Outside his truck at a remote gas station, Dusty fought his impulses after helping Camille unzip her wedding dress, reminding himself she needed a friend, not a flirtation. He gathered supplies from his truck—coat, towel, socks, and boots—and gently tended to Cam’s aching, cold feet, putting on socks for her and offering the towel if she wanted to re-wet her hair because he knew she preferred it curly.

Dusty promised a surprise destination and drove thirty minutes along his favorite winding mountain road. During the ride, Camille loosened her hair and added water to bring back her curls, seeming lighter by the time they arrived.

They pulled into a Chili’s, which made Camille laugh at the absurdity. Inside, they chose a booth, and Dusty noticed Camille’s attention flick briefly to his neck tattoo, while he quietly took in the changes in her appearance since their youth. They settled in, joking about chain restaurants and their “Applebee’s” equivalents, which eased the tension and got Camille smiling.

Their server, Cara, focused more on Dusty, prompting Camille to tease that the server was into him and to suggest Dusty’s looks made them an odd pairing. Dusty ordered waters and a shared Tiki Beach Party Margarita with two straws, and they placed their food orders.

Dusty then carefully broached the subject of the failed wedding. Camille tried to minimize it, saying it was “cut and dried,” but Dusty pressed her to meet his eyes and told her she did not deserve to be abandoned. Camille replied quietly that she thought she did deserve it, and the conversation stalled when the server returned with drinks. Dusty split the straws and nudged her back into levity with the oversized blue cocktail, describing it as tasting like “artificial blue,” which made Camille smile and admit blue was her favorite color.