I climbed out of the fountain. More than one person had walked by looking aghast at all the parts strewn over the dead grass, but no one said a word. It seemed everyone was just waiting to see if the unsavory guy with all the ink was actually going to fix the damn thing. I was far enough in now that I wouldn't go to my grave until the fucking fountain was spraying water five feet in the air. Every salvageable part was cleaned and free of clogs. I was ready to rebuild it and turn it on. Hopefully, it would work.

Boone scratched my leg. I bent down to pet his head. He had been patient while I worked on the fountain. Not that he was inclined to do much more than nap on any regular day, but I'd hardly had time to pay attention to him.

"It's all right, buddy. I'm taking a break right now." Boone had discovered the few, sparse shade spots in the park, and he'd made them his own by scratching away the weeds and debris and softening the dirt with his claws. His favorite spot was beneath the tall slide in the taped off play area. The tall structure was shaped like a rocket and the slide spilled out of the middle of the rocket like a long tongue.

I sat down and leaned my back against the rocket boosters. The shade kept the metal cool enough to touch. In the distance, the cowbell rang. Ella emerged from the store with a brown paper bag. There was a faint smile on her lips, not her usual smile, but I was glad to see she had recuperated some from her bad morning. I had held her for a good five minutes while she collected herself. Then, with only a light kiss and a quick plan to meet for lunch, she headed back into the store.

"We're in luck," she said as she crossed the dead grass toward me. "Vernon's deli over in Langston sent over their special egg salad sandwiches." She stopped and looked down at me. "But if you don't like egg salad, I can go inside and switch it for the roast beef."

"No, that's awesome." I reached up for the bag. "I love Vernon's egg salad sandwiches."

Ella's dark brows pinched together. "How do you know about Vernon and his egg salad?"

"Oh, I—well, I'm staying in Langston, and I had one already."

"Ah, that's right. Forgot you were staying there." She sat next to me and leaned against the rocket. Boone immediately draped his chubby body across her thighs.

I patted his head. "Move, you mooch. We're going to eat lunch."

"No, he's fine." The dog released a low, appreciative dog sigh as Ella stroked his back. Ella's attention was drawn back to the store and the blue car that pulled up out front. "Looks like I just missed my mom." Ella glanced over at me with a teasing grin. "Guess you might be meeting her soon."

"Oh shit." I opened the bag. "Did you by any chance stick a bottle of whiskey in here too?"

"You'll be fine. She's not that judgmental, at least not compared to some of the other people in town."

"Good to know, I think." I pulled back the wrapper on the sandwich, and Boone's head and ears popped right up. I broke off a corner and gave it to him.

Ella leaned back with her sandwich. "Looks like you have that fountain stripped down to just the basics."

"Yep, it's ready to be put back together and then—"

She looked at me expectantly. "And then?"

"Then we'll see if I did all this just to humiliate myself or if the thing will actually work."

"It will work." She followed her emphatic statement with a confident bite of her sandwich.

"Hey, Starshine, I'm glad to see your day got better."

She nodded and took a slow sip from her water. "It was a rough start. Patty and I never argue, but, today, it seemed we both needed to get some stuff aired out. We both cooled off. By late morning, we were back to talking. Maybe not as freely and lightly as usual, but we'll be fine. Most of the time all of us just move along through our day, but occasionally, those fragile emotions pop up to throw a wrench in things. I don't think there's any way to avoid them."

A pigeon landed on the cone of the rocket and stared down at our sandwiches with an eagle eye, or, in this case, a pigeon eye. "We've got an audience. This is a cool slide. I would have loved this thing as a kid. Why did they throw caution tape around it?"

"Too much rust. The town decided it was no longer safe."

"Really?" I reached up and rapped on the metal side. "It seems sturdy enough."

"I think just like the rest of the park, no one wanted to bother with keeping it up. I still remember when Harlan Moore decided he could climb up on the cone of the rocket. He fell off and broke his arm. At that time, it was the biggest news story ever. No one could stop talking about it." Ella's face dropped and she smoothed her hand over Boone's back. "I miss those days when Harlan's broken arm was considered big news." She ran her fingers over Boone's ear and he lifted his head for more. "Harlan is Butterfield Angel #7. That's what the newspapers called them, the Butterfield Angels. He was my brother Ethan's best friend. I had such a crush on him. He would come over to play video games, and I'd pretend to be interested in the stupid game just to be near him. In my mind, Harlan was destined to be my future husband. He had no idea about that destination, but as far as I was concerned, it was a done deal."

I reached over and took hold of her hand. We sat and watched the pigeons strut around us, waiting for a crumb. The cowbell rang and Ella's mom walked out of the store with two grocery bags. She squinted across the street to search for Ella.

Ella hopped up and waved to catch her attention. Her mom opened the trunk to put away the groceries.

"My mom is coming over to meet you."

"Shit. Do I look all right?" I stood up and brushed off my shorts.

Ella surveyed me, head to toe. "You look fine. If you could just shave that beard, cut your hair and cover all those tattoos before she gets across the street. Oh, and do you happen to have a pressed shirt handy?"

My mouth dropped open.

Ella laughed. "I'm just messing with you. As far as I'm concerned, you're the best looking thing in this town." She winked. "And my mom has good taste."

"You are a brat." I took a deep breath as Ella's mom approached. I wiped the egg salad grease on the back of my shorts and stepped forward to greet her.

She stopped to pet Boone first. "Aren't you cute and pudgy."

"Mom, this is Fynn. He's the man who has been working on the fountain. Fynn, this is my mom, Susan."

Susan reached for my hand. "Nice to meet you." She was trying to be smooth, but her vibrant blue eyes kept drifting to the tattoos on my arms.

"It's easy to see where Ella gets her beauty from," I said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you. That's nice to hear." She looked back toward the fountain. "It looks totally different." She turned back to me. "Do you think it will work?"

"I hope so. I'm going to put it back together and then flip the switch. After that, it's up to Chip, Igor and Prancer."

Susan laughed. "I guess Ella told you about the names she came up with. Well, let's hope those three horses come through. I know you've put a lot of work into fixing it." She looked at Ella and then back at me. "Thank you." She adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder. "Well, Ella, I bought you plenty of food for the next week."

"Told you, you didn't have to do that, but thanks. And no polyvinyl, right?"

Susan rolled her eyes. "No, I bought real cheese. It was nice meeting you, Fynn." She kissed Ella's forehead. "I'll see you for dinner." She inspected the newly cleaned fountain a bit more on her way back to the street.

I looked over at Ella. "Polyvinyl?"

Ella shook her head. "She was trying to pass it off as healthy cheese. My parents are leaving for a week to visit my aunt, and I'm looking forward to having the house all to myself."

My brow arched instantly. "All to yourself, eh?"

It took her a second to catch my meaning. A blush and a smile followed as she took hold of my arm. "Yep, and if you play your cards right, I might even invite you over for a dinner . . . with real cheese."

"I think I'd like that. But for now, I'm going to stick this fountain back together and then brace myself for the humiliation of an epic fail."

Ella stepped in front of me and took hold of my face. She kissed me lightly on the lips. "That's for luck."