Chapter Eight
“The question now, is do we do something else? Or do I take you home and hope that a picnic lunch is enough to satiate your mother’s matchmaking urges?” Kenny had planned for something else this afternoon, but didn’t want to assume.
Wiping the corners of her mouth with a paper napkin, Sara looked out over the ocean view and then looked back at him. “I suppose coming home right away might give her the idea that things didn’t go well.”
Relief washed over him. He hadn’t realized until this very second how much he didn’t want the day to end. “Then it’s back to the hotel.”
Her eyes flew open wide and he realized that didn’t come out the way he’d meant.
“They have an afternoon scavenger hunt. I thought it could be fun. First prize is a dinner at the rooftop restaurant.”
“I’ve seen folks running all over the hotel like a bunch of teenagers on prom night.”
“Have you ever participated?”
She shook her head. “Nope. The hunt is only for guests.”
“Will participating with me pose any problems for your job?”
Tipping her head to one side, she stared at him as if the solution to world peace was engraved on his forehead. “Working here might be seen as giving me an unfair advantage, but I really don’t spend much time on the main grounds only the rooms, so, I think it will be all right.”
“Do you want to do it?”
Her head still tilted slightly, a sweet smile bloomed at the edges of her lips. “Might be fun.”
“Then a scavenger hunt it is.” He pushed to his feet, gathering up the leftovers from their lunch.
Sara reached over, bagging all the trash. “I’m going to guess, because of your job and that keen memory of yours, you’re probably pretty good at this sort of thing.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
The five star resort lobby hummed with quiet elegance.
A trio of musicians played easy listening tunes recognizable by anyone over the age of forty, their sound floating through the soaring open space.
Guests lingered in linen and sundresses, laughter muted as everyone instinctively matched the tone of the grand hotel.
Kenny glanced at Sara beside him, her smile uncertain but curious. “Ready to do this?”
Taking in a deep breath, she bobbed her head.
At a nearby table, a framed poster announcing the afternoon scavenger hunt rested on an antique brass easel.
Beside it, a polished young attendant handed over a printed sheet.
“Here you are, sir. The hunt begins in twenty minutes. Teams have two hours to photograph and check off each item on the list. The first group to return with all the items found wins a dinner at our rooftop restaurant.”
While he hadn’t dined at the famed restaurant, he knew from his evening at the bar that this prize was worth winning.
Especially for another fake date with Sara.
Kenny accepted the paper, thanked the man, then moved aside.
He skimmed the first challenge and had to bite back a grin.
“Find the oil painting with seven palm trees.”
Sara’s brow arched. “You already know, don’t you?”
“Maybe.” He couldn’t help it—he liked watching her exasperation turn into amusement.
Together, they studied the list for the next several minutes until the gentleman by the table announced to the people scattered about that the hunt would begin in two minutes.
He already remembered where a handful of the unusual items might be.
For instance, he noticed his first day at the hotel that between the lobby and the pool, the hallway was lined with pastoral scenes.
From the first to the last painting the number of palm trees grew from one lone tree at the first location to a full-fledged grove by the last painting.
It had taken a moment, but then he realized each painting had one more palm.
The woman at the table gently clapped her hands together, calling all the participants to her. Once again she explained the rules, the timeframe, and of course, pimped all the delicious foods at their prized restaurant. His mouth almost watered from the brief description she’d given.
He led her through the glass doors, the soft trickle of water greeting them as the sunlight caught polished stone.
Without hesitation, walking in a quick clip, counting.
“One, two, three, four, five, six, and seven.” At the last painting on the wall, he stopped and waved a thumb over his shoulder. “Check off the seven palms.”
Sara leaned forward, her eyes darting about, counting palm trees. She straightened to her full height, then turned to face him. “How did you do that?”
He shrugged. “I notice patterns. This is seven of eight paintings. They each have one more palm than the one before.”
Taking a step back and glancing down the wall, he watched as she counted each palm tree in multiple paintings before shaking her head and softly chuckling. “Show-off.”
“Just observant.” He caught the faintest flush on her cheeks, then glanced back at the list. “Next one—find the wooden carving of a turtle.”
For a quick moment, he closed his eyes and as if his mind were an old fashioned Rolodex, flipped the images one after another until he stopped at the turtle. “Follow me.”
They returned to the lobby, her soft soled shoes barely tapping against the sleek marble flooring.
Kenny didn’t even slow down as he stopped at the staircase, pulling out his phone and snapping a shot of a two foot turtle resting under one corner of the staircase, a star fish, an octopus, and a jelly fish deliberately hung from string under the same steps, creating a wooden seaside landscape.
“You remembered this?”
He nodded. “For what it’s worth, there’s another display like this near the tennis courts with flamingos, seagulls, and a peacock.”
“How many flamingos?”
Holding back a smile, he blinked. “Four.”
Her head bobbed. “I seriously wish you’d sat next to me in Chemistry.”
Without thinking, he burst out laughing. “I wasn’t quite as observant in high school.” No need to mention in those days, his life didn’t depend on his observation skills.
The next clue read: “Locate the historic photograph from the hotel’s opening.”
“Ooh.” She nearly danced in place. “I know this one.” Grabbing his hand she bolted across the lobby, forcing him to widen his stride to keep up with her pace.
Circling around the massive Christmas tree in the center of the massive lobby, she continued across the hotel, stopping just inside the pool doorway, she straightened, proudly pointing. “There it is.”
