Page 34 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

“Well, it has to do with the exam results. When I said the majority of the class would need to work hard, I really meant the whole class.” She grimaces sympathetically. “Aside from you and your ninety-seven percent, only two other people passed, and one of those was barely even a C-.”

“Oh.” My eyebrows shoot up. That is a horrible passing rate. “So, what do you need me for?”

“You tutor on the side, right?”

I nod.

“I was hoping maybe I could persuade you to host a weekly peer-led study group. I couldn’t compensate you monetarily, but it would be a good addition to your internship application.” She gives me a knowing look, and my answer is immediate.

“Yeah, sure. I should be able to work that into my schedule.”

A relieved breath blows past her lips. “That would be fantastic, thank you. You can use this room. I’ll have to check its availability, but I can email you a list of days and times it’s available, and you can let me know what works best for you.”

“Okay, that sounds good.”

“Thank you so much, Brynn. And your classmates will be thankful as well, I’m sure.”

I give a tight-lipped smile, trying not to explode with excitement as I stride out the door. I’m beaming right now. The pride filling my chest has me walking on cloud 9. Not only did I pass that exam with flying colors, but Professor St. James trusts my abilities so much, she’s allowing me to teach. This will certainly cement my spot on her internship team if it wasn’t cemented already.

The lightness in my feet turns to lead as Sam sidles up to me.

“Hey, Brynn, got a minute?”

Was he waiting for me? What could he possibly need? With an exasperated sigh, I ask, “What do you want, Sam?”

“I thought we could discuss our hike.”

My head whips up so fast, I get dizzy. “Our hike?”

“Yeah, I’m your volunteer.” A mischievous grin spreads across his face. “Sorry, I never responded to your email. I’ve been busy and I wanted to make sure I’d have my contacts for it. That fucking order took forever to get here.”

My head spins as I stare at him with narrowed eyes. This can’t be happening. “You? Me? Hike?”

“Uh, yeah. Brynn? Are you okay?”

I stop walking as I squeeze my eyes shut and turn away. “I’m fine.” The unluckiest person in the world, but fine.

“Well, should I meet you at the trailhead? Or are we going to ride together?”

The amusement in his voice makes me crinkle my nose. There’s no way I’m doing a two-hour car ride with him. “Meet me there,” I say curtly.

“Okay...” He draws out the syllables. “I’ll see you Saturday morning at nine.”

I wait until Sam is out of sight before sagging against the wall. This is so not fair. I’ve made great progress by ignoring him, and now, I have to spend an entire morning with the guy?

Ugh, this hike is going to suck.

Chapter 11

I whip Lisa’s car into the trailhead parking area and leap out. Checking my phone, I note that it’s 9:06 a.m. I’m only six minutes late.

As I reach the trailhead for Dream Lake Trail, I find Sam already waiting for me. He’s nonchalantly leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, his face hidden under a baseball cap. When he finally notices me, his mouth ticks up. At first, I think it’s almost genuine, like he’s happy to see me. But I know that can’t be right.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming,” he teases.

I huff. I knew his jovial expression was too good to be true. “It’s been a rough morning.”

“How so?”

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