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“Why are you second-guessing yourself now after all you’ve proved? Don’t you want to see if there’s really more fortune out there?”
His words hit deep and fill me with so much emotion I stay speechless a moment before responding.
“Yeah, I guess, when you put it that way.”
Milo nods with a cocky, knowing grin, clearly proud of himself for encouraging me.
The sun is high now and beating down on us. Letting the big, bearded muscle man take over, I pull some sunscreen from my bag and coat my arms, shoulders, and legs before I turn to Milo. Without thinking twice, I spray the SPF on his legs and forearms.
Not stopping there, I rub the white cream into his skin, taking my time. I should feel embarrassed, or at the very least bashful, but I stare him right in the eyes as my hands move across his skin.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I purr, looking down between his partly spread legs where I’ve been kneeling. “I’d really like the chance to thank you for this morning.”
His growl rumbles as he shakes his head at me.
“Not necessary,” he finally says. “But maybe later.”
When my eyes follow his nod, I see we’re at Angel Beach already. There are small groups of people scattered along the sand, playing volleyball, building sandcastles. Some families are eating lunch, and others are swimming.
“It’s fascinating how different the various areas of the island are,” I say, taking my seat and helping paddle us to the beach.
“Don’t ever let your guard down. There are plenty of dangerous critters hiding all around not too far.” He says with a winks then jumps out of the boat.
“Better tuck that away for safe keeping.”He nods toward the key on the floor of the boat, sitting in the broken chest.
Keeping my balance the best I can, I scoop up the key and tuck it in my backpack. Seconds later, I’m jerked onto the sand, but I’m ready and hold on. We brought the clear bottom kayak out, so I do my best to cover the chest with my hoodie before hopping out. Not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to our journey, we casually tuck the kayak behind a big promotional board offering scooter rentals. I hear Christmas music and the laughter of a big, white-bearded man, who looks like Santa in a tropical, button-up T-shirt. I smile and wave as we made our way up the beach.
“I’m actually living here. I park right over there. The showers are top notch,” I say with a wink.
“I shower here after my morning run. It beats the tiny shower in my boat,” he tells me as if needing to explain his presence there this morning.
“I, for one, am really glad you were this morning,” I sing, flirting with my boss and hoping for more. Not just more like this morning, but maybe, just maybe, something more than friends. This definitely feels like the beginning of something incredible, and I’m eager to experience it all.
“Me, too,” he says then takes me by the hand. Biting his lip, he looks adoringly down at me. My heart soars, and my palms gets sweaty.
“I’m really glad you’re the one here with me. Finding the treasure.”
“Me, too,” he replies, “Where should we go from here?”
“Let me read it again,” I tell him, pulling out the poem. “It says,Quest for something more on Angel’s sands. Hopefully, that’s here on Angel Beach.Find what you desire within her hands. What could that mean?”
Taking I moment to think, I remember a guard telling me about a hiking trail.
“Wait. Bert told me there’s a small hiking trail that leads to an old structure. Are there any statues or monuments around here?”
“Not a statue exactly, but there’s a sculpture of a Christmas tree. And if I’m not mistaken, there’s an angel at the top.”
My smile grows as the pieces start to fall together. Next clue solved, we set off toward the trail marker behind the showers. It’s not a long hike, and soon, we’re face-to-face with a tall concreate Christmas tree, modeled after those popular ceramic trees our grandmas all had when we were little. It’s a ten-foot version of that, and indeed, a beautiful angel with praying hands is at the top.
“How are we going to get up there?” I ask, dumbfounded.
Milo takes a hard look at the problem, rubs his beard and hold up a single finger. He leaves and several moments later, comes back with a ladder.
“Where did you get that?”
“Bathroom closet.”
