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says.
    “ How old do you think he is?” Shannon asks.
    “ Fifty? Fifty five?”
    “ He’s forty nine. He turns fifty in a couple of days.”
    “ Well if we weren’t all going home in a little while that would be an issue,” Cara says.
    “ Doubt it,” Shannon says. “This isn’t junior high. We’re fully grown adults. If I want to jog and have coffee with someone ten years older or ten years younger I’m going to do it.”
    “ Coffee?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ Two days in a row?”
    “ It’s good coffee,” Shannon says.
    “ And in a nice package,” Cara says.
    “ What?” Shannon asks.
    “ You didn’t notice that he’s very handsome?” Cara asks.
    “ Not really. He was limping.”
    “ What’s limping got to do with being handsome?” Cara asks.
    “ Nothing I guess. But I was worried about his knees. I guess I forgot to notice.”
    “ Well pay attention on your third date, for coffee.”
    “ I will, now that you mention it,” Shannon says.
    She walks past her sister, into her house, to get ready for her third date.

Shannon and Joe
     
    Shannon parks in the same spot, and steps into the coffee shop wearing the same sundress. She has put her hair in a ponytail, and has applied the same clear lip gloss and light mascara.
     
    “ I brought croissants, and some berries,” she says.
    “ I have muffins,” he answers.
    “ I saw that yesterday,” she says, “and thus I have croissants and berries.” She places her supplies on the counter.
    He laughs.
     
    “ When are you heading back?” he asks.
    “ Why do I have to be heading back?”
    “ I know everyone who lives here year round, and until yesterday I didn’t know you.”
    “ The family is heading home on Sunday. I usually go with them, but sometimes I stay at my cottage.”
    “ You call that house ‘your cottage’?”
    “ No. That’s my beach house. I own it. I come for all of July with my family and I loan it out to friends and sometimes I rent it, but not usually. I don’t like the thought of renters in my house. We leave our things there. People I loan it to seem to respect that, people who rent it don’t seem to respect it the same way.”
    “ So if that’s your house, where is your cottage?”
    “ It’s here. It’s small, just big enough for me really. I don’t take the family there. I don’t take anyone there. I love having my nieces and nephews and brothers and sisters and mom around me in the beach house. But not in the cottage. If they’d ever been there then it might be too empty when they’re not.”
    Joe nodded his head.
    “ Your dad?”
    “ You are a good listener. He doesn’t come anymore. He likes the quiet weeks back in Ohio.”
    “ Your husband?”
    “ He still goes to Nags Head, with his new family, or maybe his new new family. It’s hard to keep track some time. And I don’t keep track. He still bugs me sometimes.”
    “ I’m sorry.”
    “ It’s okay. It’s for the best. He got what he wanted. At least he got what he thought he wanted.”
    “ What did he want?”
    “ Something other than me,” she says.
    “ That’s hard to imagine,” he says.
    She looks at him dismissively, unhappy with the flirtation, especially while talking about her ex.
    “ But easy to implement,” she answers.
    They finish their coffee.
    “ Thanks for the croissant,” he says. “And the berries.”
    “ You didn’t look like you liked the berries,” she says.
    “ It was obvious?” he asks.
    “ Yes. And can I ask you something?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ Please don’t do that.”
    “ What?” he asks.
    “ Pretend. It’s okay if you don’t like berries, or English tea movies, or cats. It’s okay to just be you. Please don’t pretend,” she says.
    Joe looks at her.
    “ Deal,” he says.
    “ Deal,” she answers. “Tomorrow? Same time?”
    “ Nope,” he answers. “I don’t run on Fridays.”
    “ I can’t tempt you?” she asks.
    “ You could. But then I’d be pretending.”
    “ So what do you do on