Page 62 of You Met Me There

Idrive down the mountain to Le Fou and park along the opposite side of the street. When I enter, the bell on the door chimes as the scent of freshly ground coffee reaches my nose. Quiet music plays, and a few people sit at tables with open laptops or books. I scan their faces until I find Juliet near the window with Ali. Ali leans over a mug, talking quietly to Juliet, who sits across from her. Juliet’s dog, Dax, lies under the table, his chin on his paws. When he notices me approaching, he raises his head.

“Hey,” I say, reaching them.

Juliet looks up at me. “Oh, hi.” She scrambles for her phone and looks at the screen. “Sorry. I must have lost track of time.”

“No, you didn’t. I’m just a few minutes early.” I look between Ali and Jules, worried I’ve interrupted something. “Sorry. I can wait in the car if you want.”

Jules smiles and shakes her head. “No, that’s okay. You know Ali, right?” She motions to her best friend.

I wave. “Yeah. Hi. It’s nice to see you again.”

Ali’s round glasses frame her face nicely, and her dark hair is pulled back in a sleek ponytail, which ends in a mop of curls at the back of her head.

She smiles warmly up at me. “It’s nice to see you too. Jules told me you’re hiking today. It’s the perfect weather for it.”

I glance at the sunshine outside. “I haven’t been on a proper hike in … forever,” I admit. “I’m afraid I’ll be a little out of shape, but I’m ready for it.”

With no hints as to where Juliet planned for us to hike, I chose sneakers, pink running shorts that have built-in yoga shorts underneath, and a white athletic top. I also brought my camera and an extra battery.

“You’ll be fine,” Jules says. “It’s nothing hard. A little bit of an incline, but the trail’s not long.” She gathers her purse and phone and stands. “It’s worth it for the view, though. You brought your camera?”

“It’s in the car.”

“Perfect.”

Ali stands, and they hug each other. Ali whispers something to Juliet, but it’s too low for me to hear.

Jules smiles at her as they pull apart. “Thanks.”

Ali turns to me. “Bye, girl. Have a great hike. And don’t worry if you can’t keep up with Jules—I can’t either.”

This makes me laugh, and I feel a little better about my lack of stamina. Dax follows us out to the car, and the drive is spent in silence with the windows down for fresh air and music playing on the local radio channel.

At the trailhead, Dax jumps out of the car. Juliet doesn’t leash him, but he doesn’t run away. He roams around the dirt parking lot, sniffing the ground, then coming back before he gets too far away.

“How do you know he won’t run away?” I ask.

“Dax?” She looks at him. He paws at a stick on the ground. “He never goes too far. He knows I’ll keep him safe, and he knows I need him.” Her eyes drop to the ground, and she pulls out a water bottle, taking a drink from it before tossing it into a little backpack and closing the car door. “So, we start right there”—she points at a path leading into the woods—“and the lookout is only two miles away. We can rest there and take photos, and then we come back the same way.”

“Sounds good.” I bounce on my toes, ready to get going, with my camera bag slung across my chest.

The trail has been marked by orange paint swiped on trees. So far, I haven’t seen any other paths that connect with this one, so getting lost is probably low on the list of possibilities.

“How many times have you hiked this trail?” I ask, following on Juliet’s heels as she steps over logs with ease.

“This one? I don’t know. Maybe fifty times.”

I gawk at her. “Fifty times? Do you hike all the time?”

“Pretty much. When I’m not working, or when we can go out as a family.” She looks back at me. “Watch out for this rock; it sticks out a little.”

“Thanks,” I say, maneuvering around a sharply pointed stone in the path.

The path itself isn’t very difficult, but the incline is what tests me. I grab onto thin trees that frame the trail, using them to pull myself upward and forward. And as of this moment, I plan to start doing glute workouts at home.

Dax bounds ahead of us, shooting into the trees and racing back. He seems to be enjoying the freedom. Each time he comes back to us, he nudges Juliet’s hand with his nose and circles behind me before bouncing off again.

It feels like the hike is a million miles long thanks to my lack of athleticism. I never would have called my body weak, but now I’m hardcore judging myself for not getting to a gym. When I’m just about to tell Jules that I can’t go any farther without a short break, she stops ahead of me, a smile spreading across her rose-tinted face.