Chapter 3 #2
“It’ll be fine,” Rose said impatiently. She could just imagine Scott and Becca racing ahead of them to the prize. “Come on!”
Nick sighed, and hit the gas, but instead of speeding up, the car just… Lurched, and ground to a halt. “What’s wrong?” she demanded.
“What’s wrong is you sent a finely crafted piece of machinery straight into the middle of a bog.” Nick said, sounding frustrated. He hit the gas again, but the wheels just spun.
“See? I told you we should have taken my van!” Rose climbed out, using her flashlight to inspect the problem.
But Nick was right. The low chassis of the sports car was no match for the deep, muddy wheel tracks. The car was well and truly stuck.
“This is what you get for picking style over substance,” she said with a groan.
“Excuse me.” Nick joined her, taking in the sight. “You liked style well enough when it was keeping your tushie warm. Now look what your shortcut has done!”
Rose took a deep breath. They didn’t have time to bicker over whose fault it was, not with the other competitors all racing to the same destination.
“We can’t be far.” she said, looking around. “We can go the rest of the way on foot.”
“And leave her here?” Nick sounded aghast.
“Do you want to babysit your car until a tow can come tomorrow morning, or do you want to win?” she challenged him.
He paused. “Good point.”
Nick grabbed his satchel and joined her.
“You know, this would be an excellent cover for a serial killer,” he remarked, as they walked fast, using Rose’s flashlight to make out a path along the track.
“Send your victims off into the forest under the guise of a scavenger hunt, then pick them off one by one.”
“Don’t say that!” she yelped, glancing around at the looming shadows.
Nick grinned. “Why? Not sure if Aunt June is hiding a diabolical streak?”
“Oh, she is. She just uses it to matchmake, not murder.” Rose replied. There was a rustling in the trees nearby, and she startled with a cry. She grabbed hold of his arm. “What was that?”
“Aunt June with a meat cleaver?” Nick teased, and Rose gave his arm a whack.
“Don’t even joke!”
“On the contrary, I take meeting my demise at the hands of a matchmaking meat cleaver very seriously,” he smirked. “Now try saying that three times, and drunk.”
Rose shook her head. Suddenly, she made out a light through the trees. Some kind of glow. “Over there!”
She hurried on, as fast as she could without falling on her face in the dark. Sure enough, when they emerged from the woods, they were on the edge of Black Bottom Pond. It was frozen over for the season, with lights strung up around the perimeter, and there was a bonfire glowing on the far shore.
“A spark of inspiration…” Nick quoted from the clue. “I’m guessing our prize is over there.”
“And I don’t see anybody else arriving just yet.” Rose’s excitement grew. “Come on.” She made her way to the near shore.
“Wait!” Nick started after her. “How are we supposed to get there?”
“Across the ice.”
“On foot?” He looked dubious.
“Since I don’t have time to go home and get my skates, and it’ll take twice as long to hike around the perimeter, yes!
” Rose made her way to the edge of the frozen pond, glad she’d worn her sturdiest winter boots.
“Don’t worry,” she reassured him. “It’ll hold. People were ice-skating on it all day.”
“It’s not so much the falling through, as falling down on my behind that I’m worried about,” Nick replied, but he gamely followed her onto the slick, icy surface.
He had a point.
Rose had barely taken two steps onto the ice before she was slipping around, barely keeping her balance. Maybe this hadn’t been the best plan, after all, but it was too late to turn back now.
“Here, take my hand.” Nick said, grabbing onto her—and nearly sending them both sprawling to the ground.
“Hey!” she protested, windmilling her arms to stay upright. “Let me go!”
“You let go!” Nick said, as they clutched each other, feet sliding all over the place.
Rose tried to propel them both forwards, but Nick threw his weight in the other direction at exactly the wrong time, and suddenly, her legs flew out from under her.
She grabbed onto him to try and keep from falling, but it only pulled him down, too.
OOOF!
They hit the ice hard. Luckily, Nick twisted at the last moment, cushioning her fall, but Rose’s teeth still rattled with the impact. She groaned. “Owww.”
“I see your ‘Owww’, and raise you a ‘Gahhh,” Nick said, rolling to one side.
Rose’s breath caught. His arms were still wrapped around her, their bodies pressed together, and even through the layers of their winter clothes, she could feel the heat of him; the solid weight of his torso.
Nick turned his head to face her, just inches away; their breath fogging the chilly air between them.
She could kiss him.
The thought popped into her mind out of nowhere. She could just lean in and kiss him. Again. Relive the moment that had been running through her mind for days, tormenting her with sensual memories.
Take it further, even…
Rose’s pulse kicked. Their eyes were locked together, and she could have sworn she saw the flash of desire in his gaze as she slowly leaned closer—
“Over there!”
The sound of voices broke through her reverie. Rose sat up. Scott and Becca had arrived at the far shore with a couple of other competitors—and they were strapping on skates. “No!” she blurted, remembering the scavenger hunt. “Quick, we can’t let them win!”
“Here, take my hands.” Nick managed to get to his feet and pulled her up too. “Come on, steady now. Short steps!”
They set off towards the bonfire, step-sliding together across the pond with a new urgency.
Their competition struck out on the ice behind them, but Rose and Nick had enough of a headstart.
They made it to the bonfire with Becca and Scott still fifty feet behind them, and found Earl sitting on a folding chair, toasting marshmallows in the flames.
“Congratulations,” he greeted them, smiling. “You’re the winners of Night One.”
Rose let out a whoop of delight. “We did it!” she squealed, grabbing Nick’s hand. He laughed, squeezing briefly—and then dropped it as another team emerged from the trees—on cross-country skis. They were a Swedish couple, she recognized, who competed every year.
And they made it to the fire just seconds before Scott.
Ha!
“And here are your winnings.” Earl handed Nick three gold chocolate coins, doled out two more to the Swedes as the runners-up—and just the one to Scott and Becca. “Don’t eat them,” Earl added. “Whichever team has the most at the end of Night Three will be crowned our grand winners.”
Nick grinned and gave Rose a nudge. “Looks like we’re off to a good start,” he said, tucking the coins away. “Unlike some people.”
Scott scowled.
“Better luck next time.” Rose beamed at him. She certainly hadn’t signed up to the scavenger hunt to get even with her ex-boyfriend, but it sure was a nice bonus.
And as for getting up close and personal with her teammate…
That was just from being caught up in the competition.
Right?