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“We’ve got to go!” I put both hands on Oliver’s back and push him toward the door. Harley sighs with disappointment, but I don’t let go of Ollie until we’re safely out on the sidewalk.
I fan myself with my hand once we’re outside. I catch Oliver watching me with an amused expression. “What?”
He smiles. “It’s freezing out here, and you’re fanning your face. Just trying to understand why.” His tone suggests he knows exactly why. It sends a frisson of longing through me.
I look at my hand. “I’m just flushed or hot or something. I don’t know.” My face is probably Santa-suit red, but I stop fanning myself. “It was really hot in there.”
His gaze is steady on mine. The corners of his lips edge up. “It certainly was.”
My stomach dives toward my feet, but I refuse to think about that kiss. Or the fireworks. Or the longing. I won’t acknowledge anything in any way. “Now what does our next clue say?”
Oliver fumbles for it even though it’s already in his hand like he forgot he was holding it. I smile. That fake kiss got to him, too, even if he’s a little better at hiding it. He opens the envelope, and we read the clue together.
To find me next, be in a natural state.
Come for the kissing, and don’t forget the bait.
“Oh, no.” Oliver visibly pales. “Does this mean we have to get naked for this one? Nudity is a hard thing to pretend.”
“What?” My mouth falls open, and my eyes bug out. “What makes you think we’d have to get naked?”
His cheeks redden. “The…um…‘natural state’ part of the clue. Not that I’d mind seeing you naked. I mean, I bet you look great. It’s just that it’s so cold out. So very cold and—”
I hold up a hand. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. Nobody has to get naked. I mean, we definitely won’t, no matter what Sadie might say.”
“What?” Oliver looks alarmed again.
I wave it off. “I’m just kidding. I’m sure the clue’s about something else.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Let me think. Natural state. Nature. State of Tennessee. Anything there?”
Oliver shakes his head. I go on with my brainstorming. “Then there’s the kissing…” I don’t want to talk about the kissing. I scan to the rest of the clue. “Oh, the bait! I bet that’s something to do with the lake. There’s great fishing at Cherry Creek Lake and a bait shop not far from the…” I trail off as I realize what the clue means.
“The what?”
“The kissing tree. The clue’s talking about the kissing tree. It’s on the edge of Cherry Creek Lake.”
“The kissing tree? How did I miss that?”
“Well, you did move away before your prime kissing years.”
Ollie shakes his head. “Wow. The things I’ve missed.”
He’s missed a lot of things in Cherry Creek, and I’ve missed all the time I could’ve had with him if his family hadn’t moved away. I wonder if we would’ve stayed friends in high school or if we’d fall into different crowds and drift apart. Or if we’d have dated.
I unlock the car and get behind the wheel. Ollie slides into the passenger side as I start the engine. He leans toward me, and for an incandescent moment, I think he’s coming in for another kiss. But he adjusts the air vents and sits back in his seat.
“So how did the kissing tree get its name?” he asks.
I pull the car out onto Main Street, wondering if he’s baiting me, but I answer anyway. “It’s where people go to kiss—teenagers, mostly. It’s a misnomer because there are lots of trees around there that are just as good for kissing under, but this particular one is the most famous.”
“Why’s that?”
“Personally, I think it’s because it’s open to the clearing, so more people have been caught kissing under it than any other tree, but it’s also probably the most comfortable tree to sit under.”
He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Ah. So you have first-hand knowledge.”
