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“I do. I’m just shocked at your faith in me,” I joke. “I’d love to pull this off, but you might have to.”
“Why don’t you try? It was your great idea to bring the jack instead of a saw. You can do it.” He winks and it goes straight to my lady taco. I giggle with excitement, trying not to be so damn turned on when someone believes I can actually do this. Let’s prove him right.
I start with the tire iron and stick it in fairly deep to pull over some of the roots enough to set in the car jack. Milo helps push it in then takes the iron from me.
To my absolute surprise, it works, and soon, I’ve created a clearing large enough for my hand.
“Wait!” he yells, yanking my hand out of the hole. I gasp in surprise, , fearful of the mystery creature about to bite me, but he simply reaches his own arm inside, seemingly protective.Of me.Other than a paid bodyguard, I don’t think anyone has ever looked out for my safety. It makes my heart swell.
“Please, be careful. Can I do this part?” Milo asks.
“Yeah.” I nod, still expecting a scary critter to crawl up his arm, but it never comes, so that’s good. What he pulls out has me freaking out for another reason entirely.
“Incoming,” he says, putting the treasure chest in the boat at my feet.
“Oh my gosh! It’s real.”
“Seems so,” Milo grunts, pulling himself into the kayak.
My knees bounce with excitement. I don’t know what’s more thrilling: the sight of his dripping-wet muscles flexing in the shadows of a romantic place named Lovers’ Cove or the treasure chest he’s trying to pry open.
“Maybe, if we try the crowbar,” I say, handing it to him.
Within seconds, a pop rings throughout the cove as the old metal finally gives. Milo looks at me, and I stare back, frozen with anticipation.
“You do the honors. I never would have made it this far.”
I smile at his praise, feeling my cheeks heat. Doing my best to brush off how it affects me, I lift the lid.
It’s dark and hard to see clearly, but I pull something metal and muddy from the box.
“It’s heavy, whatever it is.”
“Let’s get some sunlight on it,” Milo says then rows back, effectively bringing us back into the sunlight.
A solid-gold, super-muddy key sparkles on my lap.
“It’s real,” I whisper at first. “It’s really real!” I exclaim, feeling the rush of being validated and possibly rich again.
Milo whoops in excitement as he looks at the piece in my hands. I can’t help giggling with the flurry of butterflies in my stomach.
“But wait.” I suddenly remember the message. “If the poem is really a map, this is just the first of three.”
“Of gold. Of jewels. Of heart.,” he recites.
“So if this is only the first stop, the second stop will besands of an angel.”
“Could that be Angel Beach?” I ask, unsure even though it makes the most sense to me.
“Maybe. Let’s go look,” Milo says, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
Quickly, I grab my paddle and help row. In no time, we’ve made it up the beach.
“Are you sure you want to keep following my wild hunches? Maybe, we should get someone to inspect this old thing. What if it’s not real and all of this is a waste of time?”
He looks at me for a long moment with a confused look on his face.
“What?” I ask.
