“Hey, Jean-Michel, you want to go hiking at Silver Falls?” Lily asked as he rushed past her toward the kitchen.

He wrinkled his nose. “I do not do outdoors. Why you don’t ask your friend, that American girl with the French name?”

“Renee’s still in Italy,” she said with a sigh. “Not only is she my only hiking friend, she’s my only friend. How depressing is that?”

“When you hiking?” he asked.

“Well, I was hoping you’d go with me since we’re closing early today.”

Jean-Michel shrugged. “Those boys always in here talking with you? Go ask them.”

Actually not a bad idea, she thought.

Aiden or Elijah might be up for it. She left Jean-Michel to finish closing and slid into her little Mercedes. In the backseat, her backpack was already stuffed with hiking clothes.

Any day off that was clear and sunny in an Oregon spring demanded to be taken advantage of.

Lily smiled as she pulled up to her brothers’ apartment and saw that Elijah’s truck was there. Of her two brothers, he was the most likely to say yes.

“Hey!” she called as she let herself in with the spare key. “Elijah, you want to go to Silver Falls?”

Elijah emerged from the hallway in his firefighting t-shirt.

“Damn, I wish,” he said. “My shift’s about to start. Heading out. Maybe Cade wants to go.”

“Cade?” she asked.

“Yeah?” She heard the hallway bathroom door open. Lily blushed, unaware that he was there.

“Lily wants someone to go hiking with.”

“Oh yeah?” Cade asked. She sensed the shared trepidation in his voice.

“It’s not like he’s being allowed to work,” Elijah reminded Lily. “And he’s been bitching to us nonstop at the station about how bored he is.”

“It’s true,” Cade admitted with a shrug.

“Uh, it’s okay. It was just a random thought. I should probably go home and practice my choux skills, anyway—”

“You two don’t be weird,” Elijah said as he rolled his eyes and slipped on his jacket. “Cade, I know you love to hike. Don’t you even keep your gear in your ride most of the time?”

Cade looked at Lily. “Well, yeah …”

“Then go,” Elijah said. “While the rest of us are stuck at work, make the most of a rare sunny Sunday.”

“I mean, a hike would be good …” Cade said slowly. His eyes searched Lily’s for permission.

“Sure!” she said, aware of how fake her enthusiasm sounded. “Sounds good.”

“Have some fun for me,” Elijah said as he bounded out the front door.

As soon as she couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore, Lily turned to Cade. “Obviously I don’t expect you to go hiking with me,” she said.

“Look, about the other day … I’m sorry. It was my fault. How about we just pretend it didn’t happen?”

“Well … okay …” Lily said as she shifted from foot to foot.

“Seriously. We can be friends, can’t we?”

“Uh, sure?”

“Good. So, your big brother is right. I do have my hiking gear in the trunk of my car. Where were you thinking?”

“Well …” Lily mentally scratched Silver Falls off the list. It was too far of a drive, too long of a hike, and too freaking romantic. “I was thinking of going to Hendricks Park. It’s close,” she added.

“Great. Let me grab my hiking boots and stuff, and we can go.”

“Do you mind driving?” Lily asked.

Cade looked at her, amused. “Sure, no problem. Your car still acting up?”

“Yeah, but it’s also not as nice as yours.”

“Actually, I got a new—”

“I know, Elijah told me. Yesterday, right? A new Mustang?”

“Man, that boy’s got a big mouth. Yeah, a convertible.”

No wonder I didn’t notice his truck in the parking lot.

“What are you doing with the Chevy?”

“Traded it. Not for much, but anything helps.”

She held up her backpack. “Just let me change really quick and we can go.”

Briefly, as she changed in Elijah’s room, she wished she’d brought some cuter hiking gear. Instead, she pulled on the same pair of yoga pants she’d had for four years.

She groaned when she realized which long-sleeved top she had. The cartoon of three burlesque dancers with pasties on their breasts, the fourth holding up macarons and saying, “I thought you said pastries” was cute to her and Jean-Michel.

Probably not anyone else. Lily zipped up her Nike jacket all the way to her throat.

