Page 41 of The Amazing Date

I shake my head, doubting her optimistic take. I rip open the envelope. “It’s a clue. I thought we wouldn’t get one until the morning.” I scan the clue as I rake my hand through my hair. “Shit, get dressed.”

“What is it?”

“The race is back on.” I point to the card and begin to read. “Surprise, surprise. Don’t ever forget you are in a race. You must collect the following items prior to reporting to the morning mat: a medium-sized fresh salmon at least three pounds from Pike’s Market—please note the market closes at midnight. Each team member must purchase a T-shirt from Seattle’s oldest bar, Jules Maes Saloon, last call is 2:00 a.m. And finally, purchase a disposable camera and race to the Woodland Park Zoo for the 5:00 a.m animal feeding. Snap pictures of at least three animals being fed prior to reporting to the race mat at 7:00 a.m. Good luck. It Takes Two.”

I toss the card on the bed and turn in time to see Rylee drop her skirt to the floor. The sight of her in a bra and panties makes me want to quit the race and stay in for the night.

She rifles through the cabinet, stuffing her backpack, shouting in my direction just prior to ducking into the bathroom. “It sounds like we’ll be out all night. Pack all your things, and let’s check out now so we don’t have to come back this way in the morning. I can’t believe this.”

I remain standing, thinking about us tangled in the sheets a few minutes ago. “They couldn’t pick a worse time if they tried. How do they expect us to operate on no sleep?”

“Says the man who got a two-hour nap,” Rylee snaps through the doorway. “I knew this fun night would backfire. Should have taken you to the historical society like I originally wanted.”

I rip off my dress shirt and slacks. “Yeah, if you did that, I would have buried you in the Underground not to be discovered for another hundred years.”

A loud shriek of laughter bounces off the walls of the bathroom, and I realize the door isn’t fully closed. “Your sister said the exact same thing.”

“She knows me.”

“Based on tonight, I think I’m beginning to catch up.” It’s nice to hear humor in Rylee’s words because this latest envelope has sucked it from me.

“If you know me so well, you’d not be surprised if I say can we enjoy our moment for a bit and then race off. If we had stayed for the dinner, we wouldn’t be seeing this clue for another…”

Rylee exits the bathroom dressed in her sports bra and running shorts. Her gaze lowers to the bed behind me. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence. I’ve been dreaming of this moment with you for too long, Roberto. Us in an actual bed.” Her face tilts up, a snicker on her lips. I’m sure the image of us making love on the cold concrete bench of the fort is flashing through her mind. “I don’t want our first time to be with a ticking clock, a race clue hanging over us.” She places a soft kiss on the top of my forehead, a slow rub of my upper back. “Now get dressed, pretty boy. There will be other opportunities in the next city. Let’s go win this thing.”

I grab my race outfit from the drawer and begin to get dressed. Three more silly tasks lie ahead of us, yet my mind only races to the prize at the end of the road. This time tomorrow, we should be sitting in a hotel room in a different city, and racing will be the last thing on our minds.

Chapter 25

Rylee

I take my fifteenth yawn and open my eyes. My head rests on Roberto’s shoulder. We are sitting on a park bench next to the It Takes Two start mat. His left arm wraps around my shoulder, the protective move better than any pillow I’ve known.

“What time is it?” I whisper, my voice scratchy and dry. I wipe the sleep from the corner of my eye and adjust as Roberto pulls his phone from his backpack’s outer pocket.

“Nearly seven. Did you have a nice nap?” His finger pushes back the hair from my forehead, a soft kiss replacing it. I close my eyes and press my head to his hard chest, wishing I could stay like this forever. A light morning breeze blows across my bare legs, a soft symphony of birds chirping at the sun providing the morning soundtrack.

I yawn again. “I can’t believe we have to operate with less than an hour of rest. Have you seen any of the other teams?” We arrived about an hour a go, straight from the zoo. The three tasks forced us to zigzag across a sleeping Seattle, taking the entire night to complete. The early morning sun clears a building in the distance, lighting up the small plaza. The staff and the other teams should be arriving shortly. I thought we might’ve seen a team or two by now. We hadn’t crossed paths with any of them but chalked it up to us finding the clue early in the evening, probably building a lead on the other teams. However, after sitting at the start mat for an hour, at least one other team should have caught up by now.

“Not a one. My guess is they didn’t check out from their hotel like us. They’re probably sneaking in a few z’s all the way up to the last minute.” I let him lie in his optimist view of the world. The hair on the back of my neck tingles. Something is not right.

Roberto shoos away a cat that has approached the plastic bag sitting on the end of the bench. “I can’t wait to hand over this stupid fish. We stink, and these cats think we’re breakfast.”

A tint of red surround his dark eyes, fatigue in his words. We are in no shape to race. I snuggle into his chest and coo, “Wake me when it’s our turn to step to the mat.”

His fingers massage my head, and I begin to drift off until I hear the voice.

“Oh my god, look.” The silly shriek and unmistakable laugh can only belong to one person. Kelly. Both Roberto and I turn and face our least favorite pair of blondes on the planet. They approach, skipping with bright eyes and laughter.

Caitlin lifts her fingers to pinch her nose. “Love that perfume, Rylee. Does that work for you, Roberto?”

I flip her off, too tired to fight. Then Roberto speaks. “Why aren’t you wearing your bar T-shirts?” He taps my shoulder and whispers, “They must have stayed out too late and missed last call. We got them now.”

My back straightens, a jolt of nervous energy shooting through me. If this is true, they will face a race penalty, which would make last night all worth it. I return the whisper. “Don’t say a word.”

A van pulls up, and Wilma, Juanita, and two other staff members step toward the mat. Kelly and Caitlin hustle to the mat and wait as Juanita counts them down toward seven o’clock.

“Here goes,” Roberto whispers, pushing up, hands on knees and leaning forward. I don’t need to see Kelly and Caitlin because the answer is written all over Roberto’s perplexed face.

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