I’d been working at the diner for a couple of weeks now. It wasn’t much, just a few shifts a week. Gwen had been right, I was able to learn the layout of the restaurant and the menu easily enough. And after a brief training with her, Mike had me waiting tables on my own.

It took a few tries before I found my confidence and I definitely had more than one oops moment, like when I brought a table’s check out before their food. But people were forgiving enough when you told them you were new and still learning the ropes. I noticed it didn’t affect tips, either. If anything, people were more generous to the girl who didn’t have a clue what she was doing.

I had seen Julian a few times when I worked, but mostly he was leaving when I was getting in or vice versa. Each time I saw him, my heart fluttered a little bit. It made sense, Julian was still the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen, except he wasn’t a boy anymore. He’d grown up.

I would catch myself stealing glances at him when he wasn’t looking. He was lean, but his arms were just muscular enough to be distracting. I would find myself staying at the order window a little longer if he was facing away. I’d watch the muscles in his arms move as he adjusted patties on the grill.

And much to my embarrassment, I finally understood how a guy could have a great butt. Seriously. I had never understood it before, had always thought it was an asset only appreciated by the male population. But jeans had never looked so good as they did when Julian walked away from the window to work on an order.

What was wrong with me? I shook my head to clear the uninvited thoughts.

The fact he had barely acknowledged me didn’t sit right with me. The Julian I remembered would have been welcoming. When I made the decision to come to work at The Farmhouse, I had pictured the different ways our reunion would go. Maybe an awkward hug, or a bunch of questions. I did not imagine the silent treatment.

Besides, he always had some kind of mark marring his skin. A bruise, a cut. That paired with his attitude made me wonder what had happened to him. Was he dangerous?

It didn’t seem to matter, I couldn’t keep my eyes away.

Julian looked up and made eye contact with me just as I was mentality reprimanding myself for staring again. Like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar, I instantly felt my face flush and my heart begin to pound beneath my chest. I looked away, embarrassed, hoping he thought I was just spacing instead of checking him out.

“Hey, Katie.” Gwen walked up “How did your shift go today? Are you getting the hang of it?”

She was tying her apron around her waist, getting ready to take over for me and start her night. After the initial training with her, I rarely worked with Gwen anymore. It was a bummer. She had become someone I called a friend in a very short time. I had grabbed that cup of coffee with her she had suggested and learned we had so much in common. We both loved running, I’d been on my school’s varsity cross country team back home. She ran as a way to reduce stress.

We both loved cheesy sci-fi shows and argued over who was the best manifestation of our favorite time lord. Ten was my favorite, but this girl was old school and had a soft spot for four.

“Yeah, it’s getting better. I just needed a bit of confidence.”

“I knew it! I’m so happy.” And looking at the joyful expression on her face, I knew she was genuinely thrilled for me. “I’m actually really glad I bumped into you tonight. A bunch of people are making one last river trip before everyone goes off in different directions for school. It’ll be fun and you should come.”

“I don’t know. Wouldn’t it be weird since I don’t really know anyone?”

“You’ll know me and Mitch.”

“Okay, but what would be the point of me going since I don’t know anyone else and it’s a last bash type of deal?” I wondered how kindly they’d take to me crashing their farewell party.

“Katie, I swear, I just told you. It’ll be fun. Come one, say you’ll come. The three of us can ride together.”

I sighed. “Fine. For the sake of fun.” I took one more glance toward the kitchen before leaving, but Julian wasn’t standing there anymore.

“Turn left here,” Mitch called over my shoulder. For some reason, I was the one who ended up driving to the river. Never mind I was the only who had never been tubing down this river. And never mind I didn’t even own my own car. For some reason, I was voted to drive so I borrowed my dad’s vehicle and picked my friends up.

It was a Bronco from the seventies and was basically a box on wheels. My dad may have been a computer geek, but this thing was his baby. You could tell because its paint job looked nicer than some of the newer cars out there. I knew nothing about cars and even I could tell it was fancy. The mint green exterior made it look like it came straight from a vintage ad about camping. The seats were covered in white leather and I couldn’t find a single mark on it.

It was hard to believe he trusted me with it.

Knowing we were going to the river, my dad had taken the top off. The weather was beautiful and it would have been perfect, if my hair didn’t keep flying in my face from the wind. I was jealous of Gwen and Mitch and their short haircuts, if only this once.

“Ok, now turn right there by the giant tree.” Mitch continued to call out directions from the backseat. Mitch was the self-proclaimed navigator. It’s not like I could put that awesome place to park when you go tubing into the GPS. Without him, I’d be lost. Gwen sat mostly silent on the drive out, staring at the scenery.

As we pulled up, I realized while I knew a ton about the beaches and the salt water in Florida, I actually didn’t have a clue about going tubing. It wasn’t something I had done before I moved away.

“Wait, so if we're floating down a river, aren't we going to be going away from our cars? How does this even work?”

“Oh, Katie, it's so cute when you let your Florida show,” Mitch said, and patted my head like I was a small child.

I playfully flicked him off, but he just laughed. “Stop being such an ass, Mitch. Seriously, how does this even work?”

