The weekend had come and gone without so much as a warning. Dr. Seeker had spent Saturday doing housework. Sunday, he took his nephew to the Dino-Rama amusement park, a family owned and operated fairground that had opened in the 40s. It was founded and built by Chester and Hester Diggs. Their family, the founder of Diggs County and the town of Diggs, Florida, was notorious. Though they were well into their 80s and retired, their family still kept the park going, and conveniently, it was located just down the street from the Dinosaur Institute and the old fishing lodge.

They were to meet up with Grant's neighbor and her daughter, Marissa. Will and Marissa had grown quite attached to each other, spending most days playing board games, watching movies, or swimming at the Anderson's pool across the street. It was going to be hard when Will would have to move back to New York in the fall. Grant was trying to invite her with them when he could, but her mom had prior plans and agreed to meet up with them later that afternoon.

When Dr. Seeker drove past the Diggs County Dinosaur Institute, Dr. Marsh's car was still in the parking lot. This worried, but didn't surprise him. It was the day before the Time Rover Tours were to open.

"She's going to work herself to death," he mumbled under his breath and sighed.

"Who, Uncle Grant?" his nephew, Will, asked. He looked over at his nephew, embarrassed that he had heard him. "Just a friend."

"Is this the same friend you went to dinner with a few days ago?" Will asked. Grant smiled. "You should invite her!" Will said excitedly. Grant continued straight to the end of the street where parking had gone up from 50 cents to $2 per car. "I'm not sure it's a good idea," he responded. The eleven year old looked worried, "but uncle Grant, no one should have to work on a Sunday."

They parked, and he called her from the payphones outside of the gas station across the street from the Dino-Rama Amusement park. She didn't answer at first, but the second time he dialed her office, she picked up. "The office of Dr. Marsh, may I ask who is speaking?"

"According to my nephew, no one should work on Sundays."

"Grant," He heard her sigh on the other end of the line. He felt his heart skip a beat at the way she said his name, like she was relieved to hear his voice. "How do you know I'm working right now?" she asked him. Her voice was tired.

"Your Pontiac is the only car in the parking lot besides Paul and Harry's."

She hummed, amused, "I suppose you're right."

"Look, I'm right down the street. My nephew Will thinks you should come have a hotdog and ride a rollercoaster with us," Will was nodding his head behind him and gave a thumbs up to his uncle. "What could go wrong with a little fun?"

She was silent for a moment, thinking, "Oh, alright. I will finish up my paperwork, and I'll be there in about an hour. I can't promise I'll stay long, and I would like cotton candy instead of a hot dog."

"Deal," Grant said. "See you soon."

When the call ended, he turned towards his nephew and pumped his fist in the air. "She's coming?" Will asked. He nodded. "Woohoo!" He jumped excitedly as well.

They had a quick bite to eat, some buffalo chicken nachos and some slushies. Marissa's family came while they were finishing their food, and Dr. Seeker offered to buy them some tickets to the carnival games. Will and Marissa ran off to play the games, and Grant sat with Marissa's mom and little sister for a while.

After a bit, they went to go watch boats along the water at the park across the street, and fly some kites, leaving Grant watching the two children from a distance at a picnic table. His nephew was trying and failing at the Dino-Whamma, a mallet strength test. They both came running over afterwards, "Can we have money for the photo booth? Please please please!" He handed them $5, and they promptly ran away again. He was surprised to see the photo booth was working. After a while, Marissa's mom came back with ice cream for everyone, and the children sat, eating it quietly. They shortly ran off again with Marissa's mom and little sister trailing behind to go play Comet Crashers, a ball toss game.

Grant couldn't help but check his watch. They had been there for about an hour. He looked around for a moment, and his heart sank, but he could hear his nephew laughing in the distance, and he smiled to himself, getting up from the picnic table. He joined them at the game, and he even played a round of Comet Crashers, tossing some "comets" into the craters. He didn't make any, and one of his wiffle balls landed on the ground. The bearded game host handed him one back and gestured for him to try again. It landed in the yellow, the extra large prize, and Will and Marissa cheered. The game host clapped for him, and Grant was handed a large dinosaur plush that he offered to Will. "Thanks, Uncle Grant!" He was, of course, expected to hold it until they were ready to leave.

