“It’s fine,” she cuts me off, not looking back. “Just like everything else is fine.”

But it’s clearly not fine. I’ve managed to go from making her feel better about the height thing to reminding her of exactly why she probably shouldn’t trust me in the first place. The woman who was starting to relax around me is now marching up the trail like she’s trying to get as far away from me as possible.

Great job, Sawyer. Really smooth.

I up my pace and catch up with her. “Um, Reese, we shouldn’t keep going on this trail if you want to avoid steep drop-offs.”

She stops dead in her tracks and stares at the trail ahead that’s climbing toward some seriously intimidating terrain. Afrown appears on her face, and then she huffs. She pulls on the shoulder straps of her backpack so hard I’m surprised they don’t snap, then spins on her heel with her head held high and marches right back past me like I’m invisible.

The silence stretches between us as we retrace our steps, and I can practically feel the anger radiating off her until she finally breaks and speaks.

“Why are you always so annoying?” she asks, not looking at me.

The question catches me off guard. “I… What?”

“You heard me. Why do you have to be so incredibly, persistently annoying, Sawyer?”

“Natural talent?” I offer weakly. “Some people are born artists, some are born athletes. I was apparently born to put my foot in my mouth at the worst possible moments.”

She doesn’t laugh, so I try again.

“Look, I’m not trying to be annoying. Okay, maybe sometimes I am, but not about the magazine thing. That was just me being an idiot.”

That gets the hint of a smile out of her. “Can’t argue with that. You’re amazingly good at being an idiot.”

Ouch. I deserved that.

“You know, there’s this other trail not far from here. It’s completely flat, follows an old railroad bed. Great views of the valley, no heights involved,” I suggest.

She glances at me, and I’m certain she’ll say yes.

“Maybe another time,” she says instead, adjusting her backpack straps again. “I think I’ve had enough adventure for one day.”

The disappointment hits me harder than it should. We’ve barely been hiking for an hour, and I was looking forward to spending the whole day with her.

“Right,” I say, trying to keep my voice neutral. “Sure. Another time.”

But as we walk back toward the Visitor Center in silence, I can’t shake the feeling that ‘another time’ might not come at all. Not after I managed to remind her of the one thing she probably wishes she could forget about me.

I sigh.Nice going, Sawyer. You really know how to show a girl a good time.

Ugh. Reese is absolutely right. I’m a first-class idiot. At least that’s one thing we agree on. Always look at the bright side, right?

Chapter Seven

Reese

It’s been three days since my failed hiking trip with Sawyer. Three days with no study sessions, which means three days of not seeing him at all.

Every time the door of the Visitor Center opens, I perk up, hoping it’s him, but it never is. At this point, I almost wish he’d burst in here with his muddy boots and break something so I’d have an excuse to talk to him.

It’s weird, but I think I miss him. That can’t be right, though. I don’t like him.

Do I?

The door chimes, and I practically leap out of my chair. But instead of Sawyer, it’s a middle-aged man wearing a fanny pack and knee-high white socks pulled up to his shins.

“Excuse me, miss,” he says, approaching my desk with the confidence of someone who’s about to ask the world’s most ridiculous question. “I’m looking for the Civil War battlefield.”