Olivia parked in the lot behind her restaurant, and we walked the four blocks to The Mad Cow, rather than attempt to comb the busy street for an empty space we probably wouldn't find. "Wanna play count the hipsters?" she asked when we emerged from the alley and turned left down Woodland Avenue.

"I'm surprised at you making fun of your clientele," I said, slipping on my sunglasses.

"There's one!" She pointed to a guy with a handlebar mustache in a white T-shirt and cuffed jeans.

I laughed.

She pointed again. "There's another...no, never mind."

It was a guy walking two dogs down the sidewalk toward us. One was big and solid black, a Lab maybe, with a tongue dripping with slobber that dangled sideways out of its mouth. The other was a small beagle, mostly brown with big black-and-white spots.

"Lucy?" the man said.

My eyes jerked up, and I stopped walking so fast I nearly toppled forward. West Adler was holding the dogs' leashes. Olivia was right. Definitely not a hipster.

"Oh, hi," I said, trying to not sound as stunned as I felt.

"Hi." He looked around, obviously surprised as well.

Olivia didn't mask her shock. Her eyes whipped from me to West and back to me again.

"West, you remember my roommate, Olivia, right?"

He smiled. "Of course. Good to see you again."

Her brow pinched together with disapproval. "Sure. You too." She nudged my arm. "I'm going to go on and meet the girls. See you in a few?"

I nodded. "Sure. Be right there."

The black dog suddenly jumped up on me, planting his heavy paws against my chest, knocking me back a step. West yanked on his leash. "Cash, down! I'm sorry. He gets excited."

I knelt down and scratched behind the dog's ear. "Cash, huh? As in Johnny Cash?"

"Yeah. How original, right?"

"I hope he never gets lost. It would take an army to sort through all the black-dogs-named-Cash sightings in this city."

West laughed, and my double-crossing heart tugged in my chest. Cash slurped my cheek.

"Geez, I'm sorry, Lucy."

I wiped my face on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Who's this?" I let the curious beagle sniff my hand.

"His name's Puck."

I cupped the dog's tiny face in my hands and scratched his neck. "Hello, Puck."

"How've you been?" West asked.

My knees ached as I stood back up. "I'm good. Really good. How are you?"

"I've been really busy lately."

I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be an apology or an excuse, but I wasn't about to ask. Instead, I pointed down the street. "I'd better go. We're meeting friends for lunch."

"Oh." He nodded. "Well, it was really good to see you again."

I smiled and it was almost sincere. "You too, West." I waved as I passed him. "Bye."

"Hey, Lucy!"

I stopped and turned back to look at him. He was unfairly handsome, really, the kind of guy that could almost make a girl forget he'd promised to call and never did. Almost.

He stared for a moment, like he wanted to say something but didn't know what. Finally, he waved and pulled the dogs on down the street.

On my walk toward the restaurant, I counted the cracks in the concrete.

"That was crazy!" Olivia popped out from the doorway of a boutique.

I took a squealing breath and grabbed at my heart. "You scared the hell out of me!"

She grabbed my arm. "I'm sorry."

"I thought you left," I said as we started walking again.

"I couldn't miss out on that!"

"Could you hear what he said?" I asked.

"Yeah. He said a whole lotta nothin'. What's his deal?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea." My face fell back toward the sky. "Ugh. I like him so much, Olivia."

She looped her arm through mine. "I know you do."

"Why are all the good ones defective?" I asked, leaning my head against hers.

"I don't know."

My phone buzzed in my pocket. West, I thought.

Nope. It was my brother. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey. Where are you?"

"Out with some friends," I said, confused. "Why? Where are you?"

"I'm at home. Dad thought you were coming today," he said.

"Crap." Nothing in me wanted to drive to Riverbend. "Tell him I'll come next weekend."

"You're not coming home on Wednesday?"

Wednesday?

"September fourteenth," he added.

I stopped walking. "Oh. No, I doubt it. I have to work."

It was true. I hadn't earned vacation time yet.

Ethan sighed on the other end of the line. "Maybe I'll come to your house instead."

"That's a great idea. You definitely should."

Olivia tugged me toward the restaurant, and my feet started moving again.

"All right. Gotta run. Since you're not coming home, maybe I can get laid tonight."

"Ethan!"

He chuckled. "Bye, Lucy." He hung up the phone as we reached the restaurant door.