Quickly, he snapped a photo. “We make a good team.” Judging by her smile, he guessed she agreed.
Who knew running around a hotel with a Navy SEAL could be some of the most fun she’d had in years.
And when she said running, she was not exaggerating.
This man could move. Besides a keen sense of observation and an astounding memory, he’d taken hold of her hand to lead her out onto the lanai and down the shore to the beach chair shack to photograph the cluster of blue crabs on the shack wall, and had yet to let go. More important, she was glad.
They’d worked their way through most of the list with military efficiency. Kenny seemed to have a mental map of the entire resort, locating items with the kind of precision that made Sara wonder what else that brain of his stored away. Next on the list: Find the blue Christmas tree.
“Blue?” Kenny frowned.
Sara nodded. “Every tree in the hotel, and there are a lot of them, all of them have different themes. Sometimes it’s scenic, like Santa and his workshop, or everything beachy, but there’s always colors too.
” Her cheeks tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“And as it just so happens, I know where the blue tree is.” Hurrying back across the lobby again, she stopped at the entrance to the ladies room. “Hand me your phone.”
Nodding, he extended his hand, a sparkling smile taking over his face.
In another minute she’d photographed the tree and handing him back his phone, leaned against him to read the list. Shoulders pressing, she momentarily forgot why she was standing so close. The man had arms like steel.
“They’ve definitely shifted into the holiday mood. Santa’s favorite helper.” His brows pleated and deep lines formed between his brows. “I don’t remember seeing anything with elves. Or anything that looks like elves.”
He had her there. She didn’t know of anything with elves at all. Except for when the season was in full swing, then the Santa’s Village had human elves, but they weren’t set up yet.
“I’m stumped.” Kenny shook his head.
“What if it’s not an elf?”
His brows shot up. “Then who?” His eyes darted left and right, then up and down as if doing an eye exam. Lifting his hand, he snapped his fingers. “Mrs. Claus?”
It came out more like a question, but it was the hint she needed. “Of course.”
Scurrying behind her, despite his height, he actually had to scramble to catch up. “Of course what?”
“Santa’s Village.” She pointed ahead to an area behind the pool. “They take half the tennis courts and set up a Santa’s village every year. It’s almost ready.”
“I haven’t been to this part of the resort.”
“Of course you haven’t. Otherwise, you’d remember this.” Pleased with herself, she pointed to the sign announcing the impending arrival of the village. A life size Mrs. Claus happily smiling at the guests.
“You, Miss Alani, are a genius.”
“I don’t know about that, but there’s a lot to be said for this teamwork thing.”
They practically jogged back to the activities table.
The young attendant’s eyes widened as she reviewed their photos and checklist. “Congratulations! Not only are you our winners, but you’ve set a new record for completion time.
” She promptly handed over an embossed envelope.
“This will be valid any time in the next thirty days.”
“Thank you.” Their two voices tumbled over each other.
Kenny tucked the prize into his pocket, then gestured toward the front doorway. “So, when do you want to do this lovely dinner?”
Right now rushed to mind. Not too pushy. “Any night off will be great.”
His head bobbed once and reaching his car, he opened the door for her. “Would tonight be too soon?”
“Tonight?” Had he read her mind?
“We can wait if you’d prefer?”
“No,” she shook her head, “tonight would be great. I don’t always know when I’m going to get a night off, or pick up extra shifts.”
“Great.” He closed the door and circled the hood, taking his seat on the driver’s side. “I’ll drop you off, come back to shower and change, and call for reservations.”
“Perfect. Just let me know what time you’ll be picking me up.”
On the drive home, the sun still shone in the sky. Bright, warm, and a happy yellow. In an odd way, at this moment, she felt as happy as the sun. “Thank you. That was way more fun than I expected.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” His lips curled in the slightest of smiles.
When he pulled up to her parents’ house, she spotted the curtains twitch. “And here we go.”
Kenny’s gaze followed hers, and with that keen eye for observation, he no doubt saw what she’d seen. “Showtime.”
Right. Showtime. She’d almost forgotten, this was nothing more than a performance for the matchmaking mothers.
Kenny got out and walked around to open her door, ever the gentleman. As they approached her front door, Sara was acutely aware that they were still holding hands. “Thank you again for today.” She turned to face him on the porch. “All of it was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
“We’ll have to work on that then, but for the record, me too.”
For a moment they stood there, looking at each other, and Sara realized Kenny was thinking the same thing she was. Simply holding hands to the door wouldn’t be enough for the pretense.
“We should probably…” Kenny’s voice trailed off as his gaze flicked toward the front window.
“Give them something to talk about?” Sara finished.
“Something like that, yeah.” Kenny’s voice was low and deep and barely audible. His hand came up to cup her cheek. His eyes searched hers for a moment before he leaned in slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away if she wanted.
She didn’t want to. His lips were warm and gentle, and the kiss lasted just long enough to look real without crossing any lines.
“See you tonight.” He inched back slowly.
“Tonight.” She nodded.
In a ridiculous effort to extend the moment, instead of going inside, she watched Kenny walk to his car.
Not wanting to look foolish, standing there until he drove away, she turned and let herself into the house.
She almost laughed at her mother trying very hard to look like she’d been dusting and not spying from the living room window.
Considering her mother only dusted when company was coming, the woman was pretty much busted.
Straightening her shoulders, sucking in a fortifying breath, Sara repeated what Kenny had said in the car: Showtime.