Off Limits
Mia had suggested bringing Hope along, reasoning that a toddler's easy, uncomplicated presence might soften whatever awkwardness settled over the first few minutes, and Jake had agreed immediately, grateful for anything that might ease the visible knot of nerves sitting tight across his shoulders the entire drive over.
They arrived early, parking near a small pond where a handful of ducks paddled lazily near the shore, the whole park quiet except for the distant creak of a swing set and the occasional burst of a dog barking somewhere beyond the tree line. Jake stood near the picnic table Renata had described, hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, his eyes scanning every path leading int