Page 87 of The Big Race
I looked at my husband, this complicated, frustrating, wonderful man who had changed my life in so many ways. “I think we still have a lot to work through. Trust to rebuild. Patterns to change.”
“But?” Ray’s voice was barely a whisper.
“But I want to do that work. Together.” I squeezed his hand.
“Deal.”
I turned back to Julie. “We may not have won the million dollars, but I think we found something more valuable.”
“What’s that?”
“Each other,” Ray said. “Again.”
As the cameras finally stopped rolling and the production crew began packing up their equipment, Cody approached us, pulling off his camera harness with obvious relief.
"Well, guys, this is where I leave you," he said, extending his hand to Ray. "It's been one hell of a ride."
Ray shook his hand warmly. "Thanks for everything, Cody. I know it couldn't have been easy, following us around for weeks, filming our meltdowns and breakthroughs."
"Are you kidding?" Cody grinned. "Your story was great. The way you two found your way back to each other... that's the kind of content that reminds people why they watch this show."
I felt a flush of embarrassment mixed with gratitude. "You were incredibly respectful through all of it. Even when we were at our worst."
"That's the job," Cody said simply. "But honestly? I was rooting for you guys from early on. You had something real worth fighting for."
He shouldered his gear bag and headed toward the production van where other cameramen were loading equipment. At the last moment, he turned back.
"Hey, when this airs, you're going to look like heroes. Just so you know."
And then he was gone, leaving Ray and me standing alone in the temple courtyard for the first time in weeks without a camera trained on us.
Later, after the van had taken us back to the hotel, Ray pulled me close. "I meant what I said, you know. About every day with you being an adventure."
“Even when I’m just sitting at my desk in a T-shirt and boxer shorts?”
“Even then.” He kissed me softly. “Because you’re there. And that makes everything an adventure worth having.”
We headed to the hotel, both of us exhausted but happy. “You know what I keep thinking about?” Ray said as we waited for the elevator.
“What?”
“How you used to say everything in our lives was a competition. But today... today felt like we were really partners.”
The elevator arrived, but I held him back for a moment. “Maybe we needed to be in an actual competition to figure out how not to compete with each other.”
He kissed me then, right there in the hotel lobby, not caring who saw. He was wet and smelled raw, but I didn’t mind. We’d earned every moment of this victory together.
Chapter 35
The Losers’ Club
The flights from Luang Prabang to Vancouver felt like traveling between worlds. We began in the sweltering heat of Laos, and many hours later we were landing in the crisp mountain air of British Columbia. A production assistant met us at the airport, holding a sign with our names and the familiar race logo.
“Welcome to Vancouver,” she said, with the practiced cheerfulness of someone who’d already greeted several other eliminated teams. “You’ll be staying at the Fairmont Pacific Rim until the finale. The remaining three teams are still racing, and they’re on their way here. But you won’t be able to communicate with them until after all three teams cross the finish line.”
Ray shifted his backpack to his other shoulder. “Are the other eliminated teams already here?”
She nodded. “George and Ernie were hoping to see you in the final three. I know they’ll be happy to see you—but disappointed you didn’t make it all the way.”
