Alex actually didn’t have to find anyone to talk to or even visit the bookstore again. The very next day, Jane came up to him while he was eating out on a picnic bench, watching the sun setting.

He loved the canyon at all different times of the day. Nighttime might have been his favorite, when the moon was spilling silver and pearl white down into the canyon and he felt like he was suddenly seeing an alien world. But the sunrise and sunset, with the colors spilling out like a knocked over container of paints—that was pretty damn great too.

Jane was another bookstore worker, part-time since she was in school as well. Alex had always liked her. She was the type of person who was easy to talk to but didn’t gossip. She expressed her opinion frankly, but usually only when it was asked for.

Which was why it shocked him when she sat down and immediately said, “So what’s the deal with you and Logan?”

Alex stared at her. “There is no deal between me and Logan.”

Jane frowned, although she didn’t look displeased so much as puzzled. “Are you sure? Because if you want to maintain your privacy I completely understand. I wouldn’t even normally ask, it’s just—”

“It’s not about maintaining privacy. There’s just—we’re sort-of coworkers. We’re not even that, we’re two people who work in the same physical area. We’ve only spoken a couple of times.”

Jane nodded, biting her lip as she processed this information. “So you would say that there isn’t anything… between you?”

“Between us? I mean, I thought he hated me for a while but turns out he’s just awkward as fuck. So, if you’re asking if there’s a rivalry or something, no, we’re all good. I mean I was kind of pissed at him for a bit, but it’s all fine now.”

Jane sighed, like Alex was an idiot. “I meant in the flirting, crushing kind of way.”

“What?” Alex was glad he hadn’t taken a bite of food, otherwise he would’ve choked on it. “Jane, the guy glared at me for weeks for tramping into his bookstore all dirty. And then when he apparently decided to bury the hatchet, he did it in the most obscure way possible.”

Jane shrugged. “Not all of us are smooth at picking up tourists from the bar.”

“Ouch, that wounds me.” Alex put his hand over his heart, faking a dramatic swoon for a moment. “But seriously—what makes you think this? Are you sure he’s not just being awkward?”

“He’s just like that at first. He pissed off all of us when he first replaced Diana. He’s really strict and has his set way of doing things. No time for pleasantries. But he’s a good guy. He’s really sweet when you get to know him. He bought me a coffee and muffin and brought them to me when I was crying one day from school stress.

“But he’s ranted about you from day one. Like, at first I think he was pissed at you, but he kept yelling about you in a really… flattering way? Like he’d complain about how your stupid handsome face and your stupid hands were going to get dirt everywhere. How being that sexy probably meant you got away with everything. You know, that kind of insulting.”

“What.” Alex felt like the earth had stopped moving. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. And then he started asking all kinds of questions about you since we know each other pretty well. Then he asked what he could do to try and get to know you.”

“You’re not teasing me right now? This isn’t some weird prank that you’re pulling because you think you’re hilarious?”

“I am hilarious, but no, this isn’t a prank. And I thought…” Jane scuffed her shoe along the ground. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I’m pretty sure he was hinting that he wants you to take him on a hike as a kind of getting to know you activity. I just know he’s not going to do it properly. I want you to know what’s going on because how can you take someone on a date or turn them down for a date when you don’t know there’s even a possible date on the table, right?”

“Um, right. So—so when he told me yesterday that he’d never been hiking on any of our trails…”

“He was hoping you’d offer to take him on a hike, yeah,” Jane confirmed. “Like I said, he’s hopeless at this kind of thing. But I promise you, even just as a friend he’s worth getting to know. He’s a really smart guy. Plus, he’s funny once he warms up to you and doesn’t feel so out of place. I know he’s got that whole nerdy look going on so maybe that’s not your thing…”

“Trust me, his looks were never the problem,” Alex assured her. His looks had been the only thing going for him the past month.

“I just… I don’t think you’ll get the message if unless you hear it clearly from someone else. At least now if you’re not interested, you can find a nice way to turn him down.” Jane bit her lip. “I feel guilty telling you this. He’d kill me if he knew. And I know it’s none of my business. But I’m worried that at this rate, it would take six months or something for you to figure it out on your own.”

“I appreciate it Jane, thanks. And I won’t tell him how I figured it out or anything.” He wasn’t going to embarrass the guy with gossip or meddling.

“Thanks.” Jane wrapped her arm around his shoulders to give him a quick half-hug. “And I know, again, not my business, but if you were to spend some time with him… he’s not good in quick interactions, and I think having a crush on you made him worse than usual. But if you spend a good hour with him, he’s really great.”

“I’ll think about it Jane. Thanks.”

She nodded, smiled and got up. “I’ll leave you to your lunch.”

His finished lunch with his thoughts running around like hamsters in a cage.

Looked like either both Ben and Jane were wildly wrong, or Ben had somehow been right all along. He didn’t think Jane would be so wrong about someone she worked with all the time, especially if she felt strongly enough to talk to him about it. She had to be certain of her convictions if she was taking the step of interfering and telling him.

So that whole time he’d thought Logan didn’t like him, Logan had been crushing on him? It felt counterintuitive, to glare at someone you thought was cute. Aside from anything else, Alex was dying to talk to the guy and find out why he’d had that reaction. A plethora of ideas ran through his mind, from the dramatic to the ridiculous. But there was only one way to find out if any of this was true: talk to Logan.