The kids and Marissa's mom went to ride the aerial carousel-style ride called Triceratops Spin, and Grant reclaimed his picnic table. It wasn't too busy at six in the evening. As he was enjoying the warm summer air, a familiar face in a lovely dark purple blouse came walking up to him.

"That's quite a dino," Dr. Marsh said about his plush, smiling amused.

"Apparently, I am very lucky," Grant stood up, and they hugged each other. "I'm glad you're here," he said to her. She smiled when they pulled away and patted his cheek, "Thank you for having me, the fresh air is nice compared to my stuffy office." Her perfume lingered on his clothes.

Together, they walked over to everyone else. He introduced Dr. Marsh to Will and to Marissa's family. "It is a pleasure to meet you," she said, shaking Marissa's mom's hand. "And I have heard wonderful things about you," she said to Will and he beamed happily. They all agreed to ride the rollercoaster at the park, Primeval Whirl.

They got on the rollercoaster, and Marissa, her mother, little sister, and Will got in one ride vehicle and Dr. Marsh and Dr. Seeker were put into their own.

"I can't tell you the last time I've ridden a roller coaster," Dr. Marsh said as the shoulder harness came over their heads. They watched the kids' vehicle move slowly ahead of them. Dr. Marsh jumped when their vehicle started moving as well. It slowly made its way up the conveyor belt, and they watched Will and Marissa's car drop suddenly in front of them.

Dr. Marsh's face was nervous and she held tightly onto the bar in front of them. "This is a bad time to admit I am afraid of rollercoasters, isn't it?" Dr. Seeker looked at her in disbelief, "I honestly didn't think you were afraid of anything." He put his hand over hers on the bar to try to comfort her. She tried to smile.

When their car dropped from the first hill, she squeezed his hand and screamed, but it was a fake drop and she looked at him embarrassed. He couldn't help but laugh. It was short-lived before they rapidly started looping around the track. Dr. Seeker's face was green with all of the spinning and turning. It was Dr. Marsh's turn to laugh. Suddenly, they dropped twice in rapid succession down some hills. Their vehicle spun around some more before coming to an abrupt stop. As soon as the shoulder harness was lifted and the lap bar raised, Dr. Seeker ran to the closest trash can. His nephew was laughing at him, watching from the exit.

"Are you alright?" Dr. Marsh asked him. He lifted his head out of the trashcan and gave a thumbs up. "Never been better," He said weakly. After a few minutes, he was still nauseous, so Dr. Marsh bought him a bottle of water from one of the shopping stalls. They found a bench under a tree near the ticket booth for him to rest on while Marissa's mom took herself and the kids to see a small stage play elsewhere in the park to give Dr. Seeker time to recuperate, promising to meet up before dinner.

He was taking small sips of the water and Dr. Marsh was lightly rubbing his back in small circles. "I guess I'm getting too old for those kinds of rides," he said, but his face was getting less pale. Dr. Marsh hummed in understanding. She was amused, but sympathetic, "You're only thirty six, you're not that old."

"I almost forgot," Dr. Seeker said exasperated. "We need to get you your cotton candy." He looked almost sad. Helen smiled. "I promise it can wait. Don't want you to ruin another trash can," she teased.

"I feel a lot better," he said, and most of the color had returned to his face. She stopped rubbing his back, and patted it. "That felt very nice, thank you," he said.

"I'm glad I could help. It's the best I know how to do without dramamine," she said. He stood up and held his hand out for her to take, "let's go get you your cotton candy." She stood up as well and they walked over to a food stall.

He bought her a bag of cotton candy, and he got popcorn for himself at a stall called Corni-vores. The sun was setting, and Dr. Marsh looked at her watch. The time was approaching 8 o'clock, and the string lights above the games turned on. The place looked magical.

"I know you have to go soon," he said to her. She nodded her head solemnly. "Tomorrow is a big day for the Dino Institute," She confirmed.

"Yes, yes it is," he agreed, and sighed. "Can we do one more thing?" He asked. "I promise it won't take long." How could she refuse a request asked so sweetly?

