12. Duke
TWELVE
DUKE
I’ve been excited about this hunt since the phone call from Russ. But once I see that Maggie Dean is going to be my partner, I’m both excited and nervous that it will be a fight with every task we have to do. I have a good view of her from where I’m standing in the back, and I can tell she hasn’t seen my name yet either.
Is she a competitor? Is she willing to do what it takes to win the prize?
No, it’s not life or death, but I need to get out, to get rid of this itch I’ve got to see the world. But before all that, I need to honor my word and pay Grandpa back. Once I’ve gone somewhere, I’ll be good for at least six months. If we lose, I’ll just have to save all my pennies to get me somewhere after the busy season is over.
I wait, and wait, wondering what’s taking her so long to see that we’re partners. And then it happens.
Color drains from her face and her lips pinch into a deep frown. I didn’t know I could elicit feelings like that from someone I barely know. Sure, I’d been teasing her daily for a bit, but I didn’t think there was that much animosity between us.
Maggie glances around, probably to search for me. Instead, I slink back behind King, grateful he’s a bit taller and wider than me. I might as well give her a few minutes to stew over the selection process before I become the subject of her ire.
I still don’t quite get why she hates me so much. Sure, my employment is something she’s not a fan of, but that’s only one aspect of my life. And I don’t even know the person responsible for hurting her family. I’m just trying to make a living so I don’t have to talk about different types of fabrics that would go well with certain colors and what kind of accessories would complement the dress. You know, wedding things.
“You’re acting kind of strange,” King says, turning to give me the side-eye.
“I don’t think my scavenger hunt partner is happy about me being the person she’s paired up with.”
Georgie gives me an odd look. “Didn’t you request your partner? I think that’s why King and I are together.”
I shake my head. “Georgie, I’d hate to see someone even try to come between you and King. It would be like the old gladiator games.”
King tries to keep his laugh to himself but Georgie’s eyes could probably zap me completely if they were lasers.
“Who’s your partner?” Georgie asks.
“Maggie Dean.” Even saying her name confuses me. Like I’ve never felt this way before but I’m definitely not crushing on her. It’s more like irritation meets terror.
“Is she one of The Candy Jar owners?” King asks, rubbing a hand over his face as he thinks about it.
“Yeah,” Coop says, joining us in the back.
“What did you do already, Duke?” Georgie asks.
I raise both hands in the air. “What do you mean? I’ve been all sorts of polite.”
King and Georgie both raise their eyebrows at the same time, disbelief thick in their expressions. I don’t know how they do it, but maybe it’s because they’ve been together for a while. Is that what happens when you find a soul mate?
“Obviously not,” Coop says, folding his arms and acting like he’s paying attention to the mayor, who’s taken over the mic again.
“Did you ruin the proposal?” Georgie asks. “I heard there was a flash mob or something.”
Shaking my head, I say, “No, but I did witness that. Looked like a lot of work to put together.”
“Will you just spill it already?” Coop asks.
“I go buy ice cream every morning.” I try to keep my expression neutral, innocent. Three sets of eyes swing my way.
“She’s bugged because you’re supporting her store?” King asks, his eyes narrowed on me like he doesn’t believe me.
Shaking my head, I say, “No. A timeshare salesman hurt her grandma years ago. I don’t know the whole story. But she’s decided to hate me on principle, I think.”
Coop grins. “This is going to be good.”
The fanfare from the mob starts to disappear and there are fewer and fewer people standing in the town square. King, Georgie, and Coop all headed out to take care of their businesses and get them ready for life the next day. It’s then that Maggie sees me.
She walks over to me like a storm cloud, her eyes narrowed and her lips set into a deep frown.
“How are you allowed to sign up for the scavenger hunt?” She stops about an inch away from me and I relax after having braced myself for impact.
“What do you mean? I signed up like you probably did.”
She lets out a huff and says, “I mean that you’re the one giving away the prize. Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”
I shake my head and say, “I’ve already talked to the big boss. The board wants me to keep the excitement alive for this hunt.”
Maggie rolls her eyes and then closes them. I’m not educated in the art of breathing, but I’m sure her extended silence is because she’s trying to keep her temper under control.
“So we’re going to win this trip.” It’s all I can come up with at the moment.
“I’d rather die than go on a trip with you.”
And then my habit of laughing at inappropriate times decides to surface. I do everything I can to keep the smile off my face.
“That’s within your right. I’d love to take a vacation on my own. So we’ll win it and you can stay here and run your shop.”
She straightens, and while she looks a bit taller, she’s still about a foot shorter than me. “Absolutely not. We win and I get the trip. You’re just supposed to share the excitement for the hunt, right?”
She gives me a small smile and I hate that there’s a small sliver of attraction there. I may not have a great record of dating, but I know the kind of woman I’m looking for. Small and spiteful are not on that list.
“How about we agree to disagree right now? I’m sure we’ve got a lot to do to prepare for the hunt.”
Maggie shakes her head. “You mean practice for it? How would we know what to do? The scavenger hunt starts tomorrow morning.”
“It’s not that hard to test out some skills. Maybe we should go build a wheelbarrow or something. That might give us an indication of if we can work together.”
“I’ve got too much to do tonight.” She turns on her heel and walks away.
“I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” I call out after her, grinning when she shoots me a glare.
I don’t know how much fun I thought I was going to have, but this is going to be epic.