Page 61 of Paper Hearts & Plot Twists

Miles continued packing his belongings, carefully folding clothing and placing books back into totes. “Of course I do. You need someone to see you off, and I’m the only person for the job. A few hours more in the airport is worth being with you for the extra time.”

“It’s awful waiting in the airport, though,” Emily said. She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want you to have to do that, just to spend a couple extra hours with me.”

“Good thing it’s not up to you to decide then. I can decide for myself if I want to wait in the airport, and I happen to want to. Besides, after your flight departs I’ll have a perfect opportunity to get some good writing time in before my flight. No harm done.”

“I suppose,” Emily conceded.

Miles finished packing and they made their way down to the lobby, bags in tow. They met other people doing the same along the way. Four people were lined up to the right of the check-out counter in front of a table with a neon sign that said Scavenger Hunt Entries, their scavenger hunt booklets ready to be scanned.

“Shoot, I never turned in my entry,” Emily said. She stared at the table longingly.

“Let’s make a quick stop,” Miles said. He didn’t wait for agreement, simply pulled her along to the line.

“It’s not really worth it,” Emily hedged. “I probably won’t win, especially since I missed a few of the items.”

“Get your book out,” Miles said with a pointed stare. Emily shifted and followed the command. She noticed he was also digging through his bag. When she looked up with her book in hand, Miles was also holding a scavenger hunt book.

“You’re missing the Rockies Marketplace and the Old Hickory Steakhouse, right?”

“Yes,” Emily responded, confused.

“Perfect, I can fill in the gap for you there,” he said. “What else are you missing?”

“I didn’t go to three of the shopping locations,” Emily admitted.

“I didn’t think you had time to go to those. I had Ben fill in some spaces in my book, so I have all six of those locations in mine.”

“You’re going to give me your stamps?”

“Of course I am.”

“You got scavenger hunt stamps specifically for m-me?” Emily asked, her voice breaking at the end of her question.

“It was important to you.”

Emily lunged for Miles and wrapped her arms around his chest. “Thank you. Joel and Leo do nice things for me all the time, but other than them nobody has ever done anything like this for me.”

“You’re important to me,” Miles whispered in her ear. He kissed her temple and handed over his scavenger hunt book. Combined, she’d completed the entire hunt.

Emily bounced on her toes as she reached the front of the line. She passed the book over for inspection, and filled out the contest entry. There were separate winner pools for complete and incomplete hunts. Combining the two books, Emily was able to enter the more robust completed entry prize pool.

Once she was entered they went outside where Miles hailed a cab for them, loaded their bags into the trunk, and got the door for Emily. He scooted in beside her, gave quick directions to the driver, then held her hand as they made small talk about Denver and the surroundings outside.

Fortunately they left early, because the airport was crowded. Not only had Denver hosted the book conference, but there was an NBA game with high-profile celebrities in attendance, drawing their fans to the city as well, all returning home now.

Miles grabbed their bags from the trunk and they made their way to the counter to check their bags. Twenty minutes later they were in line at security, Emily leaning into Miles’s side and soaking up every last second she had with him.

Security took thirty minutes, leaving them over an hour before her flight. Miles flashed some cash at a restaurant to get them a quick table so she could get lunch before her flight.

They chatted over Italian pasta and wine, taking turns dismissing thoughts of their impending separation, trying to avoid that reality for now.

“What now?” Miles asked as they left the restaurant and were back on the concourse.

“I think we should go to the gate. I’m a little anxious about missing my flight, as silly as that is,” Emily replied with a shrug.

“Not silly at all,” Miles said. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led them in that direction.

Emily spent equal amounts of time staring at Miles’s face trying to burn every single detail into memory, and staring at the shops and sights around her. The airport was so different during the day. It was packed, and all of the shops were open, bright, and lively.

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