They made their way into the photo booth, giggling, feeling like teenagers. They smiled for the camera. There was a flash. He looked at her, thinking she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The flash almost blinded him. Suddenly, she was kissing his cheek. After that flash, they looked at each other, and his lips found hers for the final flash. Four photos were printed, waiting for them, but they lingered for a moment in the booth. Before they exited, she helped him remove her lipstick from his face, laughing.

He walked her towards the exit of the park, and she wished him a goodnight, and asked him to tell Will she was sorry she didn't get to say goodbye. As she walked back towards the parking lot alone, he watched her go with dread in his stomach. Marissa's mom walked up, the kids were in line for Triceratops Spin one more time before dinner.

"I can make sure Will gets home safely," Marissa's mom said to Dr. Seeker. "If you need more time with her." He thanked her, left her with money for dinner, and he rushed out towards the parking lot.

Dr. Marsh's Pontiac was still there, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She put her copy of their photo booth pictures in the mirror of her sun visor, and he knocked on her window. She rolled it down when she saw it was him.

"I'm sorry," he started. She looked at him bewildered. "I realized that I don't like saying goodbye to you. That I selfishly want your time."

"Selfish, it is," she looked at her hands in her lap nervously. "but I understand."

She looked back up at him, "all I ask is that we get through tomorrow before we do anything that we might regret." He was quiet. He looked at her guiltily. "Tomorrow.." He started.

She tilted her head and looked at him suspiciously. He didn't continue. "What do you have planned, Grant?" He didn't answer her right away. "Grant? It isn't funny to try and get a rise out of me."

"Everything is going to be perfect tomorrow," he said to try to reassure her. "We've been preparing for this for a while now." This didn't seem to ease her mind. She sat for a moment. They met each other's eyes. She was evaluating their relationship, if she trusted him. It was hard to say. "Do you want to get in?" She asked him, gesturing to her passenger seat.

"I don't want to keep you from going to bed early," he said, but he still went around to her passenger door. It was almost as if he was drawn to be near her despite the words coming out of his mouth. She shrugged. "I probably won't get much sleep tonight anyways," she said to him as he got into her car and shut the door behind himself. "I hope I'm not keeping you from your nephew."

"Flo said she would take him home after dinner. The summer is drawing to a close, and I'm sure he'll want the extra time with Marissa before he has to say goodbye," Grant explained. She looked at him, suddenly feeling vulnerable with just the center console of her car separating them.

"Grant, I'm not trying to give you mixed signals. I like you a lot, and I enjoy your company, but I cannot say for certain that whatever we're doing here is good for either of us." The look he gave her gave her chills.

"Helen, I want this," he gestured between them. "I want to pursue whatever this is between us." Dr. Marsh's stomach was fluttering with nerves. She imagined this is how he felt on the rollercoaster, sick to his stomach.

"I wake up everyday with thoughts of you, and I can't be sure that you feel the same," she said to him. She felt tears of frustration in her eyes, and she took a deep breath, "I can't help but feel you're going to disappoint me." He swallowed hard.

"Probably because I already have," he said quietly. Dr. Marsh sighed, "This is why I wanted to maintain a professional relationship."

"The feelings were already there. It was too late, Helen."

"Were they?" She asked. "You even said so yourself on Wednesday that you weren't sure you wanted to kiss me, to change the dynamics of our relationship. How are you so sure now?" Grant groaned in frustration.

"I will not be used to boost your ego or to fill some void," she said to him.

"That's not what this is," he said, his expression was serious and his eyebrows were furrowed.

"Then what is it, Grant? Because I am frightened of letting myself get comfortable and you deciding that I'm not worth it."

"I am not Morton."

"I didn't say that you were."

"You're afraid I'll be like him."

They were silent. Dr. Seeker could hear his heart beating in his chest.

"...I'm sorry," Dr. Marsh whispered. He wanted to reach out and touch her.

"You don't need to be sorry If it is how you feel." Dr. Marsh sighed.

"Do you really think of me every day?" He asked her. She looked at him, her face was a little more flush. "That is what I said."

"And it is true?" He asked.

"Yes."

There was something so soft in his eyes. It made Dr. Marsh want to cry. She was embarrassed at herself, a grown woman falling so easily. "I think I'm going to go home," she said. He hesitated to get out of her car, "I don't want to leave you like this. It isn't fair for you to feel this way."

"Then come with me."