Page 30 of The Amazing Date

“My way works,” she states with the confidence of a CEO.

“For you,” I return. I know my words won’t penetrate the bubble she lives in. There’s only one way to pop it. “Where is my coffee?”

“Your what?”

“My coffee. Isn’t it on your morning prep list? You know I need coffee to get started. Don’t tell me you didn’t account for that?” I layer in my question with an attitude a Hollywood star would be proud of. “Run along and take care of that, will you?” I pray she bites and I can sneak a few more minutes of sleep when she leaves.

I close the door to the bathroom, only to hear her tap on it a moment later. I smirk to myself, knowing I’ve gotten under her skin just a little. It takes two to be this irritating early in the morning.

I swing the door open, and she’s across the room, having slipped on her sneakers and T-shirt. She’s adjusting her hair back into the running ponytail she prefers.

“Two sugars and a splash of cream.” I twist the knife.

She looks over her shoulder in my direction, her gaze lowering to the floor.

I look down, and the crappy, in-room plastic coffee maker sits on the floor in the middle of the entranceway.

“I’m not your intern. I don’t run errands. We’re partners. If you want something from me, you can ask, but do not demand. You are right, however—you are grown.” She hooks her arm through the strap of her backpack and strides toward me.

Her lips are tight and her expression flat. She’s an assassin on a mission. She lifts her notebook right in front of my face, her ever-present, infamous goddamn checklist. Her pen hovers over the item Stop on the way to the start line at the Golden Gate Diner—best coffee in the area—Roberto is no longer a morning person. She crosses out the item, ignoring the checkbox.

She closes the notebook and hands me the room key. “Leave time to check out. Don’t be late to the start.”

I stand there dumbfounded. The slamming of the door snaps me back to reality. I keep forgetting who I’m partnered with. Rylee is both fire and ice, and right now, she’s red-hot. I pray I don’t get scorched.

Chapter 19

Rylee

I tap my foot and tell myself not to be irritated, but I am. It’s 7:11, and he’s not here. Rather, he’s not here at the start mat. I spotted him five minutes ago, leaning against the light pole, sunglasses pulled down, coffee in hand like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

Just when I thought we were making progress, he turns back into a disobedient, reckless teenager. He’s the older one, but he’s acting like a child.

Wilma stands a few feet away with a smirk on her face. This being her thirtieth race, I’m sure she’s seen it all. “Two minutes,” she whispers.

I’ve discovered team blondie is one hour and thirteen minutes ahead of us, having left at 6:00 a.m. Each team starts the second day of the race in the order they finished yesterday, with the gap in time they finished behind the first-place team. Just over an hour is not insurmountable given we still have a few days ahead of us, however, none of it will matter if Roberto doesn’t get here so we can start. We have a mere five-minute lead on Trey and Brooke, who are both already stretching behind me.

I refuse to shout. I refuse to wave my hands like a lunatic. These are the reactions he’s looking for from me. I do, however, steal a glance at my race watch. 7:12. It’s a short walk, no more than a minute, probably thirty seconds if he jogs. But if he doesn’t move this very second, we’ll start late. The rules state both parties must be on the start mat in order to leave. Every second counts.

I glance in his direction, and he’s finally moving. You’ve got to be kidding. He takes a senior citizen’s elbow and is helping her across the street.

“Seven thirteen.” Wilma shoots me a knowing glance and attempts to suppress the laugh on her face. I ignore Brooke’s clapping as well as Trey’s chant of yes. Every second now closes the gap of our lead on them.

I shake my head, my focus shifting to the envelope in Wilma’s hand. It has the clue to our next destination. I attempt to quiet my mind, but that’s not how I’m built. We are in San Francisco, so I try to predict the ten most likely cities nearby. I’m praying it’s not Oakland; it’s too close, and the blondes would already be there and working on the next challenge. I hope it’s someplace we have to travel to by plane. That would give us a chance to catch at least a few of the teams at the airport.

The pounding of sneakers racing up the steps does not get me to turn. I remain laser focused on the envelope.

Wilma acknowledges the footsteps. “Nice of you to join us, Roberto. Seven thirteen and fifty-five seconds. You like to …” She doesn’t finish the statement, already aware if she delays another moment, I will snatch the envelope from her hand. “Here you go. Travel safe. Work together.”

She hands me the envelope, and I race down the steps, stopping at the bottom. “Technically,” he huffs out in a frustrated tone, “I’m on time. It’s still 7:13. You didn’t have to run away. We need to read the clue together.”

“Technically,” I mimic his tone, “you’re petty.” I rip open the envelope and unfold the clue. “I didn’t run from you.” I wave a hand back toward the steps. “We don’t want Brooke and Trey to hear the clue.”

My eyes scan the card, and I smile. I hand the cash from the envelope to Roberto. “Seattle, good. We have one hundred and seventy-six dollars, which may be combined with any remaining funds from previous legs. Make your way to Pioneer Square in Seattle and search for the It Takes Two clue box for the instructions to your next challenge.”

I stuff the envelope into my backpack and begin to jog toward the street. “I checked with the front desk this morning on the best routes to the airport, train station, and bus terminals just in case. We need a cab.”

Roberto races ahead of me and stops a cab a passenger was just exiting. He holds the door open for me, and we slip in. “Airport,” he instructs the driver and then turns toward me. “I’m sorry, Rylee. I didn’t realize you were doing that as well this morning. If I had known, I wouldn’t have given you such a hard time.”

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