“No, I don’t think so. I mean if you are I am too. You’re right, deep dish is a whole different beast. You’ve got to really settle in for like– a meal. Which pizza is a meal, but you know, you can just toss back slices and slices of thin crust,” she shrugged. “I’m impressed you can do three slices, honestly,” she tacked on with a laugh. “We’re looking at um–” she let out in thought. “Orion’s Belt, duh,” she tried to bite back the grin, but glanced over at him and let out a soft laugh at the fact she had no idea what was up there.

“Don’t ask me how many slices of thin crust I’ve tossed back in one sitting. And come to think of it, don’t ask about how many slices of deep dish I’ve finished in one sitting either.” The number was something to either be ashamed or proud of, depending on the audience. “Impressed or horrified?” he asked, his tone teasing. “Orion’s Belt, huh? Are you some sort of astronomy expert?” he asked with a laugh, tilting his head toward her for a moment. “A colleague of mine actually told me the story behind it. Legend has it that Artemis, a goddess, fell in love with Orion, but her father Zeus forbade it and had him killed. Not wanting to be without her love, she immortalized him in the sky into what we now see as Orion’s Belt.” .

“Where were you last year?” Addie asked, even though it was none of her business. “Oh I’m sure they will. I doubt that they’d drop the ball at the 11th hour.. at least I hope not.”

“I taught as a visiting professor at another university, but I’m back at Rockford University now. Are you a student around here?” he asked, seeing as she looked rather young. “Let’s hope not. That would leave hundreds of people disappointed.”

“That… That was not about seeing you again,” she began to correct him unable to stop the small laugh. “This is about complaining about you. I’m going to have to add your ego to the list of topics to hit.” Michaela gave him a warning of the made-up list. “Oh. No of course not.” While she had made the offer she didn’t really think that he’d take her up on it. Not that it was a big deal or should have been something that she spent time even thinking about.  “Yeah, that’s fine.” She had taken the bottle and squeezed some lotion on her hand but there was a moment of hesitation before her hand made contact suddenly feeling subconscious about how slowly or fast she rubbed it in. She found herself smiling to herself thinking two years ago she knew certain classmates would have killed to be in this position. “I, uh, I think that you’re good.” She took a step back when she finished covering his back and shoulders.

“A list of complaints about me, huh? Are you by any chance that disgruntled student who left a scathing review of me on Rate My Professors? I’d never taken a Psychology class before, and I don’t think I plan to ever again,’“ he quoted an excerpt of the review. “Was that you?” Ben teased, knowing full well that Michaela wasn’t responsible for the post. For a moment, he thought of telling her “never mind” and that she didn’t have to rub sunscreen on him, but he hadn’t detected any awkward hesitation on her part, so he assumed she’d felt comfortable with it. After all, she wouldn’t have offered if she thought it was inappropriate, he justified in his head. When she finished spreading the lotion all over his torso, he turned around to face her, smiling as he offered, “Would you like me to return the favor?”

“An hour per round, no ice cream machines,” she recalled the rules. “Only because I don’t own one of those, but gosh, wouldn’t that make things more exciting?” Excitement – that was how she felt about this outing; while there were nerves of completing the tasks, she couldn’t wait to get started, her competitive nature kicking in. “Nothing where the end product is raw fish; you’d have some unfair biases against you walking into judging,” she mused with a wrinkled nose. “What about you? Anything you can’t stomach – oh gosh, or allergies? Did we cover that yet?” Unsure how that was missed in their conversations, grabbing a basket as they walked into the store. “I hadn’t gotten that far. I’ve been too worried on what ingredients to pick - but this is it” she said, glancing towards the aisles before looking back at him. “Ready to get your butt kicked?”

