Carson reached out and took the small silver fin between her two fingers, tracing the intricate lines. She looked up at Taylor.

“Aunt Carson!”

Carson had been so caught up in Taylor’s story, she hadn’t noticed that Nate had finished his session. She was surprised at how fast the time had flown and embarrassed that she hadn’t given Nate her full attention. Nate ran up to her, eyes aglow from his session, but stopped short at seeing Taylor and Thor at her side. Instantly he grew wary.

“Nate, you did great! I’m so proud of you,” Carson exclaimed. “Come closer, I want you to meet my new friend Taylor. He was a Marine. And guess what? He trains the dolphins.”

Nate looked at his feet without a word.

Taylor didn’t seem the least bothered by Nate’s silence. “Hey, Nate. Do you want to meet Thor?”

Nate looked at the dog. “Is Thor the dog’s name?” Nate asked.

“Yes.”

Nate studied the dog a moment, then asked, “Can I pet him?”

“Sure.”

Nate approached the dog slowly. Thor looked patiently at the boy and remained calm while enduring the petting.

“How much does he weigh?”

“One hundred and twelve pounds of pure muscle,” Taylor answered with a hint of pride. “He loves to swim in the ocean.”

“With the dolphins?”

“No, they don’t come close enough in the wild. But he would if he could.”

Nate petted the dog again, then, his curiosity sated, turned to Carson. “I’m hungry.”

“I’ll bet you are after all that swimming. Let’s head back home and think about going someplace special for dinner. It’s our last night.”

“Why not let me take you to dinner?” Taylor offered. “Since it’s your last night and all.”

Carson was taken aback by the invitation. It was completely unexpected. Taylor waited for his answer.

“What do you think, Nate?”

Nate looked away and shrugged.

Inside her gut, warning bells were going off, telling her to beg off with some excuse. Ignoring them, she said, “All right, that’s real nice of you. I should warn you, though, we’ll need to go someplace that serves food Nate will eat. He’s pretty picky.”

“I’m hungry now,” Nate said.

“I am, too, pal,” Taylor told Nate. “Why don’t we get cleaned up and I’ll come by your place, and we’ll go right out to eat. The Shipwreck is close by and they have a pretty standard menu. It’ll be an early dinner or a late lunch. Whatever you want to call it.”

You can call it anything but a date, Carson thought to herself as she smiled back at Taylor.

“Okay, Nate, it’s time to turn off the game,” Carson called out. “Bedtime.”

“No, not yet. Just a little longer,” Nate whined.

“We’re almost done with this level,” Taylor added, not taking his eyes from the screen.

“You’re not helping,” Carson told Taylor, raising an eyebrow in hopes of transmitting some sort of silent adult signal.

Taylor turned his head briefly from the screen and shot her a teasing glance, then went back to the video game.

Carson stood sipping coffee in the small galley kitchen, watching the big man and the slight boy sitting together on the futon in front of the game screen. Life was full of surprises, Carson thought, but Taylor took the cake. It was surprising enough to discover that he trained dolphins. Then he asked her and Nate to dinner, and they’d had a lovely time. But the last thing she’d expected was for Taylor and Nate to become such pals. Who knew they’d bond over video games? Nate was enthralled by his new hero—Taylor knew all the cheat codes.

She was also surprised by her attraction for him. Taylor had shown up in pressed pants and a long-sleeved shirt. She always was a pushover for a man in crisp attire. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar and the bright white contrasted with his deep tan. Dinner had been pleasant, if a bit awkward with Nate. It wasn’t a date—Carson kept reminding herself—but it felt like it could have been if they’d been alone. The possibility made her nervous. They were just friends, she told herself again. Nothing to feel guilty about. But why, then, did she feel just that?

She reached for her phone and checked her messages. Still no word from Blake. Damn, how long was he going to be out in the field? She needed to talk to him, to hear his voice. To feel a connection with him. She also felt the need to send Taylor packing.

“Sorry, guys, time to break it up. We’ve got an early start tomorrow. No complaints,” she said in automatic response to Nate’s immediate outcry. “We’re going to see Delphine, remember?”

The mention of Delphine was enough to assuage Nate’s outburst. He sighed, more for show, then promptly saved the game and relinquished his remote.

“I think you’ve got it down pat, buddy,” Taylor assured him.

“You get in your pajamas and brush your teeth while I get your futon ready, okay?” Carson said.

Nate rose slump-shouldered and began walking away.

“What do you say to Taylor?” Carson asked, stopping him.

“Thank you,” he said dutifully.

Taylor smiled. “It was nice meeting you.”

Nate didn’t respond. He hurried into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Carson looked after Nate’s retreating figure with affection. “He really did appreciate it, Taylor. It’s rare for him to get along so well with a stranger. He thinks you walk on water. How did you learn to play so well?”

“I’m not that good,” Taylor said modestly. “I played a lot of virtual reality games for PTSD therapy.”

“You played video games for therapy?” The idea seemed out there.

“Well, the idea is that by reenacting a traumatic experience or confronting an irrational fear in a safe place, we’ll become used to that experience. Or fear. The trauma doesn’t disappear, but it becomes manageable. It worked for me.”

“And the cheat codes?” she asked.

“Ah, well.” He rubbed his jaw. “Those I figured out on my own.”

She offered a smile. “I’ve got to get Nate to bed. Do you need to go?”

“I can stick around.”

“Oh,” she said, surprised. “Uh, okay. I’ll just be a few minutes. Do you mind waiting outside on the patio? There are chairs out there.” She pointed to the futon and said in way of explanation, “This is Nate’s bed.”