Page 66 of The Kiss Keeper
“Jump!” she cried as time seemed to compress and morphed into slow motion.
Jake leaned forward and pushed off just as Leo came up behind him. The two men hung in the air for a split second before Jake’s left foot landed on solid ground while Leo came up short, and the seaweed claimed its first casualty. With a thud, the podiatrist fell to the ground, knocking into Marcus. Both men flopped around in the slick greenish-brown pit like a pair of flounder on dry land.
She jumped up and down. “Run, Jake! Foot patrol is out of commission! All you have to do is cross the log.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the growing seaweed pile-up. Wives called out to their blindfolded husbands, trying to help them navigate the messy commotion when Leo clawed his way out. Strips of salty seaweed clung to his legs as Leslie yelled for him to run.
This wasn’t over yet.
“Where’s the log?” Jake asked, running in a zigzag with Leo gaining on him.
“Three paces to the left, then freeze!”
Jake edged over as his toes scuffed the log.
“I need you to channel your inner gymnast. Step up onto the log,” she directed.
Leo was closing in, but she couldn’t lose her cool. If he fell off, he’d have to start over, and they didn’t have a second to waste.
“Follow my voice and take it nice and slow,” she called as Leslie ran to her side.
“Get him, Leo! Jake’s only a few steps ahead of you. Knock his ass off the trunk and win this thing!” her cousin cried.
“Hurry, Jake!” she called.
The log rolled side to side as the men traversed the knotty trunk. Jake held out his arms for balance.
“How many more steps, Heels?”
She sized up the log. “Five or six!”
Leslie cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her shrill voice. “Roll the log, Leo! Knock him off!”
“But if I do that, I’ll fall off,” the man complained, working to keep his balance.
“Do it!” Leslie bellowed.
Leo leaned over, pushing off the side of the log and causing it to roll out of position.
Natalie gasped as Jake hit the end. “Jump off,” she cried as Leo crashed to the ground for a second time.
“Where’s the bell?” he asked, landing solidly on the ground.
She ran over to the table where the bell sat, waiting for the winner. “Here! It’s here!”
“Keep talking, Heels!”
“Keep talking. Okay, here goes. A, B, C, D, E, F, G,” she sang out.
Jake bumped into the table.
“Oh, sorry! Stop!” she directed, a second too late. “The bell’s right in front of you.”
“And Leo?” he asked.
She craned her neck to see past him. “He’s on the ground inspecting his foot. He’s out for the count. Now, ring the bell!”
Jake patted the table then found the bell’s handle. “You know this means that you’ll have to kiss me.”
