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Brynn smiled. Aster smiled. They shared one. Beyond familiar and yet so very new feeling. What a combination.

“Should I get that antibiotic?”

“Right. Yes. Just let me…” She grabbed her pad and wrote it up. “Joan can set you up with what you need. Unfortunately, when he’s left alone, he should wear an Elizabethan collar to protect that eye. We also carry those if you need one.”

“The cone of shame. We have one decorated to look like a box of french fries.”

Brynn covered her mouth. “Is that right?”

“Dill prefers as much attention as possible, and it helps.”

“A french fry dog? I’m sure it does.”

Aster scooped up her dog and the slip of paper. “I know you have your hands full without Tyler, but maybe we’ll see you and Pickles sometime. Low pressure. I promise.”

“Maybe.” She glanced at the wall and back again, giving in to impulse. A rarity. “Hey, Aster? What are you reading these days?”

“Captain Sussex Takes on the Starverse, Part Six. I’m almost done.”

Brynn nodded, grinned. “So not too much has changed.”

Aster shrugged with pride and exited the exam room, leaving Brynn in a better mood than when she’d entered. She’d take any bit of reprieve.

She spent the rest of her day thinking about the invitation to the dog park, deciding she should go, and then changing her mind abruptly. Finally, after the last patient of the very busy day stole a mint from the front and left the building, she sighed. The sheer amount of time she’d devoted to the topic was almost evidence enough for her to go to the damn dog park, neutralize the situation, and find a way to make Aster and her presence in town a lot more commonplace. She simply had to get used to the fact that Aster was around and confusing and still very much the same Aster. She didn’t have time to lend her brain to these kinds of hijackings.

* * *

Captain Sussex was in no mood for asteroid dodging as Dill made his way up the doggy slide and then down again for about the eighth time. He took a lap around the perimeter, probably looking for playmates. The park was pretty empty today, which meant she was going to need to put her book down and act as playmate in a moment. Dill’s barking pulled her focus, and 1.8 seconds later, she saw him tear off like a shot with Pickles streaking after him. In no time at all, the chase was on. Two black and white dogs zipped and zagged and barked and yipped as Brynn walked slowly to the bench, leash in hand.

“She looked a little sluggish when I got home, so I thought I’d take you up on your offer.”

Aster’s heart squeezed. She was used to that happening around Brynn, but today she didn’t police it quite so much. She let it do its own thing, unrestrained from her admonishment. “Sit.” She eyed the book in Brynn’s hand, nodded to it in encouragement, and cracked the spine on her own novel, returning to it.

Brynn did just that, and from their own sides of the bench, they traveled to respective fictional worlds as the dogs they’d once rescued enjoyed an athletic reunion. The interesting part? Aster relaxed and not just a little bit. Her mind wandered, and her body lost all tension as she enjoyed the nice day and the quiet company. The reading session didn’t fix any one problem or erase the hurt she carried, but it did allow her to see that Brynn was the same person she’d always known. After about forty-five minutes, Brynn closed her book as the dogs lapped up waterfrom the doggy-sized drinking fountain. “Should probably head home, figure out my night.”

Aster nodded and turned her body toward Brynn. “Why do you always act like life is great?”

Brynn rolled her lips in. She shifted. “This is about what I said to you at the reception.”

“A little. Do you not feel safe with me?” She heard her voice weaken on that last part.

“I always felt safe with you.” She looked to the sky for answers. “But talking about life and how restricted it can sometimes feel only makes me that much more aware of it.”

“For what it’s worth, it’s okay.” A pause. “I get why you do that.”

“Yeah?” Brynn seemed embarrassed. She looked at the ground and back up again. She clenched her back teeth.

“But it won’t always be this way. I truly believe that.”

Her face relaxed. Brynn touched her heart and nodded. She started to say something, but then switched gears. “Thanks, Aster.”

“Anytime.”

Aster took Dill to the dog park each day for a couple of weeks after that meetup, but she didn’t encounter Brynn again. In fact, she didn’t see her around town either. Maybe their friendship ended where it was supposed to. She’d make peace with that. Luckily, she had her hands full with the renovation, and now that they were closer than ever to opening, she found her days filled with menu creation, job interviews, decorator consults, and of course working with contractors. She found herself nearly out of her depth and wondered if she’d bitten off way more than she could chew. She just wanted to get back in the kitchen and do what she knew how to do best. Food. The rest of this stuff just felt complicated.

“The restaurant is really coming along.”

Aster blinked from her spot on the bench. The day had kicked her ass, and as the sun set she’d decided to zone out with Dill at the park. There was a sluggish cocker spaniel and a very sporty border collie mix happy to see Dill, which gave her a chance to just idle and not use her brain.