The Hometown Hoax (The Hoax Series) by Heather Thurmeier Page B

handle, a beard, no way. They itched.
    Logan showered and dressed in record time, not wanting to hold up the expedition to the lookout, wherever that was. Pulling his backpack out from under the bed, he made sure he had a few essentials like protein bars, a small first aid kit, and a Swiss Army knife. He didn’t know how far they were hiking today, but it was a good idea to go prepared for anything.
    He finished his coffee on the way and rinsed his cup in the sink before grabbing a few bottles of water for his backpack. Outside, Tessa and Mary were pulling their packs onto their shoulders when he walked up.
    “Hey,” he said. “I didn’t keep you waiting, did I?”
    “Nope. We were getting ready to head out,” Mary said, smiling.
    Tessa glanced between the two of them. “Are you coming with us?”
    “Yep.”
    “Why?”
    “Rude,” Mary said. “I invited him to join us.”
    “Well, why did you do that?” Tessa asked, her hands on her hips.
    “Because he’s never been before. I didn’t think it was a girl’s only kind of trip or anything.”
    “You sure know how to make a guy feel welcome,” Logan said, trying not to show his amusement. He didn’t know Tessa’s exact motivation for wanting her space, but he had a few good guesses. One, was that kiss. Maybe she liked it more than she wanted to. Two, having him around was probably a big reminder of how much she liked that kiss. Possibly she even wanted to kiss him again but was fighting it. If her gaze dropping to his lips repeatedly was any indication, she was thinking about them a lot more than he thought. Already he’d caught her a few times and he’d only been with them for a minute. And lastly, if he was around, there was always a chance he could spill her fake boyfriend secret, not that he would.
    Her secret was safe with him. He wouldn’t tell. He’d already pissed her off once with the whole car accident and had only recently won her favor. He wasn’t about to risk getting on her bad side again. Her good side was so much better.
    “I promise I won’t get in the way, and I’ll turn a deaf ear to any girl talk. Mary invited me, and the thought of seeing the view sounded too good to pass up, but I won’t go if you want time alone with your sister. If I had siblings, I’d probably want to spend time alone with them bonding too.”
    He could practically see his words sinking in as Tessa’s stiff posture eased. She bit her lower lip, looking up at him sheepishly. “Of course you can come.”
    They started up the path at a leisurely pace, clearly in no rush to reach the top or wherever the lookout was. After a few minutes, they were so far into the brush already that he couldn’t see the cabins or hear people in the campground. The only noise was their footfalls, the rustling leaves, and birds. The wide trail allowed them to walk side-by-side. Its gradual incline was enough to make his breathing increase marginally, but not so much that it was any kind of struggle. He’d walked a harder incline on his treadmill. The girls, however, seemed to be having a more challenging time. Already, they breathed loud and fast.
    “You girls okay?” he asked.
    “Fine,” Tessa answered.
    “Actually, can we stop for a minute?” Mary asked. “I want to find a walking stick. Once the path gets steeper, I’ll need it.”
    “Sounds like a good idea for all of us,” he said. And it would give them a chance to rest before they started up again.
    Tessa wandered off the trail a few steps to retrieve a stick that came up to her shoulders. Logan looked around for a few minutes before finding one. He had no question about being able to hike the steepest sections even without the help, but he wanted to be part of the group. So if the girls were using walking sticks, he would too.
    He was about to suggest they continue when Mary’s cell phone rang.
    “Hey, James. What’s up?” she asked, perching on the edge of a large boulder. “Oh crap. I forgot about that.