metal transition strip between the tiled kitchen floor and the carpeted dining room. Ben stumbled, hopping on his good leg as he fought for balance. His hand slipped off the grip and his arm shot out. He lurched to the side, crashing into someone.

“Sorry.” Ben’s face and neck burned.

“It’s fine. Are you okay...Ben?” Rebecca chuckled. “What are you doing here?”

Perfect. “You mean other than tripping over non-existent hazards? One of my roommates is dating the chef. We usually hang out for dinner on Friday. It’s better than anything any of us can cook—”

“Hey. I can cook.” Zach peered around Ben. “Hi. I’m the other roommate, Zach. Sorry I couldn’t catch him completely before he mauled you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I really am, thanks. I’m Rebecca, Ben’s physical therapist. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh.” Zach’s eyebrows lifted and he shot Ben a look. “The pleasure’s mine. I’ll go get the car and meet you out front.”

Zach clapped Ben on the shoulder as he brushed past, causing him to stagger forward. Idiot. “Excuse him. He’s a high school math teacher. His students’ lack of maturity rubs off on him.”

“All good. So...you eat here a lot?”

“Most Fridays. Paige is a great chef and it beats pizza. Though I guess I should give Zach his due. He can cook pretty well, when he takes the time. Jackson and I are fairly close to hopeless.” Ben shrugged. “I should let you get back to your date?”

The corners of her mouth poked up. “Nah. Couple of friends from church. We’re finishing up and trying to figure out what to do next.”

“Zach and I are headed to the theater to catch an action movie, if you’d like to tag along.” Ben fought a wince. Where had that come from? Sure, he was planning to ask her out. But a spontaneous tag along with all kinds of friends wasn’t what he had in mind.

“That could be fun. Let me go see if they’re game. Is there room for us to carpool with the two of you? It’d be easier that way.”

“I don’t see why not.”

“I see why you like her.” Zach tossed his keys onto the kitchen table and sagged into a chair.

“She’s something special, isn’t she? And she hasn’t changed that much since college. Some refinement, maturity, sure. But the sense of humor and quick wit? Those are what lured me in the first time. Her friends seem nice, too.” Ben made his way to the couch and sank into the cushions, propping up his leg with a sigh. Elevating his knee was close to heaven. He’d definitely overdone it today.

“Sure.”

“That’s it? Sure? Neither one caught your eye even the tiniest bit?”

A faint tinge of pink glowed on Zach’s cheeks. “I’m kind of seeing someone.”

“What? Who? When did this happen?” Ben shifted to stare at his friend. “How did you manage not to mention this?”

Zach lifted a shoulder. “We’re keeping it casual right now. Her choice. I’d love to push for more, but I also don’t want to scare her off. She’s important.”

Wow. Zach wasn’t usually this serious about anything other than math. “And she is...?”

“Amy.”

“Amy-at-work, Amy?”

Zach nodded.

Ben whistled. “That seems...complicated.”

“This from the guy who wants to date his physical therapist.”

Zach had a point. “But I won’t be her patient forever. Presumably, I’ll heal before much longer. You’ll still be working together.”

“Thus the taking it slow. There’s no policy against it—I checked—but she’s concerned. I sort of see her point, but it’s not as if we work for a high school that’s turning away applicants left and right. Heck, we’re nearly a month into the new school year and we still have five open positions. I don’t think they’d fire a teacher unless they had no choice.”

And that, right there, was the joy of working at an inner city school. How did Zach manage it day after day? And more than manage it, he thrived on it. Ben was all for helping people. He didn’t work to provide food for the hungry because it was the only job available—he believed in what he was doing. But Zach took philanthropy to a whole new level. “You should invite her to join our Friday night mooch dinners at Paige’s. Then it’s less like a date and more like hanging out with friends.”

“Plus you get a chance to pester her with questions?”

Ben lifted a shoulder in a one-sided shrug. “Hey, after the third degree you applied tonight, I think I’m due.”

“What? All you’d ever say was she was the one who got away. And maybe you mentioned camp. I’ve been wanting details for a while now. She was happy to provide them. And seeing as how she’s the one who did the talking, I’m guessing they were actually true.”

Ben snorted. He didn’t exaggerate. Much. At least Rebecca had kept things reasonably factual, though it hadn’t hurt his feelings any to see the emotion surfacing as she talked about their runs and hikes. Even the campfires, though they’d been on duty, had been romantic. She remembered. More, her feelings hadn’t been something he imagined. After so many years not knowing, the thought had occurred that he’d simply read too much into a summer flirtation.

“Anyway. I don’t know about you, but I’m beat.” Zach headed down the hall to his room.

Ben dropped his head back against the sofa and closed his eyes. He was tired, but not sleepy. He called up the mental picture of Rebecca laughing during the movie, his heart accelerating from the warmth of just being near her.

He turned on the game console. Sleep wasn’t happening anytime soon.