Page 44 of Eligible Best Friend

“I’m free tomorrow.”

So much for keeping my head around Ford, I jump at the chance. “We can go right away in the morning. Want to sleep over?”

“Lia, you’re going to make me drive this rig right into traffic. If they have to call 9-1-1 and I get the rookie that still turns green at the sight of blood, I’ll never forgive you.”

My laugh is cut off by the radio’s squelch. “Adult female in respiratory distress at…”

I’m grateful for the interruption only because the rest of the shift will go by quickly. Then, I get to have a sleepover.

* * *

Ford

“Is this all we’re bringing?” I heft the backpack. Only the water bottles make it heavy. Other than that, there are some granola bars, a flashlight, a first aid kit, bug spray, and sunscreen. I’m also carrying the rain gear. Lia’s pack has all the same along with a small trowel, what looks like the little mirror my dentist shoves in my mouth, a small magnet, and a pocket knife.

She tosses a logbook and pen into her red backpack. “That’s all we should need. I don’t think this one will be hard to find.”

“Why the bandages?”

“I leave those behind for swag.”

“Swag in a geocache?” I’m so out of my element here. I had the idea that we were hiking. But she’s not wearing performance gear and hiking boots. She’s got on nothing more than athletic shoes, khaki pants she’s rolled to her shins, and a pale-blue T-shirt as if geocaching is nothing more than a walk on a paved path.

I could’ve asked what I’d need, but I was so damn intent on getting between her thighs that I raced home after work, packed a bag, and popped up on her doorstep. She greeted me with grilled burgers and a couple of beers. Then we compromised on a movie that was neither a blockbuster nor an indie flick before I finally got to taste her again.

When she came on my tongue the first time, I didn’t care about what had happened last weekend, not anymore. The doubts that had stayed with me, not just about Cass but about what Lia had said about my dad, had robbed me of enough sleep. I got better shut-eye last night than I did all week.

“Ready?” she asks.

“Lead the way.”

She drives, getting on the interstate and taking us farther out of town than I expected. We pass the airport, and after a few more miles, she takes an off-ramp and pulls onto a frontage road. We’re surrounded by sugar beet fields.

“Hold on, I gotta check the coordinates.”

I have no idea what she’s talking about, so I wait, content to watch the little furrow between her brows as she inspects the map on her phone. Every so often, she glances out the window and then back at her screen.

She sets the phone on the console. “Okay, I think we’re almost to the park.” We pull away from the trees and back into the sun.

The park in question is nothing more than an open patch of grass with swings, one pod of playground equipment, and a structure housing picnic tables. A wooden fence separates the field from the park.

“It’s hidden near one of the posts, isn’t it?”

She grins, her eyes dancing. She really likes the hunt. “Usually there’s more walking, but since it’s your first time, I went easy on you.”

I lift a brow. “Or did I wear you out last night?”

She blushes, but her tone is wry. “Busted. That’s totally why.”

We get out and she heads for the fence and continues until we’re in a ditch between green, leafy sugar beets and a gravel road. I swat a mosquito. The breeze is strong enough to keep this from being a sweat fest. The longer we walk, the more run down the fence gets. She periodically checks her phone.

“Are you getting a signal out here?”

“They wouldn’t rate this so easy otherwise. I’ve done a few that took me two full days of exploring.” She speeds along, focused on her prize, while long grasses swipe at her pants. “One time, I did one in Oregon that takes you to a cave in the ocean. You have to hit it at low tide.”

My long strides keep up with her easily enough. I admire the view. The startling blue of the sky mixes with the multiple shades of green.

“Then there’s one in St. Cloud that sounds like it takes a week to get to the cache and back. I’d love to take a hiatus and travel the world looking for hidden treasures.”

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