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He laughed, upping his pace as he followed me out of the resort. “What’s the rush?”
“There are thirteen items on this list and they’re probably scattered all over the city. We only have until five to find them and text pictures to Ezra as proof. There is no way in hell I’m letting Craig win.”
“I love it when you get competitive,” he said as I hailed a cab.
I grinned at him, holding open the cab door for him and waving him in. “Let’s go win you that hour.”
Snap a selfie with the goddess of the sea and you’ll be done with trying to win me.
I read the final clue on the company scavenger hunt as we stood outside the last landmark the hunt had taken us to. The little bar was a local favorite and had been established over fifty years ago. Brad and I had already snagged the photo we’d needed of a little gold English bulldog emblem situated on the wall next to an obscure booth inside.
We’d spent all day hunting down Ezra’s items, using the clues he texted hourly as we navigated our way around the city. I had to hand it to him, he had chosen some pretty awesome landmarks, not to mention given some hilarious yet difficult clues to find them. We’d run into several groups of his employees who were working together for the prize, and they were all having a ball playing the company’s game.
And while Brad and I were having a blast, I was determined as hell to win. Brad deserved that one-on-one time with Ezra and Ava, and if there was a way I could help? I was all in.
We’d been the first ones at the bar, and spotted a few more groups finally heading this way as we contemplated the final clue.
“We’re ahead,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip. Adrenaline surged through my veins, the need to go-go-go pulsing through me like a beating drum.
“Only because you’ve been rushing us around the city,” Brad said, playfully bumping my shoulder with his. “I think the point of the hunt was mainly to enjoy every landmark Ezra sent us to.”
“Maybe for his employees,” I said, swiping on my phone to pull up a search browser. “But not for the investors pitching him.” We’d only seen Craig once as we were leaving a spot a few hours ago. I hated the idea of him somehow gaining an advantage on us and beating Brad out of his time.
I typed in goddess of the sea in the search bar and squealed when an image popped up. “Got it!” I was already hailing a cab before Brad had even blinked.
“I haven’t seen you this determined since junior year in high school when Ms. Skyler assigned us the storefront final,” he said as he climbed into the back of the cab with me.
“That was just as serious,” I said, grinning as the cab weaved in and out of traffic. “I wanted that two-hundred-dollar gift card.”
“And you won it,” Brad said. “All those freshmen bought out your clothes in record time. You completely obliterated my cookie storefront, not to mention all the other competition.”
A warmth spread through the center of my chest at the memory. The assignment was the first indication to me that I wanted my own boutique, and now here I was, all these years later with a shop of my own and a potential national clothing line on the way. I worked hard, but I knew how lucky I was too.
“I bought most of your cookies,” I said as the cab pulled up to our location.
“You took pity on me.”
I grinned at him before paying the cab driver and opening the door. “No way,” I said as we climbed out and onto the sidewalk. “You know I’m a sucker for anything sweet.”
“Me too,” he said, eyes trailing the length of my body for a few seconds longer than necessary.
It made a warm shiver race down my spine, swirling up all kinds of aches in my core. The kiss replayed in my mind, making my eyes fall to his lips without my permission. Damn, they still looked pretty freaking kissable.
“Where are we headed?” he asked, a slight smirk on his face.
I cleared my throat and spun around, heading toward the beach.
“Over here,” I explained as he followed me.
The ocean stretched out in a beautiful swatch of blue and green on the horizon, the little touristy area just before the beach lined with a decent amount of foot traffic. Salt tinted the air, and the sun was warm on our faces as we navigated the small crowds of shoppers until I spotted it.
“There!” I hurried over to the statue, stopping just before it.
“Nice,” Brad said, nodding as he looked up at the mermaid and dolphins swirling together to create one gorgeous statue, especially with the sea as its backdrop.