“Ready,” she said, and followed Cade down to the sleek, candy-colored Mustang. As soon as he started the car, Warrant started playing. “I haven’t heard this in forever!” she exclaimed as the hook for “Cherry Pie” began.

“Want me to change it?”

“No, I like it.”

As Cade maneuvered onto the main road, she turned to him. “So… how many girls have you slept with?”

He was clearly startled, but tried not to show it. “I’m not sure. I’ve never been very good at math.”

“But the number is like, a lot? Right?”

“A lot is subjective, don’t you think?” he asked with a wink.

“Okay, like more than one hundred?”

“Why are you asking?” he asked as they pulled up to a red light.

“I dunno. Just making conversation.”

“Is this what you consider small talk? You know, when you told me you don’t have much of a social life, maybe that’s why. Your conversation skills could use some sprucing up.”

“I think you’re avoiding the question.”

“Damn right I’m avoiding the question!”

“Why? Why does it matter if I know?” she asked.

Cade paused. “You’re right, I guess it doesn’t. So, okay, my answer is a lot.”

“A lot,” she repeated and nodded. “What’s your definition of a lot?”

“Probably similar to yours.”

So at least one hundred, she thought.

What the hell? Are there really over one hundred girls in Salem that he would even be into? I mean, after deducting the ones in relationships and everything.

“But none since… you know. The thing in Montana.”

“Wait,” Lily said. She turned to him. “Seriously? None?”

“Yeah,” Cade said with a nod. “I think… you know, it really fucked me up.”

“But, Montana. That was like, awhile ago.”

Cade looked at her, aware that she was about to start a new interrogation. “How about we change the subject?”

“To what?”

She felt a little embarrassed about pushing him, but she’d wondered about his number for most of her life. And having the answer didn’t feel very validating. Still, she was surprised that she wasn’t jealous.

But did I make the list? she wondered. Do I count?

“Let’s see,” Cade said. “Who do you think looks best from your years in high school?”

Lily laughed.

He’s certainly not very good at smooth conversational shifts. But he was right, she’d pushed him enough.

“Honestly, I don’t really see many people from high school around. I think most of them left.”

“But on Instagram or whatever?”

She shrugged. “I don’t really keep up with social media. I think I have an Instagram. And a Twitter? But I’m never on them.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

For a second, she thought she saw him blush.

“I mean, I don’t remember really seeing you on there much. Not that I really am, either.”

Liar, she thought, but with a smile.

She might not be posting all the time or share anything, but she lurked. It had gotten especially bad right after they’d slept together three years ago.

She’d made an anonymous account to check out his photos, and on Instagram there were scores of girls liking his pictures and commenting.

Lily had slowly stopped her online stalking of him once she’d realized it didn’t do any good. If she wanted that crush to die, she needed to stop feeding it every day. She’d never disabled those accounts, just abandoned them.

“What about you?” she asked. “Who do you think looks best from high school?”

“I don’t know. Kind of like you, I don’t really keep track. You look pretty good,” he said, and gave her a wink.

She shoved him playfully. “I wasn’t fishing.”

“I didn’t think you were. I can tell you who doesn’t look good, though.”

“Who’s that?”

“Mr. Stroh.”

“Oh God, I forgot about him. As if having him in middle school wasn’t bad enough, he had to go and become principal of the freaking high school.”

“I had him for homeroom one year,” Cade recalled. “I felt kind of bad for the guy.”

“Why’s that?”

“All these girls were always talking about how he was checking them out, calling him a pervert and stuff.”

“Do you … do you think he did something? Like, hit on them?” she asked. She’d never had him as a teacher, but didn’t remember any rumors like that.

“I can’t say,” he said with a shrug. “All I know is they never gossiped about him actually doing or saying anything. But you know, who knows. He was kind of weird. With that toupee and all.”

“Yeah, I remember that,” she said. “Well, if he didn’t do anything, that is sad. Teenagers are cruel.”

They pulled into the parking lot and Cade parked next to a car full of kids in South Salem sweaters.

“Speaking of,” he said with a nod.

She smiled at him. “Let’s do this.”