Dominic and Lionel had already lit the charcoal in the grill and were starting on the meat skewers.


    Letitia was right by Dominic''s side, beer can in hand, clearly having a great time.


    Noah sat nearby, with Cynthia and Nic keeping himpany.


    Nic was too young for barbecue, so Cynthia gave her a slice of strawberry cake.


    Noah''s expression grew distant for a moment when he saw the cake. "You haven''t changed. You still only like strawberry cake, and you take it with you everywhere."


    "It''s true. People rarely change," Cynthia said with a smile. "I remember when we used to go out, you would always bring strawberry cake for me. One time, I craved it in the middle of the night, and you went out to buy some. All the bakeries were closed, so you drove for ages until you found one that was still open. You bought theirst slice, but by the time you got home, I had already fallen asleep."


    Noah was clearly lost in the memory, his eyes softening.


    Cynthia shook her head with a lightugh, teasing, "Oh, well. That''s all in the past. Besides, I can''t have any now. I can''t exactly fight this little one for it, can I?"


    Noah looked at his daughter, her face smeared with cream like a messy little kitten, and couldn''t help but smile.


    When Bet and Yvonne arrived, arge tter was already piled high with grilled skewers.


    Bet walked over, picked up a chicken skewer, and handed it to Yvonne. "How is it?"


    "Ben, you don''t trust my skills? Of course it''s delicious," Dominic chimed in immediately.


    "The vor is actually really good. I''ve already tried some," Noah added.


    Yvonne took a bite. It was just okay, nothing like what you''d get at a high-end restaurant, but camping was more about the atmosphere. As long as it was edible, it was fine.


    "Mmm, it''s really good," she said, ying along.


    Bet led Yvonne to sit across from Noah and Cynthia.


    The table wasden with grilled skewers, fruit, and drinks.


    Bet thoughtfully poured Yvonne a drink and handed her some of her favorite skewers.


    Yvonne didn''t eat much; as an actress, she had to watch her figure. Instead, she drank a lot of juice, filling up on liquids.


    After her cake, Nic also had a lot to drink, and soon her little face was red as she announced she needed to use the restroom.


    There were public restrooms at the campsite, but they were a bit of a walk.


    Noah took Nic''s hand and led her away.


    Dominic had been grilling for a while and wasining that his arm was sore, so Bet stood up to help.


    Suddenly, only Yvonne and Cynthia were left at the table.


    Yvonne sipped her drink nonchntly.


    Cynthia held a skewer but wasn''t eating it. Instead, she started a casual conversation. "After Director Ward''s series wraps up, you should have some downtime. I have a new project, a modern urban rom. I think you''d be perfect fort. The auditions are next week. Would you be interested in trying out?"


    "Thank you for the offer, Ms. Scott, but my agent handles all my professional


    opportunities," Yvonne replied, politely declining.


    Cynthia wasn''t the least bit offended


    by the rejection. She simply smiled. "This isn''t the first time we''ve worked together just feel like Have a connection, that''s all You don''t have to read too much into it."


    "It certainly is some connection. Since you''ve returned to the country, Ms. Scott, you seem to cross paths with me, and with the Thompson family far too often. Even on,


    camping trip like today, we just ''happen'' to run into each other."