If I had to guess, Levi was using bonfire-building as an excuse to avoid socializing with everyone, although I caught a few rare smiles from him as he and Gavin tossed more wood on the growing blaze.

Asher stood with Evan a few feet from the fire, a beer in his hand. His eyes flicked to me and his lips twitched with a hint of a smile.

He’d been giving me that look all day. I’d come over early to help set up, and no matter what we’d been doing—stringing lights around the porch, bringing out chairs, helping Gram in the kitchen—he’d been looking at me like that.

It was making me jumpy. He’d been touching me, too. Little nudges, or brushes of his arm against mine. Light touches on my lower back. He’d tugged my ponytail and when I’d smacked his arm for it, he’d winked at me.

If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought Asher had been flirting with me.

But this was Asher. He didn’t flirt with me.

However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different. Gram would say the winds were changing, and that’s exactly how it felt. Ever since Asher had come over to invite us for pie on my first day home, the feeling that things were different kept growing. Now, the air practically vibrated with it.

Elijah ran by with a cookie he’d probably swiped without asking. Or maybe Gram had slipped it to him. Either way, he wore a look of mischievous glee as he shoved it in his mouth. Gram herself sat in the old rocking chair on her porch, a contented smile on her face as she watched the party.

I walked up the porch steps and scooted a chair closer. She tipped slowly back and forth, her gentle cadence soothing as I sat next to her.

“Hi there, Gracie Bear.” She reached over to squeeze my hand. “Thanks for the help earlier.”

“Of course. It’s a great party.”

“The boys are happy. That’s all I could ask for.”

“I can’t believe they graduated. It seems like the last few years have gone by so fast. First Asher, then me and Evan, now the twins. Next thing you know, it’s going to be Gavin.”

“Don’t I know it. It won’t be too long and I’ll be living in this big old house all by myself.”

I wondered if Asher had told her about the apartment yet.

And why had he told me first?

“Does that bother you? The idea of living here alone?”

She took a deep breath, still rocking gently. “Life is a series of seasons. Summer fades into autumn, but when the air gets cold and the leaves start turning, you always know summer will come around again. And you also know the next one won’t be exactly like the last. It’ll get hot, just like it does every year, but other things will have changed. I’ve had a long season of raising those boys and I’ll miss it when it’s over.” She glanced at me. “But the next season of life will have its own blessings, and I look forward to those too.”

I gazed at her for a long moment. “How did you get to be so wise?”

She chuckled. “A lot of years of living with my eyes open.”

“As opposed to what, living with them closed?”

“Oh sure. Plenty of people go through life with their eyes squeezed shut. Most of ’em don’t know any better. But they miss all the good stuff.”

Asher glanced at me and his mouth turned up in that little grin again. Why did he keep doing that? There was heat in his eyes that sent a tingle down my spine.

I liked it.

And it was starting to scare me.

Because what if he was flirting with me?

There had been a moment in that empty apartment when a crazy thought had gone through my mind. That he was showing me because he thought we might live there together.

An unexpected spark of hope had flared to life. And then my mom had called, drawing me swiftly back to reality.

Now? I had no idea what to think.

A part of me clung to that bit of hope, refusing to let it fade away. Every smile, every wink, every touch from Asher fed it, keeping it alive.

But that hope was terrifying, because it meant rethinking everything. I was going back to school in the fall. Keeping my options for the future open, waiting to see where life would take me.

Was it leading me right back here?

A breeze picked up, making the sparks from the fire dance in a tiny whirlwind. The fresh night air brushed against my face.

Gram stopped rocking and leaned forward. She took a deep breath through her nose. “The winds are changing.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“That’s the other thing about life and its seasons.” She sat back and resumed her rocking, gently pushing the chair with her toes. “They don’t always change when we think they should. Just when we’re settling in to enjoy the crispness of autumn after the summer heat, we get an early snow.”

My forehead creased and I looked over at her. She had her hands clasped in her lap and her long braid draped over one shoulder. Gram often said things that almost made sense, but left me wondering if I truly understood.

The noise in the spacious backyard grew. Logan had a girl hanging on him while he made a group of his friends laugh hysterically. Someone had started an ax-throwing contest in an open area down closer to the creek. Elijah was beelining for it, but Evan grabbed him, scooping him up onto his shoulders before he could get too close.

Even my mom looked like she was relaxed and having fun. She sat near the fire, chatting with Doris Tilburn. Her hair was down and she had a drink in a red plastic cup, a smile on her face. The number of people dancing grew, some pairing off as couples, others moving to the music in small groups around the fire.

Asher walked up the porch steps. He smiled, and the summer breeze stirred my hair.

“Hi, Bear,” Gram said.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “How are you doing tonight, Gram?”

“My heart’s full. It’s good to have all my cubs in one place.” She stopped rocking and pushed herself up out of the chair. “I think it’s about time I made Logan dance with his Gram. He’s lookin’ a little big for his britches out there.” She smoothed down her dress and glanced at me. “Keep your eyes open, Gracie Bear.”

“I will.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.

I watched her make her way down to Logan. He said something into the girl’s ear—she lived over on the other side of town, but I couldn’t remember her name—then held out his arms for Gram. He led her closer to the fire and they started dancing.

Asher leaned against the porch railing. He wasn’t watching the party, or his brother dancing with Gram. He was watching me. “Hey, you.”

A tingle of excitement made my heart flutter. “Hey.”

“Wanna take a walk?”

“Sure.”

He held out one of his strong, calloused hands to help me up, and the feel of his skin sent a buzz of electricity through me. Instead of moving back so I could go down the steps, he stayed where he was, just inches from me, his eyes intent on my face. He was so big. Asher’s size was both imposing and captivating.

He was safe.

For the space of a heartbeat, I thought he might kiss me. But he just smiled—a slow, sexy grin that made my legs feel weak.

“Let’s go.”

He took my hand in his, clasping our fingers together. This time, he didn’t tug me around the side of the house, joking that we had to sneak away. He held it like he meant it. Like this was important. Like I was important.