BEER AT SUNSET ON THE days Katie didn’t have to go into the city became a ritual. Her mother, Jesse, and Rob left them alone for it, and Katie was grateful. Especially after the jam incident. She was relieved not to have to deal with knowing looks or sidelong glances every time she sat down next to Brendan on the old steps, close enough to touch. They didn’t, though. No matter how much time they spent in proximity with all the easy, casual physical interactions necessary to the chores, they kept space between them here. But it was charged, electric, and growing more so every day.
Sometimes they talked about small things: The little events of the day. The weather. What to make for dinner the next time it was their turn to cook — her family had shamelessly added Brendan to her roster in tha
