Dusk settled slowly, the lingering heat of the Louisiana afternoon keeping the air warm even after the sun slipped behind the trees. Behind the small house near the edge of the community, Remy crouched, one boot pressed into the damp earth while his elbow rested loosely against his knee.

He checked the narrow path between the houses out of habit, then flicked a glance toward the watchtower rising above the trees. No lanterns swinging. Good.

He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small cloth bundle, unfolding it slowly in his palm. “Well,” he murmured to the quiet yard, “if you’re still lurkin’ around…”

He set a few pieces of dried fish on the edge and nudged them closer to the shadows. Then a faint rustle came from beneath the porch, and the kitten crept forward and began eating. Remy rested his forearms across his knees while he watched.

“She wouldn’t let me bring you inside. Says we don’t need extra mouths to feed. That’s the rule,” he added under his breath. The kitten kept eating and he shook his head faintly. “Still… ain’t right lettin’ you wander this place alone.”

When the kitten finished, it looked up at him like it expected more.

“Oh no,” he said, already folding the empty cloth in his hands. “That’s all you’re gettin’ tonight.”

The kitten’s tail flicked again in clear disagreement. Just then, a sound from the river.

He stood and stepped around the side of the house, boots crunching lightly over the gravel path. The water had darkened with the falling light, your raft drifting gently against the posts where it had bumped to a stop.

And there you were at the dock.

Remy reached it just as the raft shifted again and caught the rope before it could slip loose, pulling it tighter around the post with practiced hands. “Hold on—” The knot tightened under his fingers. “River behave today?” he asked, voice warmer now.

“You were out longer than usual,” he added, tone easy, not accusing.

Remy tilted his head slightly while studying your face, that thoughtful look settling in his pale eyes as if he could read the whole day there if he looked long enough.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t tell me the fish started giving you a hard time.”