Her silence must’ve registered something of her quandary because Sarah said cautiously, speaking slowly, as if feeling her way across a quagmire that she might sink into up to her neck if she wasn’t careful, “And I’m taking it that last night was different?”

Lily wanted to answer in the same careful way, choosing what she hoped was the diplomatic path with Chase’s sister. “Chase is a very special woman.”

Sarah erupted into laughter. “That is such BS. Of course I know that.” She shot a look over to Lily, no judgment in her expression. “She’s hooked you, hasn’t she.”

“I…” Lily searched for an answer. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I would know what that felt like. And truthfully, I don’t feel caught. If anything, I feel like Chase is giving me all the room to run she possibly can.”

“Hmm.” Sarah nodded. “How much do you know about fishing?”

“Sorry?” Lily said, totally at a loss. Fishing? How did they go from sex to fishing, and really, yuck.

“When you want to hook a fish and be sure you don’t lose it, you give it enough line to run until it tires itself out.” Sarah snapped her fingers. “Then you set the hook.”

“I could have spent the rest of my life without knowing that.” Lily was about to add that analogy was ridiculous, until she considered it. The theory, in a way, made perfect sense. Chase had been letting her run for weeks. Still, she was a person and not a fish. Thankfully. “I’m not running, and I’m not caught. So that destroys your theory.”

“If you say so,” Sarah said in a voice that said she didn’t agree at all.

Lily huffed.

“I’m not going to say anything else,” Sarah said, “because I’m turning over a new leaf.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh. No meddling.”

“That sounds painful.”

Sarah laughed again and turned up the trail to the lodge. “Surprisingly, it feels really good.” She slowed to a stop in the parking area, turned off the engine, and released her seat belt to face Lily. “Seriously. I love you both, and I’d hate to see either one of you get hurt. But you’re both way past your majority, and you don’t need a supervisor. So if you’re happy and she’s happy, then I am too.”

“Thank you.”

“So, was it great?”

Lily felt the color climb into her face as she stepped out of the Jeep. After a second, she leaned down, met Sarah’s eyes, and said, “Incredible.”

Sarah gave a little hoot and came around the Jeep to join her.

“And as penance for missing sign-out last night and the morning briefing,” Sarah said, “I’m assigning you a group for archery this morning.”