He turned around and started climbing again, and I trailed behind him. My brain was whirling, trying to reconnect the snippets of the Ev I’d thought I knew in light of this new information. I had so many questions, things I was dying to know, like what had made him pull away from me two weeks ago, and was he even remotely in the right place to consider falling for someoneelse?
But I wasn’t sure I had any right to ask those things, and it was pretty clear he wouldn’t answer them if Idid.
I was still stunned at how much Everett had understood aboutme, though, and I thought… well, maybe I could offer the same to him. Even if I’d just been projecting all of my own hopeless attraction onto him, even if he only wanted to befriends.
Friends who heldhands.
“You know, if you ever wanted to talk, I’d really like tohear…”
A branch cracked sharply to my left and I whirled to face the possible threat. A vaguely familiar blond figure about my height emerged from the dense scrub with his handsup.
“Just me,” the man said, voice low and calm, like I was a startled animal. “Sorry for disturbingyou.”
My heart still racing madly, I nodded and tried to relax. “Yeah. No problem. My fault for not paying attention. Daniel Michaelson,right?”
The man nodded. He was dressed for hiking in a moisture-wicking t-shirt and nylon pants Dare would’ve approved, and I recognized the logo on the strap of his backpack as a high-end brand. He scratched the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable with myperusal.
“I’m Si,” I reminded him. “Si Sloane. And this is Everett Maior. He’s new totown.”
Ev offered his hand and Daniel shook it. “Same here,” Daniel said. “Maybe been here… seven monthsnow?”
“So there’s more than one of us. Excellent. Nice to meet you,” Evsaid.
“Were you just out hiking, or are you here for the search party?” Iasked.
Daniel frowned. “Search party? Someone’smissing?”
“Same camper went missing a while back. Did you hear aboutthat?”
“Yeah.” Daniel nodded and threaded his thumbs under the straps on his backpack. “Someone mentioned it. Intown.”
I nodded slowly. “Well, we’re mostly looking to see if we can find any sign of where he might have disappeared or maybe even spot hisgear.”
“I haven’t seen anything out of place, but I wasn’t really looking.” Daniel glanced back in the direction he’d come. “I was just at the overlook south of the falls and it was the same asever.”
“Beautiful?” Evsaid.
Daniel smiled, a small fragile thing on a man his size. “Always is. Nothing like a waterfall to clear things away, you know? Reminds you of your place in theuniverse.”
Ev smiled back, the way I’d only seen him smile at me — soft and real. I was unreasonably jealous about that. “I know that feeling,” Ev said. “I’ve gotten it at the beach before, when the waves are reallywhipping.”
Daniel’s grin widened. “Exactly like that. Like just before a storm. Wild and unstoppable.” His grin fell away as he glanced at me, and he went back to being nervous. “I can, ah, stick around? If you wanthelp?”
“No,” I said quickly. “No. I think Dare Turner had a bunch of people interested. Butthanks.”
“Sure.” Daniel nodded. “Nice to meet you, Ev. Si.” He gave a tiny wave and continued down thetrail.
I found myself frowning afterhim.
“What’s that look for?” Evsaid.
“Huh?”
“You’re scowling. He seemed like a niceguy.”
“I dunno. Seems a little odd to me,” I said, though I’d honestly never thought anything about Daniel Michaelson one way or another before Ev smiled at him. “Wandering around out here.Alone.”
Ev snorted. “Watch out. You sound like my grandfather. Or that Karen person,” he warned. “Which way to thefalls?”
