Things at the store had settled into a better rhythm over the following days. With that, Gray finally got some time back. Not exactly for himself, considering where he ended up. He was seated at a table in one of the higher-end restaurants in West Arcadia. The kind of place where the waiters wore tailored black suits and held their composure like it was a professional requirement. The menu had no pictures and no prices you would call reasonable. He had wanted to stay home. Lily sat across from him, happily working through the menu with the focused intensity of someone who already knew what they wanted but was enjoying the process anyway. Selina sat on her left, amused and relaxed, entirely at ease in a place where most things cost what they cost. Mara sat on her right, reading the menu with Lily, occasionally pointing at something. Gray rubbed his temple. "Remind me how we got he

Gray did not say anything about Mara right away. He let his gaze linger on her for a moment, then looked away. It was not the right time to bring it up.The table carried on.Lily was in high spirits, working through a story about something that had happened at school earlier that week. Selina added comments at the right moments with the ease of someone who had been listening to Lily for a while now. Chloe, who had started the lunch quietly on the edge of the group, had let herself be pulled in. She was laughing at something Lily said, her wariness from earlier entirely gone.Gray mostly listened. He joined when Lily aimed a question at him or when someone glanced his way. For a stretch, it felt like nothing more than a group of people having lunch, which was the point Lily had been after from the beginning.Mara nodded when Lily looked at her and produced small smiles at the right intervals. But Gray had watched her long enough to know she was not fully present. The smiles did not se