“Agreed. It never ends well when a contestant tries to use the ice cream machine,” Ben concurred, recalling the countless episodes where an ambitious chef’s chances of winning went down the drain after a disastrous dessert round. He was hoping to steer clear of a similar mishap, not wanting to disappoint Ginny with a subpar meal. It was this eagerness to please that stirred up a competitiveness within him, a kind he never knew he possessed. “No allergies that I know of. How about you?” he asked, not wanting this playful date to turn into a trip to the emergency room. He took a moment to grab his own basket, surveying the large room and mapping out his plan of attack. “Ready to eat your words and whatever delicious thing I decide to make?” He grinned as he glanced down at his watch. “We’ve got thirty minutes to shop. I’ll meet you at the check-out line?”

“I think I’ve officially graduated to the uneducated ways of the youths to help you out,” she smiled before taking a bite. “H-hot.” She dropped the corndog back on the paper plate waving a hand in front of her mouth. “But good.” She gave Ben a look between humored and pained.

“Don’t hurt yourself now,” Ben cautioned Roxanne, but from the slightly pained expression on her face, the warning might have been too little, too late. “Sorry, I should’ve told you. Hope it’s still tasty though.”

At his smile, she wondered if she had overthought it. The year that had passed had put him back to being her neighbor, and being the man that he was, Alex was sure Ben meant it as a friendly gesture. It seemed silly to her now to have turned it down. Maybe she had done it in some weird way out of respect for Brennan, or maybe she was afraid of Brennan somehow being right in all of it. That things with Ben weren’t as simple as a friendly neighbor and now she felt the need to prove it to herself he was wrong. She truly didn’t know which had won out. “Sounds good or maybe when I run out of Double Stuf I’ll venture over. Whichever happens first.”

Ben wanted to apologize, but for what, he wasn’t quite sure. He hadn’t done anything wrong. They hadn’t been dating exclusively when he left Rockford; a few casual dinners and hang-outs here and there hadn’t amounted to a level of seriousness that obligated Ben to seek Alex’s permission in making big life decisions. Besides, he’d applied to be a visiting professor long before she’d come into the picture. At least, these were the things he told himself to justify skipping town without much of a goodbye. Forcing those thoughts out of his head, he focused instead on her words, a small smile tugging on his lips. “When you run out of Double Stuf, huh? So I should be expecting a visit at one in the morning tonight?” he teased, the joke a way to circumvent the rejection. “When your late-night cravings strike.”

“Oh well thank you, Prof.” He grinned at the compliment. “I guess not, I did have worse professors that were just so monotoned. But  you were one of my favorites by far.” Even if he was teasing a bit, there was truth in his words. “Not going to lie to you, grad school makes me want to quit life and become one of those social media influencers.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell my colleagues that I was your favorite,” Ben winked, holding a finger up to his mouth to signal that he would keep Reese’s secret. At his former student’s next remark, Ben couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure the temptation is great, but if social work is truly your passion, then it’ll be worth it in the end. How many years do you have left in your program?”

“She’s four and just about the cutest little girl I’ve ever met. I never fancied myself much of a kid person before her,” Willow shrugged. “Tell me about it. I feel like I’ve been pushed completely off course. Well as long as you don’t mind adding another regular to the place, I may have to check it out. I promise I won’t bother you if I see you.”

“They tend to be cutest at that age,” Ben remarked, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He’d always looked forward to the day when he became a father; being an uncle wasn’t an option, given his estranged status from his family. “As long as you don’t steal my favorite table, you’re welcome to visit the cafe as much as you want,” he teased, the comment clearly made in jest. “And trust me, you won’t be bothering. I could always use a break from writing and grading papers.”

“That is a mutual feeling,” she smiled over at him. “Oh my goodness. I can’t even remember the last time that I had one of those. At least since I was a kid.”

“Perfect timing then for a Throwback Thursday. Is that what the kids call it these days?” Ben grinned, handing Roxanne the extra corndog he’d bought. “Is it as good as you remember?”

“Well thank God for you and your courage,” Casey grinned, patting him on the chest as she spoke. The ease with which the touch came probably attributed to the alcohol consumed. “They’re so yummy,” she nodded and gave it a twist of the lips at thought. “Both, there’s a time and place for both, but I think in general I prefer thin crust,” she nodded. “Yourself?” She grinned back and polished off the popcorn in hand. “We’ll see, I’m not so sure just yet. “I don’t know, I don’t mind just lying here,” she said, taking the opportunity to do just that, laying back in the grass.

