Jaren rose to his feet. “And whose fault is that? If you hadn’t gone blabbing to everyone in earshot, no one would have even noticed!” He knew that wasn’t entirely fair. People had seen them with their own eyes, and he should have known well enough not to go wandering off alone with a girl in a town full of busybodies. But then again, so should Lupin. Unless she wanted people to think something had happened between them.

He shook his head. Girls didn’t make sense at all.

“Oh, calm down,” Story said, grabbing his hand to yank him back to work. “Soon enough another scandal will come along, and everyone will forget all about you and the honey girl.”

But later that day, when he let his sisters drag him to the pub because Father insisted they needed an escort after he heard about Merritt, it was evident that no one had forgotten. Especially not Lupin.

It was the first time he’d seen her at the pub, and her eyes found his the moment he walked in the door, like she’d been waiting for him.

She wound through the other patrons toward him, smiling. “Jaren Kask. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in town. I was starting to think you were avoiding me.”

Jaren blushed and shook his head. “Of course not. I’m just not used to so many people being aware of where I go, or with whom. I don’t like all that attention.”

“Says the boy who fetched water from Lake Luma.” There was a hint of resentment in her voice, but she gestured to a table in the corner and he felt like he had no choice but to follow. His sisters had abandoned him the moment they arrived.

“Don’t worry about the townspeople,” Lupin said once they were seated. “They only gossip because they are safe and worry-free up here on the mountain. There’s little possibility of a plague ever reaching Bricklebury, considering how rare outsiders are, and there is plenty to eat, thanks to the mountain’s fertile soil. They’re bored, is what I’m saying. And bored people love nothing more than a scandal.”

“But surely a walk in the woods together is hardly a scandal.”

“Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but people tend to avoid me, Jaren. So it wasn’t the walk in the woods that got them talking. It was the girl.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I hope your reputation wasn’t harmed.”

She threw her head back and laughed, revealing all of her white teeth. “My reputation? I may as well be a witch, as far as these people are concerned.”

Jaren glanced around the pub. Sure enough, people were staring at them.

“Why do you stay here?” Jaren asked. “I couldn’t stand everyone judging me like that all the time.”