"You know, you could have just come over for a hamburger."
Caroline laughed unexpectedly.
It was the first time Marcus had heard her laugh.
"Would you have invited me?"
Marcus considered the question.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"You were pretty intimidating."
Caroline laughed again.
This time, Marcus joined her.
It wasn't a perfect ending.
But it was a beginning.
Six weeks later, Marcus hosted another barbecue.
This time, he sent invitations to several neighbors.
Including Caroline.
He wasn't sure she would come.
At four o'clock, the backyard began filling with people.
Children played near the fence.
Adults talked around the patio.
Music played quietly.
Someone brought dessert.
Someone else brought homemade potato salad.
Marcus stood near the grill.
Then he saw Caroline approaching.
She wasn't wearing the large hat.
She wasn't carrying a complaint.
She was carrying a bowl.
"What is that?" Marcus asked.
"Potato salad."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"Bribery?"
"Peace offering."
He laughed.
"Fair enough."
Caroline placed the bowl on the table.
Then she looked around.
"So this is the dangerous gathering."
Marcus laughed.
"Extremely dangerous."
"How many people?"
"I lost count."
She smiled.
"Should I call the police?"
Marcus pointed at her.
"Don't even joke about that."
She laughed.
The tension that had once existed between them was still there, but it had changed.
It was no longer sharp.
It was something they could acknowledge.
Later that afternoon, Marcus sat at the same table where the confrontation had begun.
But everything looked different.
The same fence.
The same grass.
The same house.
The same table.
Yet the atmosphere had changed completely.
Caroline sat across from him.
They talked about ordinary things.
Work.
Food.