Lily enjoyed herself more than she’d imagined she would. She’d learned more than she’d ever need to know—Fates willing—about finding shelter, constructing a windbreak, preserving body heat if temperatures dropped unexpectedly, and finding safe sources of drinking water if she ever found herself lost in the wilderness. Mostly she’d enjoyed watching the campers tackle the challenges of solving those problems. Some formed teams and divvied up tasks—others, like Marty Riley, worked alone, efficiently establishing a neat little area where Lily could envision Marty comfortably riding out a long night or even more in the wilds. Shannon, she also noted, showed no interest in participating, although Ford watched several others, including Marty, and eventually did a reasonable job. Now that they were all on their way home, Lily registered a pleasant hum in her muscles along with a nearly forgotten sense of contentment.

“How are you doing?” Chase asked as she joined Lily in the line wending down the trail in pairs and small groups.

“It’s been fun,” Lily said, then laughed. “And I really do need to get hiking boots. Three miles didn’t sound like very far this morning, but you didn’t mention it was three miles straight uphill over a goat path strewn with boulders.”

Chase chuckled, an amused sound that for some reason stirred a tremor in Lily’s chest.

“When’s the last time you hiked three miles?” Chase asked.

“That would be…precisely never? I spent my free time on a sailboat.”

“What the hell made you decide to spend the summer up here?”

“Your sister.”

“Yep, that would do it. She’s always been persuasive,” Chase said with just a hint of long-suffering in her voice.

“That’s true,” Lily said, “but she balances it out with a generous heart.”

Chase nodded, her expression serious. “That she does. And lucky for me.”

“It seems that Sarah has done well by both of us. She was a great friend to me in college and ever since. And this job, I think, is exactly what I need.”

“Just the job? Because, you know, all work and no play…”

Chase gave her a look that Lily couldn’t possibly misinterpret. She glanced around, but the kids were either trudging wearily along in silence or chatting. No one appeared to be paying attention to their conversation.

“I’m flattered, but—”

“I haven’t made an offer yet.”

“Haven’t you?” Lily wasn’t about to be put off with that line. “I may not have had a lot of practice recently, but I can still read signals.”

Chase grinned. “Not rusty a bit? Because the mountain air is great for getting everything back in working order.”

“You do really like to live dangerously.”

“That’s what they’ve always said about me.”

Lily shot her a look. “Some things you never forget, but that’s not the point.”

“What is?”