"Oh, you stop making me look bad, you ass-hat." Nancy pats him on the belly.
Even Blake, who I worry would be running to her car if I wasn't hugging her so close to my side, is laughing. "That's okay, my mother is alsoveryaffectionate. Both my parents are actually."
"Then what happened to you?" I tease.
Blake gives me a playfully disapproving look before swatting me in the stomach. It's not lost on me that she's mirroring Nancy's actions from moments ago, and it makes me smile despite the slight sting on my abs.
"Blake and I are going to go inside and get the cake. Would you guys mind supervising the next event? It looks like the obstacle course relay just finished up."
"Oh, we'll go get the cake. You two go have fun with the kids."
I don't have the heart to tell Nancy that playing pretend with a bunch of children isn't Blake's idea of a fun day. I know she has a soft spot for Clover, but even I have to admit that some of these kids are real pains in the ass. When Daisy's parents walk into the house, I pull Blake to the side of the house, where fewer people are, to talk. On our way over, I flag down Raina and ask her to facilitatethe tribal council. She's just as shocked to see Blake as I am.
As we walk to the side of the house, Blake holds my hand. "Are they really voting each other off the island?"
"No. They're voting for the MVP of each event. The person with the most MVPs at the end of the games wins."
"Makes sense. Wouldn't want kids feeling left out."
"Exactly. One year, we tried to play musical chairs, and one kid who'd gotten out first and had been sitting on the sidelines for a while got mad and whomped another kid over the head with a chair. No more elimination games after that."
"Children are frightening."
"They can be."
"I have to ask...who do Daisy's parents think I am?"
"Long story, but when they showed up early to help me set everything up, they asked if Jade was coming today. That led me to tell them about last night, which obviously involved you. Nancy knew who you were from Clover's painting class. She's usually the one who picks her up for me since she lives so close."
"That actually makes a lot of sense. Here I thought you already professed your feelings for me to them."
I chuckle to myself. "Well, they probably picked up on that anyway, just based on how I talk about you. I don't know if you know this yet, but I'm alittleobsessed with you."
"Oh, I know!"
When we get to the side, where no one can see us, I pin Blake against the house with my body. My hand cups the side of her face as I take in her features. Today she has freckles. Did she always have freckles?
"Are these...?"
"It's just makeup."
"Oh. I like it."
"I do get real freckles in the summer, though. Not as many as my friends Liam and Iris, but something similar to this." She points to the bridge of her nose that's dusted with fake freckles.
"I can't wait to see them."
"Oh yeah? Who said I'm keeping you around that long?" She's intentionally trying to rile me up, and I hate that it's working.
I press my body into hers a little harder. "Didn't I tell you? I'm going to tie you to the chair downstairs so you can't ever leave me."
"Can you at least use fuzzy handcuffs this time? Those ropes would start to chafe after a while."
"I'll see what I can do."
I can feel her still smiling as I lower my head and press my lips to hers. She's only been gone a few hours, but I already miss the taste of her.
"Thank you for coming."
