Corey flat out ignored Mannie’s comment, while confirming it as she hurried back around to the passenger side. “Come with me,” she said, grabbing Aden by the wrist and dragged him along behind her as she headed inside.

“Corey I need help-.” The door muffled Mannie’s protests.

She dragged Aden into her room, then dropped his wrist and shoved things around on her desk to clear some room. She plucked an unfinished painting off the wall, a dreamy rendition of the sky and mountains reflected into the lake, and she laid it out onto the cleared space on her desk, taping it down with green painters tape. “I ran out of magenta before I could finishing this one,” she explained, tearing into the paints and picking through the tubes to find what she needed. She placed one on the desk with the painting, then turned quickly again, this time for her window.

Aden watched her pull the glass aside and reach out to her window sill, where a jar sat collecting drips of rain from the roof as they fell. A grin found his lips. When Corey gave him a curious look, he settled on the edge of her bed and nodded to the jar. “You use the rainwater.” He wouldn’t be able to explain to her the particular charm that had to him.

She smile, her cheeks taking on a bit of color. “Yeah. I know it’s more work than it’s worth, it’s just water. I just, I swear it cooperates better than the well water.” As if to prove her point, she dipped her brush into the jar and wet the page, across the bare sky, and down into the lake, then dabbed the smallest bit of the magenta onto the wet paper with the tip of the brush. The color followed the water in the pattern she had drawn it, dispersing across the paper and bringing a beautiful pastel pink skin that reminded him of the first morning in Pine Creek.

Corey sighed, satisfied now that it was complete, then returned her jar to its spot on the outside of her window sill, and moved for her door. “Come on, let's go help Mannie.”

Aden nodded, getting up and taking one last glance at the finished painting before following her.

After unpacking the boxes from Mannie’s truck, they helped Corey make a quick lunch of macaroni and cheese, which they ate while sitting around the center island countertop in the cabin’s small kitchen. They ate alongside hanging pots and drying herbs, joined by a pair of owl salt and pepper shakers set up neatly in the middle of the counter.

Mannie and Corey talked at a million miles a minute, the way that only old friends conversed. He recapped their previous afternoon and morning for Corey in excessive detail, leaving out only select points, like Aden’s plans for El Paso, and their talk shortly before arriving again in Pine Creek. Corey added colorful commentary, inserting herself in the memories with comments she would have said if she were there. She thought it was particularly funny, imagining the two of them in over their heads at the art store. She had trouble stopping herself from laughing once she had started.

Nearing the bottom of their bowls, the air changed as it was obvious to Corey that the only thing keeping them around was the food. Mannie checked his phone and she whined.

“I’m sorry, Deelee, you know I gotta deliver to the other camps also.”

“What happened to the good ol’ days when your dad would just drop you off and we’d play in the lake all day instead?”

“He got an ulcer and isn’t allowed to drive up here anymore, that’s what happened.”

“Fuck, right.” Even though she admitted defeat, she still sighed heavily, receiving a hug from Mannie to fend off her frown.

“I’ll come the moment I have some time to spare, ok?” He grabbed her by her cheeks and forced her frowning mouth upwards until she shoved him away from her.

Corey followed after him as he went for the door, and Aden tagged along behind both of them, keeping himself politely out of the way. “Fine. You better. My mom is driving me absolutely insane, and the rain we’ve been having isn’t a great sign.” Corey protested with a bit of a whine.

“Promise.” Mannie leaned over to wrap an arm around her neck again before exiting out onto the porch towards the truck.

When he was opening the driver’s side door, Corey clued into the fact that Aden hadn’t followed Mannie to the car and was in fact leaned against the opposite side of the threshold. She gave him a curious look. “Aren’t you going, too?”

Aden grinned awkwardly. “Yeah, about that.”

“I got sick of him. He’s your problem now.” Mannie called from the rolled down window of his truck, flashing teeth as he waved and pulled away.

Corey watched him go, then turned back to Aden with a eyebrow raised.

He offered another sheepish look. “Think you have some room for me?”

Her look slipped into a smirk, pushing off from the doorway and beckoning him inside. “I’m sure we can squeeze you in somewhere.”