AllFreeNovel
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I hate this guy.
My temper rises up, a silent volcano erupting under the surface of my skin. Des evidently senses it, because his hold on my shoulders tightens. Gritting my teeth, I hook my arm around his hips and grab onto the waistband of his pants. He’s stripped his jacket off and is only wearing a white tee. He should have goosebumps, but the man’s body temperature must run a few degrees warmer than normal.
“Let’s just see what happens, shall we?” Des grates.
“You’re on,” Vince replies, eyes hard.
We’re standing on the far-right side of the starting line, the grassy racetrack stretching in front of us. It’s been cleared of stray leaves and shorn to an inch in height, with a gentle upward incline on the way to the finish line. To our right, the ground falls away slightly into the huge pond.
“Four in a row, eh, babe?” Vince croons to his wife.
Caitlyn smiles, then glances at the two of us. “Good luck, you two.” She meets my gaze. “I was nervous my first time, standing right there where you are. But don’t worry, Des will take care of you.”
Another not-so-subtle reminder that she had Des before I did. Too bad for her, I graduated high school twenty-two years ago, and I’m done reliving those particular glory days. She picked the wrong brother. I set my jaw and turn my head forward. There’s only one thing I can do to wipe that smug smile off of Vince and Caitlyn’s faces, and that’s win this stupid race.
Listen to me. I’ve lost my mind.
I think I burned away the last remnants of my reason overnight. I woke up snuggled against Des’s side, my head on his chest, my arm curled over his opposite shoulder. I had one leg hooked over both of his, and he had his arm holding me close to him.
I can’t even blame him for it. All the evidence points tomesnuggling up tohimin my sleep—and since then, I feel like I’ve been living in a dream world. It’s like I’ve given myself permission to let go of my fears and inhibitions, if only for this holiday. We’ll be home by Saturday night, and who knows what state my mind will be in by then. It’s better not to think about it.
This three-legged race is all that matters right now. I want Des to smile. I want him to feel good. I want to show him that he can win with me at his side. We’re a team, no matter what happens.
But we’re not going to lose. No freaking way.
I narrow my gaze, staring at the fluttering ribbon at the finish line. I’ve always looked like a wiener dog when I run, with my little legs pumping like crazy, but I’m going to be the fasted freaking wiener dog this town has ever seen.
“Ready!” Arthur calls from his throne on the back porch. “Maude, are you ready?” He glances at the far left of the starting line, where Maude and David are strapped together. David looks completely relaxed, his arm around his grandma like he’s going for a stroll. Maude looks like she actually wants to win.
I steal a glance at all my friends, lined up between the Thomases, in various stages of giddiness and competitiveness. A deep breath fills my lungs. This is it. This is how I show Des that he’s worth a thousand Vinces. This is how I earn my three months of free rent. This is what this weekend is all about.
The sound of a gunshot echoes, more birds go flying from the trees, and we take off.
Des’s steps are huge. He hauls me along beside him with an arm around the waist while I try to keep up as best I can. Vince lets out a long shout beside me. He and Caitlyn have obviously practiced. Their arms are linked around their backs and their steps are in sync.
They’re good. The jerks.
Needing a burst of adrenaline, I let out a scream and redouble my efforts. Des tightens his hold on my waist, and we stay level with Vince and Caitlyn. We’re in with a chance.
Hobble, hop, run. We make our way up the lawn in a cacophony of shouts and cheers. I hear Simone’s cackling laughter somewhere behind us. Sebastian yells, “C’mon, Sweet Peach! Hurry up, girl!”
“I’m not a fucking horse, Seb,” Georgia screams back. “Stop slapping my ass!”
A team falls to the ground in my peripheral vision in a heap of limbs and laughter. I can’t think about who it is right now. All I see is that white ribbon swaying in the gentle breeze. The finish line, calling to us.
“That’s it, Mia,” Des pants beside me. “We’re nearly there. We can beat them.”
“Yeah,” I huff, trying to match his stride. Why does he have to have such long legs?
Then, like magic, we sync up. He shortens his stride; I lengthen mine. Suddenly, running is easy. Our three legs move like they’re part of the same body. Our arms clamp around each other, and the air flows sweetly in and out of my lungs.
We can do this.We’re going to win.
We gain half a step on Vince and Caitlyn. They speed up, gain half a step on us. I grit my teeth, grunting, and get my little Dachshund legs to go faster. We gain our lead back.
“To the left,” Des says between breaths. “Move left.”
I see what he means. We’re being edged to the right, but we need to angle left if we’re going to finish between the stakes and win the race. Otherwise, we’ll be off the course entirely. With my muscles screaming and my lungs burning, I follow his lead and angle left—which takes us directly into Vince and Caitlyn’s path.
