Page 27 of Chasing Sunsets

Once finished, she looked at Asper and lifted her hands in awe-goodgesture. He indicated a section near the very bottom, and she realized she’d forgotten it. After she scrubbed it, he gave her a thumb’s up.

With a push on the tank bottom, she kicked her legs until she reached the water’s surface and crawled out. Once out of the diving equipment, she went back to the dressing room and checked the clock. It’d taken her forty-eight minutes. She and Zack were behind, but not nearly as far as they would’ve been if she’d taken a penalty.

Gus repositioned her microphone. “Follow the FISHMONGER signs to meet up with your partner.”

She hustled to yank on her clothes and shoes before sprinting from the room, down the stairs, through the lobby, and out of the building—a camera operator on her heels.

Everything was soaked as rain continued to fall. She splashed through puddles in her haste to get to Zack. He waited outside the seafood market, looking concerned, not angry like he had every right to be. He opened the glass door to the market and hollered, “She’s here.”

Truman and an umpire stepped outside. The official held an envelope out to them when Sadie reached Zack’s side.

“Thank you.” Sadie grabbed the envelope and read the enclosed instructions aloud. “Go across the street to Cycle Palace and hand this card to an employee inside. You’ll receive a tandem bike. Using the enclosed map, find your way to Kellum Noble House.”

“You ever heard of the place?” Zack asked as they hurried to the corner. He punched the pedestrian crossing button.

“No.” She wanted to tell him she was sorry for taking so long, but with the microphones on them, she kept her mouth shut.

“Brett told us about your blood pressure problems,” Truman said. “Were you able to dive?”

“Yes.”

The green hand on the crossing sign flashed.

After receiving the bike and wheeling it outside, Zack insisted she sit up front, assuring her she didn’t want to be downwind of him. Truman videoed them from the backward-facing seats of a golf cart. Two other people from the show sat in the front.

Once she and Zack straddled their seats, she twisted around.

He studied the map. “Seven miles. We’ll travel southwest, mostly on this street, then west on Dallas.”

“You’re not telling me anything.” Why do men think in compass directions? “Are we pointed the right way?”

His quick grin almost made her laugh. “No.”

They’d had numerous discussions—arguments depending on which of them you asked—about directions since their early days of dating. She recognized north, south, east, and west on a map, but not when standing in one spot unless it was sunrise or sunset.

She pumped her legs and steered the bike in the bicycle lanes. Zack hollered instructions from the back seat as they slogged through the wet, busy streets. Even though the rain thankfully kept the heat at bay, her body became more tired by the second. She made it to Kellum Noble House on sheer will alone, because her legs were numb. Now, if only her head would follow suit.

The two-story white mansion featured hunter-green shutters and doors. It was surrounded by a new-looking black iron fence. A few smaller buildings behind it matched the color of the main manor. Old sprawling trees with moss hanging from the branches shaded the yard. Columns on the main floor of the house anchored the wrap-around porch. The second story looked very similar to the first with columns and a wrap-around balcony.

No other tandem bikes were visible.Damn.

A woman in a yellow dress greeted them on the porch. “Follow me. We’ll get started with your tour.”

One step inside and Sadie felt transported to a different place and time. The house was a showplace, painted in rich medium blue with crisp white molding everywhere, even around the windows. The air conditioning instantly cooled her wet clothes and skin, causing her to slightly shiver. Or maybe it was still a reaction to not having very much to drink last night.

“Please stay on the plastic. Our groundskeeper spread it out when we saw today’s weather forecast.” The heavy-duty clear plastic caught the droplets of water dripping off them as she and Zack trailed the woman.

“Kellum-Noble House, built in 1847 by Nathaniel Kellum, is the oldest surviving building in Houston.” The woman pointed to framed photos of the house and its owners on the entryway walls. “It stands on the original foundation and retains the original brick walls, made with mud from the owner’s brickyard. Nathaniel’s wife and her daughter operated one of the area’s earliest schools in this house.”

Sadie listened intently, in case they were asked questions about the house during the race.

“At the end of the nineteenth century, the City of Houston purchased the house. For a short time, its grounds were the site of Houston’s first zoo.”

They ended the tour at the back door, thanked the woman, and exited onto the porch. Sadie welcomed the warmth outside even though the rain still fell. A sign with theChasing Sunsetslogo read, BIKE TO MILLER OUTDOOR THEATER.

Zack pulled the map out of his soaked back pocket. Luckily, it was made of plastic paper that hadn’t faded or torn. He set the map on the wooden porch floorboards and ran his finger along the route. “Looks like about four miles.”

She breathed a heavy sigh. Four more long miles. Her only hope was once they started all the feeling in her legs would leave again.

---