Page 59 of Chasing Forever
Am I stupid for believing him? I don’t think so.
“Now, tell me where we’re going.”
He reverses the truck and chuckles. “I feel like we should test this thing, so I stupidly planned an escape room.”
My head falls to the headrest, and I laugh. “Maybe I should have you take me to your house first, because one of us might not make it out of the escape room.”
“Nah, we got this.”
We share a smile as he looks forward and presses on the gas. He has so much faith in us, and for now, I’ll borrow it from him until I find my own.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lottie
Brooks did me a solid by taking us three towns over for the escape room. Far enough that no one in Willowbrook will see us. Although by now, I’m sure the entire town of Willowbrook is getting blow-by-blow updates of our marriage that’s more like dating.
I wait for him to open the passenger door, and I accept his hand to help me down. He reaches around me to get the handle of the building door, pulling it open for me to walk through first, then he puts his hand to rest on the small of my back, guiding us toward the front desk.
Every movement he makes, I clock. It stirs something warm inside me.
I tell my brain to shut off, but it doesn’t listen.
“Our love couple,” the young girl behind the desk says. She looks as though she’s probably in high school, and she claps her hands as if we’re the highlight of her year.
“We are.”
She dramatically checks off his name on the sheet. “Got you. I’ve been waiting to do one of these. Thanks for filling out the questionnaire. Some men never do, and it makes it so much harder to get all the parts together. You know?”
“You had to fill out a questionnaire?” I ask him.
Brooks nods and gives me a sheepish look as if he’s keeping something from me. My stomach twists.
“I feel as if I’m in for a surprise,” I say, following the girl toward a room in the back.
“The best kind,” she says, circling around on her heel and walking backward.
She stops abruptly before the door, and Brooks stumbles into me, his hands falling to my hips to steady me, and there goes that libido of mine running on its own racetrack. How am I going to hold off on sleeping with this man? Every part of him calls to every part of me.
“Here we are!” She claps her hands again and pulls the keychain bracelet off her wrist. She inserts the key and opens up a room that looks like a lab with hearts and cupids and a big sign that welcomes us to The Love Lock-In.
I glance over my shoulder, and Brooks chuckles. “I just want to note that I signed up for this before last night.”
“You guys are going to have so much fun. Hardly anyone does these.” Her head bobs right and left. “We did just open last month though.” She leans in and cups her hand by her mouth. “I think they’re scared.”
“Well, our big bad sheriff isn’t.” I lightly elbow him in the stomach.
“You’re a sheriff?” she asks, and from her facial expression, I’d say that doesn’t impress her in the slightest. And that’s putting it mildly.
“I am.”
She hums, and her excitement wanes dramatically. “Okay, well, you each need to get into one of the soundproof rooms to start.” She points at them. “As soon as I leave, you’ll get your directions. If you need me, my name is Jennie. You have sixty minutes. Good luck.”
Then she’s gone, and Brooks raises his eyebrows at me, motioning for me to pick a soundproof room first.
“I guess she doesn’t like sheriffs,” he says with a laugh.
“She’s young. Probably gotten some tickets, but at least for once I don’t have to worry about someone ogling you.”
