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I shake my head, smiling despite myself. There’s a sense of comfort around Ollie. It’s refreshing to be around someone so open and honest about their interests. Hopefully we get to become close friends before my time in Brooklyn ends.

After what must be close to an hour, Ollie checks his phone and stands up. “We should get going. Tilly’s due for a feeding soon and we need to stop at the grocery store for dinner ingredients.”

I blink up at him, surprised by how quickly the time passed, before pushing myself up from the bench. Instinctively, I reach for the stroller handle, but Ollie shakes his head, his fingers curling around the bar before mine can. “Let me.”

I fall into step beside him, listening to the sounds of the waterfront fade behind us little by little as we head back into the busier streets. More people crowd the sidewalks, some carrying grocery bags, others iced coffees and even bouquets wrapped in brown paper. Music plays farther down the block, mixing with distant traffic and snippets of conversation as strangers brush past us. I watch as Ollie expertly maneuvers the stroller, Tilly sleeping through all of it peacefully. She truly loves being outside.

“You handle that stroller like a professional already,” I comment as we wait at the corner for the light to change.

“You only think that because you missed how I almost crashed her into a water post earlier when you were looking at that dog in sunglasses.”

“He looked cooler than most people I know.”

“That’s honestly kind of sad,” Ollie mumbles under his breath.

As we pass a pizza place with its windows open to the street, a guy standing outside lifts a hand toward Ollie. “Hey, man!”

Ollie slows, one hand still resting on the stroller handle. “What’s up, Seth?”

“All good.” Seth’s attention drops to Tilly before his eyes widen. “Holy shit. Is that the baby Boone mentioned?”

Ollie rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. “Yeah. It’s a long story, but Tilly is my niece.”

Seth notices me standing beside Ollie and the grin that spreads across his face is instant but annoying for some reason. “And who’s this? Your latest?”

The teasing plants a tiny seed of curiosity. I haven't given Ollie's personal life much thought until now. He's kind, funny and easy to talk to. It stands to reason that other people would notice that too. Maybe dating comes easily to him. Seth certainly seems to think there's a pattern.

Before I can introduce myself and set the record straight, Ollie says, “This is Peyton. She’s helping me out with Tilly. Peyton, meet Seth.”

“Nice to meet you,” Seth says, offering me an easy smile.

“You too.”

Seth’s gaze flicks between us before he winks at Ollie. “Good luck, man. With… everything.”

Heat creeps into my cheeks. Ollie just sighs. “Don’t start.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were about to.”

“Maybe.” He grins before backing toward the restaurant door. “See you around, man.”

We keep walking, the stroller wheels bumping over cracks in the sidewalk.

“Friend of yours?” I ask.

“Boone’s former roommate who has a big fucking mouth.”

“He made it sound like you date a lot.”

Ollie lets out a huff. “I wasn't exactly a stranger to dating since my breakup. Women, men...if I liked someone, I asked them out. But that was before Tilly. These days I barely have time to shower, let alone date.”

That explains Seth’s confidence in his earlier comment. It also fills in another piece of the mental picture I'd been building of Ollie. Funny how quickly you can start to think you know someone after a few days, only to realize there's still so much left to learn.

With my eyes fixed on the sidewalk again, I say, “He definitely thinks we're together.”

“I gathered that, too,” Ollie says, shaking his head. “I have a feeling it won't be the last time someone thinks so.”