I had been pulling teeth to find decent jobs to apply to and here Lila was, presenting me with this opportunity. It was completely unexpected.

But a start-up? I had never gone that direction because I didn’t like the uncertainty of it all. An older company might not be exciting or have innovative ideas, but they were usually secure. And they paid more. It would look better on a résumé.

I sucked in a breath through my nose. “Look, that sounds amazing,” I said. “But I’m actually really close to the final stages of another opportunity. It’s kind of like my dream job.”

Lila’s smile fell a little. “That’s amazing. I totally understand. It was just a thought. I mean, of course you’re close to landing something, you seem great.”

Lila hardly knew me, but she seemed like the type of person to instantly see the best in everyone.

“I’m sorry,” I offered. “Maybe if it doesn’t work out.”

“Totally,” she said. “I can give you my number and you can let me know if anything changes.”

“I will,” I said, smiling at her offer.

“Oliver!” A loud feminine squeal caused us both to spin around in our chairs to see the source of the noise.

“Elise!” Oliver called back, before a short blonde with two braids launched herself at him.

Immediate heat boiled in my chest and rose to my face as the two started talking excitedly. I couldn’t help but notice that she kept placing a hand on his chest.

Oliver appeared to introduce her to the others at the grill. I strained my ears and thought I heard the word “coworker.”

“Wonder who that is,” Lila said.

I met her eyes only to find her looking at me knowingly.

Shit. I probably had jealously written all over my face.

“Oh, uh. I’m not sure.” I forced my tone into a nonchalant one, even though I was feeling all sorts of uncomfortable and insecure.

The girl wore hiking pants and a vest. She looked like she’d been raised in the wilderness, camping or whatever. And on top of that, she was stunning. I could see her perfectly symmetrical features all the way from over here.

“Hey!” Mattie called to us. “Come over here and meet Elise.” My sister had a wicked smile on her face as if she knew every single thought that was flying around in my head.

I reluctantly got up and walked over to them with Lila. Crap. For someone that usually had my shit together, I felt like an absolute mess.

“Hey.” I waved awkwardly just as Oliver tossed his head back with laughter at something Elise said. Had I ever made him laugh like that? The envious thought planted like a weed in my mind.

“Nice to meet you all,” Elise said. “Ollie and I used to work at the same outdoor equipment store.”

“How is the old place?” Oliver asked.

“I left a few weeks after you did. Jay asked if I would come on as a tour guide for the new whitewater rafting company he just joined.”