All but one of them shook their heads, muttering politely. The one Lily could only assume was the “sweet potato”—soft dark curls, enormous green eyes, and full, ruddy cheeks—swallowed audibly, whispering, “No, ma’ams.”
The lone holdout crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back, and let out a single dry laugh.
“Question?” Lily asked him. He was relatively fit, early thirties, wearing an expression of unmasked disdain. They almost always had at least one of these: men who came out here thinking they knew everything, that she and Nic were just two cutie-pies playing at being tough.
They got over these misconceptions by the end of the trip.
“I’m good.” He sucked on his teeth and gave her a brief once-over. “Just sitting here being respectful, sweetheart.”
“Glad to hear it.” Lily clapped her hands, wishing they could skip this next part. On instinct she looked to Leo, startled to find his dark, direct gaze pinning her. Eye contact was a streak of fire shimmering through her from head to toe. She felt her neck heat.
Damn it.
Blinking away, she looked to the sweet potato, who was wearing a bright orange shirt with bold green letters spelling HOWDY!
“Why don’t we go around, and you can tell me your names,” Lily said, “a little about your riding experience, and what you hope to get out of this trip, so we can make sure it happens. Walter?” She looked around at each of them. “Why don’t you start?”
“That’s me,” Sweet Potato said, raising a hand and then dabbing at his mouth with the corner of a paper napkin. “Walter Gibb. A little experience riding when I was a kid but haven’t been on a horse for a long time.” He cleared his throat. “I’m a Gemini and single, and I work as a pet health and wellness facilitator—”
“He manages a Petco,” the Beard cut in with a sneer.
“Is your name Walter?” Lily asked.
He looked up at her, annoyed but confused. “No? I’m Terry.”
“Then I suggest you stop interrupting and wait until the name Terry is called. Sound good?” He gave Lily a gruff look but, unfazed, she turned back to Walter. “Go ahead. Tell us a little about your hobbies.”
“I have a small plot in a community garden,” he said, shrugging. “Mostly lettuces and flowers. Tomatoes.” He looked skyward, thinking. “I have brunch with Leo and his sister, Cora, on Sundays, but otherwise I don’t have a ton of regular activities.”
Lily’s heart pinched painfully at this mention of Leo’s life back in New York, but she pushed past it. “And what are you hoping to get out of this trip?”
“Hmm. Well, when I was a kid, I used to go to sleepaway camp every summer and hated it. I’d spend more time dreading the day my parents would drop me off than I physically spent at the camp. I was an anxious child, so I never canoed or did the obstacle course… or anything but ceramics and campfire songs, really. Last night, I really didn’t want to be here. But after sleeping on it, I’m thinking of this as a camp do-over.” He glanced at the others before doing a little bow in his seat. “Thank you.”
Nicole snorted. She had a weakness for the soft, earnest ones. He’d already won her over.
“Terry?” Lily said. “Now it’s your turn.”
He took his time setting down his fork, folding his napkin, holding court. “I’ve been out here a number of times,” he said, reaching up the sleeve of his camo T-shirt to scratch his shoulder and expose his relatively unimpressive biceps. “Depending on where we’re headed, I might have some suggestions on more efficient routes. In my day-to-day life I run the Cabela’s in Newark.”
“He works in the stockroom,” the loud one interjected.
“—with a flourishing side business of my own.”
The loud one again: “He sells hacked iPhones.”
Lily was tempted to remind everyone that they’d get a turn and to stop cutting in, but Terry was already on her shit list; she just let them roll with it.
For his part, Terry easily ignored the interruptions, leaning back as though holding their rapt attention. “I consider myself an adventurer overall. A hunter. I like getting outside, shedding the bullshit of society. Lately it’s too much homo everything and gender-neutral whatnot. Jesus Christ. Outside, at least I can embrace what it means to be a man.”
Lily felt her fists instinctively curl with anger.
“So far I’ll admit he’s my least favorite,” Nicole said, voicing Lily’s thoughts, without any attempt to lower her voice. Leo choked on a bite of bacon.