“Just for that,” he said sounding highly offended, “you have to carry all three of our tubes soaking wet. It’s over a mile hike.”

“What?” Was he serious? I loved running and the outdoors, but hiking with a wet bathing suit was not my idea of a good time.

“Dude. You’re going to have to relax. Someone parks where we get out of the river and drives us back to our cars. It's so easy, even Gwen can do it.”

“Oh, shut up!” Gwen turned around in her seat and smacked Mitch in the arm but was smiling.

“Oh, don't get your bathing suit in a wad,” he said and leaned back in his seat.

I’m sure Mitch would have teased us more if we hadn’t just made it to where we were going. I’d only met him, or rather re-met him, a few weeks ago. But Mitch had one of those personalities that made you feel instantly comfortable. I could see why Gwen and he were such good friends, considering they both had that trait. He would pick on me like I hadn’t been gone the last few years. And I found myself loosening up and giving it right back to him.

When we pulled up, there were so many cars I struggled to find a place to park. Everyone was taking off their cover-ups and shirts, leaving them in their cars. I decided to follow their lead and took off my own. Bikinis were everywhere. Groups of girls were taking pictures of each other with their phones, making ridiculous faces that were probably already posted online.

I felt a little frumpy in my retro style one piece while everyone else showed so much. Even Gwen stripped down to a two piece. I had been afraid to wear something that could easily shift if the water was rough, thinking I might give people an unwanted peep show. I guess I’d been overthinking it.

We sat around for a little while, waiting for everyone to arrive. A bunch of guys took the opportunity to show how manly they were. Pushups on the ground, chin ups on nearby trees. Flexing matches ensued. I looked over to Gwen to see what her reaction was to the display, only to notice she had gone off with Mitch. The two were talking next to a tree away from me.

I didn’t want to interrupt, so instead I looked back at the boys, the scene so funny I couldn’t contain my giggle. I covered my mouth, but it was too late.

“Did you just laugh at us?” One of the boys who had just been showing off walked over. He had a playful smile on his face, but I didn’t know how to respond. I stood there, wide eyed, shaking my head.

“Stop it, Josh!” A nearby girl yelled at him. She looked familiar and I thought I remembered her name being Addison. She had long blond hair and her skin was a deep tan that made it clear she spent a lot of time outdoors. “You guys are acting like Neanderthals out here. Of course, she laughed at you, you ape!”

He winked at me and gave a little salute in my direction before chasing after her. She laughed and ran, but he caught up quickly. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. “Me, man. You, woman.” He grunted and paraded her around the group much to everyone's amusement. He grabbed a single inner tube from a giant pile in the clearing and stalked off.

I continued to watch them as they headed toward the creek, when I noticed a guy who had come to the diner a few times. He was usually with a bigger group of guys. Short blond hair stuck up in every direction. His blue eyes were unnaturally bright. He’d taken off his shirt and was standing near me in just his board shorts. They hung just a little too low on his hips and showed off his muscular form. I didn't even realize I was staring until I glanced back up at his face and saw the expression on it. He was grinning and gave me a wink.

Crap. He totally saw.

“Oh, my gosh. Can we please just act like nothing happened?” My face burned and I closed my eyes to avoid seeing his reaction.

“What? And miss this opportunity to bask in the fact that a hot girl was admiring my godlike physique. No way.”

Did he just call me a hot girl?

“I’m Tyler.” He said, still with that ridiculous grin on his face.

“Katie.”

“Yeah, I remember. I’ve seen you at the diner.” And for some reason it made me blush a little more. “But back to you checking me out.”

“I wasn’t checking you out.” I denied and shook my head to emphasize the fact I was absolutely not admiring him in his bathing suit.

“Really? You wanna play that game?”

“What game would that be?” I asked. He crossed his arms across his chest and continued to look at me.

“Fine. I was checking you out.” I admitted. “But don't let it go to your head. You're a three out of ten, at best.” I said, knowing it was a lie.

“A three? I’m at least a four. Gimme some credit, Katie,” he begged, as he started flexing.

“A three point five, maybe,” I countered. He was cute, definitely much better than a four. But still not nearly as good looking as Julian. The thought made me feel a twinge of guilt for flirting so openly with another guy, which was ridiculous. “I gotta go find my friend,” I said quickly and left to find Gwen.

“See you around, Katie,” he called out as I walked away.

Thankfully, Gwen and Mitch were still talking when I reached her. Which meant I didn’t think she saw the embarrassing exchange that had just taken place. I went up to her and looped my arm in hers, loving that we had already reached a point in our friendship where I could do it confidently.

I looked around at all the different people in the water when we got to the entry point. Some I recognized, others I didn’t. I couldn’t help but look for Julian, especially after that conversation with Tyler. I didn’t see him anywhere.

I tried to pretend I didn’t care.

But, despite that disappointment, I had a great time. Like, a really great time.

It was probably one of the best moments I’d had since my mom’s death, enough to make me want to get back out there and start enjoying life again. I realized it was okay to have fun. Gwen and Mitch had become fast friends and I enjoyed spending time with them.

That day, I decided maybe my time in River Valley wouldn’t be as horrible as I had originally thought.