Page 7 of Chasing Sunsets

She’d never seen this happen on other series openers. She prayed her partner was fit, smart, and easygoing.

“Drop the curtain,” Gemini yelled.

Excited, knowing this race could change her life, Sadie took a deep breath.

The drape fell.

At seeing the person on the other side, her breath vanished.

Her heart joined the curtain on the ground.

This couldn’t be her partner.

He was not a stranger.

His deep blue eyes, appearing as confused as she felt, glared straight into her soul.

They stared at one another in disbelief, neither saying a word.

“When you are part of a team, you stand up for your teammates. Your loyalty is to them. You protect them through good and bad, because they’d do the same for you.” ~ Yogi Berra

Chapter Two

“The twosomes this seasonare separated married couples.” Gemini’s words barely registered over the thunderous beat of Sadie’s pulse in her ears. “Since you both had previously applied for the contest, either one of you or an acquaintance replied when we discretely announced our search.”

She’d not heard of any announcements from the network. From Zack’s reaction, he hadn’t either.

“If you didn’t mention being on the show to each other, I’m sure you’re surprised. And even if you spoke to one another about it, you’re still shocked because while we’ve had married couples, we’ve purposely never paired them together. That’s why we’re giving you three minutes alone to decide if you want to participate.” Gemini turned and walked from the room.

It’d been four months since they inhabited the same room and almost as long since they’d talked. His dirty blond hair, longer than he normally wore it, brushed the collar of his t-shirt.

Oh, how she’d missed him.

Every night.

Every day.

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