Ben clutched his chest dramatically, right where she’d patted him, feigning bravado. “Am I a bad Midwesterner if I don’t pick deep dish? There’s just something about thin crust pizza, being able to eat with your hands. You can just fold it in half and indulge. I have to be in the mood for deep dish, and I can’t eat more than three deep dish slices at a time. Don’t ask me how many slices of thin crust pizza I’ve eaten in one sitting though.” He grinned, his college self’s poor eating habits coming to mind as he watched the brunette lay back on the grass, waiting a few moments before following suit. “What are we looking at?”

“Oh I’ve got family here. I moved here for my niece,” she explained, choosing the least convoluted version of the story to tell. “I only meant to be here for a few months, but I fell in love with her and decided I couldn’t leave,” Willow chuckled. “Oh yeah? What’s your favorite? I could always use a good coffee place that’s not too busy to sit and work.”

“Ah, I see. How old is she?” Ben asked, wanting to learn more about his company. “It’s funny how life works out that way. You make my plans for one thing, but find yourself moving in another direction.” He offered a warm smile. “You should check out The Daily Grind. I’m there quite a bit, usually grading papers or doing a crossword puzzle. The baristas are very friendly, and the coffee is of high quality without burning a hole in your wallet.”

“I absolutely have to agree with you it has been the best time.” Addie looked around. “I don’t remember last years being like this at all.”

“I wasn’t able to attend last year’s, but from my conversations with people, it seems like this year’s event surpassed expectations.” Ben offered a friendly smile. “Here’s hoping the fireworks deliver tonight.”

“ Well, thankfully so. I would have to go looking for a new therapist soon if you’d actually pack up your things for Florida. ” Beth smiled. “ Ah – thank you. I’m glad to be here. You know, if you forget about the whole patriotic middle finger to my country and all. ” She chuckled as she pulled up her knees to get a little more comfortable. When he mentioned the chocolate, her lips formed a broader smile and she nodded her head a couple times. “ That, and a recent addition was real, proper clotted cream. Now, finally, my scones actually taste like home and I don’t have to put mascarpone on them anymore. ” 

“We wouldn’t want that, would we?” Ben returned her smile. He didn’t have favorite patients — he wondered if it was even ethical to have them — but Beth was one who’d made incredible progress to Ben’s delight. “I think you might have left out that very important detail in our sessions,” he remarked. “I can’t believe you’d withhold such critical information from me. I’m your therapist; you shouldn’t keep any secrets from.” His voice was coated with sarcasm. “Alas, I suppose you’ll just have to bring these scones the next time we see each other.”

“Oh I could but it might take a while and you would miss the fireworks so maybe we can schedule it for another time,” she gave a nod trying to sound more serious but she was hardly able to do so. “Think of it this way if you burn now you should be set for the summer. But if you need someone to help you reapply I’d be happy to lend a hand.” After saying it Michaela didn’t know if it was an appropriate offer to make. He wasn’t her professor anymore but all the while it still felt strange. “No, not at all. I came with somebody but I haven’t seen them in a while,” she shrugged.

“Schedule it for another time, huh? Looks like my hypothesis is correct. You did miss me.” Ben wasn’t sure where this playfulness was coming from, but something about Michaela’s radiant personality brought out a different side of him. “Sure, if you don’t mind,” he answered with a nod of his head, reaching for the bottle of sunscreen he’d brought to the pool party, knowing he would need a touch-up at some point. He wasn’t sure if it was completely appropriate to have his former student rubbing sunscreen all over his body, but he shrugged off those thoughts, convincing himself that there was nothing wrong about two adults helping each other. “Well, their loss is my gain.” He smiled, removing his shirt in one fell swoop and turning around so that his back was facing her. “Is this good for you?”