“Uh, pretty good,” she said, and she wasn’t sure if that was true or not. So far, everything had felt a bit chaotic.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Alex asked.

“What?” The question startled her, and she tripped on a crack in the sidewalk because she wasn’t paying attention. “Why would I be seeing anyone?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Gemma mentioned something about a guy on a boat.”

“What?” Harper quickly looked away, hoping that Alex didn’t notice the color on her cheeks. “Daniel? No, he’s just … he’s … no. Nope. No way. I mean, I’m leaving in a couple months. And with everything that’s been going on with Gemma, I don’t have time for that. So. No. I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Oh.” He paused. “Yeah. That makes sense.”

“Yeah.” Harper chewed her lip and twisted her ring again. “How … um, how are things with you and Gemma?”

“Good.” He nodded. “Great.”

“Glad to hear it.” She let out a deep breath and stared up at the sky, wishing a few clouds would come in and blot out the sun.

“Actually…” He stopped walking and looked over at Harper. “Honestly, I have no idea how things are with Gemma.”

“Really?” Harper asked, and hoped she didn’t sound too eager for information. “Why? How do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, then he started walking again. “I probably shouldn’t even be talking to you about this.”

“No! I mean, of course you can.” She hurried to catch up with him. “We’re friends.”

“You promise you won’t say anything to her?” Alex asked.

“I promise. We aren’t really talking right now, so it shouldn’t be that hard.”

“You guys are fighting?” Alex asked, sounding genuinely distressed by it. “I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t know.”

“No, we’re not fighting, exactly. I think she’s just…” Harper waved her hand. “Never mind what I think. You were telling me about you and her.”

“Oh, yeah, right.”

Before Alex could say more, Harper pointed to a trail cutting through the park and leading into the woods. “Let’s go that way. It’ll be cooler.”

It was a thick wooded area filled with cypress trees and maples. The trail that went through it wasn’t an official hiking trail, but one that had been worn down by kids making a shortcut to the bay. It actually went right up to the water, so the bugs would be much worse, but it would be worth it to be out of the sun.

“The thing about Gemma is…” Alex shook his head and seemed to struggle for the right words. “I like her. I do. Really.”

Harper nodded as they walked into the trees. “I know.”

“And I think she likes me. Well, I’m pretty sure, anyway.”

“No, she definitely likes you.”