Page 8 of Saving Little Clark

"Really?" I blinked, hardly daring to believe my luck. "I mean, yes. That would be great."

Just then, Alex bounded up to us, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Well, well, who do we have here?" he asked, looking Brody up and down appraisingly. "Didn't anyone tell you there's a dress code for this shindig, handsome?"

Brody laughed, running a hand through his artfully disheveled hair. "So I've been told. But I think I make a pretty dashing rogue even without the eyepatch and peg leg, don't you?"

"Oh, I definitely do," Alex purred, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. I shot him a warning glare, but he blithely ignored me. "Did Clark mention he's single, by the way? And a Gemini. Very compatible with Leos, I hear."

"Alex!" I yelped, my face instantly flaming crimson. Could he be any more obvious?

But Brody just smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Is that so?" he asked, his gaze never leaving mine. "I'll have to keep that in mind. I'm actually a Leo myself."

Was it my imagination, or did his voice drop an octave on that last sentence?

"Well, anyway," I said, trying valiantly to steer the conversation back to safer waters. "We should probably get started on this treasure hunt. Lots of clues to decipher, right?"

"Right you are, Captain Clark!" Alex said, giving me an exaggerated salute that nearly took out Brody's eye with hiswing. "Onward to adventure. And maybe to love too, if the stars align." He shot me a wink.

I barely resisted the urge to facepalm. This was going to be a long day.

Alex sidled up to Brody with a mischievous grin as we followed the map to our clue. "So, Brody," he said, his voice dripping with false nonchalance, "are you single? Because my boy here is quite the catch, if I do say so myself. Talented graphic designer, killer sense of humor, and he can recite every line from The Princess Bride. What more could a man want?"

I shot Alex a desperate look, my eyes wide with panic. Was he seriously trying to sell me like a used car to this gorgeous stranger I'd just met? I made a frantic slashing motion across my throat, trying to signal him to cease and desist before he scared Brody off for good.

But Alex, being Alex, simply waggled his eyebrows at me and continued his sales pitch. "Plus, he's an excellent cuddler. Like, world-class snuggling skills. Just something to keep in mind, my good man."

That's it, I was going to murder my best friend with his own cheap plastic parrot beak. I grabbed Alex's arm and yanked him away from Brody, hissing through gritted teeth.

"Alex, seriously? You're laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?"

Alex just smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you want me to be more subtle? Because I can totally do subtle. Watch this." He made to turn back to Brody, but I tightened my grip on his bicep.

"Alex, I swear to god, if you don't tone it down right now, I will tell everyone about the time you got drunk and made out with a mannequin at the mall," I threatened.

That wiped the grin off his face. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Now, can you please just let me handle this? I appreciate the wingman efforts, but I think I've got it from here."

Alex held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, message received. I'll back off, for now."

I breathed a sigh of relief as he sauntered off to examine a nearby tree, leaving me alone with Brody. I turned to him with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that," I said, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. "Alex can be a bit enthusiastic when it comes to my love life. Or lack thereof."

But Brody just chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "No worries, I think it's sweet that he cares so much. And for the record, I am single. Just throwing that out there."

I felt a flutter of hope in my chest at his words. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Before I could overthink it, I blurted out, "Yeah? Well, me too. Single, that is. In case you were wondering."

Could I be any more awkward? I wanted to kick myself. But Brody just smiled, a slow, easy thing that made my knees feel a little weak.

"Good to know," he murmured, holding my gaze for a moment before looking back down at the map. "Now, where were we? Ah yes, the treasure. Onward!"

He said the last bit in an exaggerated pirate voice, making me laugh despite myself. Feeling a sudden surge of playfulness, I unsheathed my plastic sword from my belt and brandished it dramatically.

"Aye, onward to adventure!" I declared, swaggering forward with what I hoped was a rakish grin. "Keep an eye out, my loyal crew. Danger lurks around every corner!"

I continued my one-man pirate show as we traversed the park, ducking behind trees and calling out silly nautical phrases. I could hear Alex and Brody cracking up behind me, but I was too caught up in my own fun to care.

In fact, I was so engrossed in my fantasies that I completely failed to notice I was no longer being followed by my teammates. It wasn't until I reached a dead end at a dense set of trees that I realized I had wandered off the path and was now hopelessly lost.

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