5. Quinn
5
QUINN
I mistakenly believed that the dog park would be easy because it has a wide-open space and few places to hide clues. I didn’t account for the committee’s dedication to making the scavenger hunt complex and moderately difficult.
“There have to be clues under the benches,” Alex reasons, and he’s right, of course. I’m quickly learning that his instincts can be trusted in this game, anyway, and I have to stop fighting him if I want to win this. And I want to win this.
We find two of the four clues in half an hour, but with the space being as open as it is, the other members of our team see us easily and catch up in minutes.
“This is a silly place to hold a hunt,” Alex comments, and I nod in agreement.
“I guess this is the easy round,” I mutter, reading the second to the last page. My eyes scan the field, and a massive German Shepard bounces toward us. I gasp, backing up, but to my surprise, Alex drops to his knees, excitement illuminating his face.
“Molly!” he exclaims, scratching the dog behind her ears. “How are you, girl?”
I breathe out when I realize the dog isn’t attacking, her tongue lolling out to lick his hand excitedly, tail wagging. Alex gives her heavy pets, stroking her black and tan fur warmly. Someone whistles, and the dog immediately retreats to her owner without hesitation. Sheepishly, Alex stands, brushing the foliage from his knees. I pretend not to look at him as I again peer around, my heart thrumming at the sweetness of the scene.
So what if animals like him? What does that mean?
“Friend of yours?” I ask dryly.
“She’s a police dog,” he explains.
“I think the last clue is over there by the fence,” I comment, gesturing toward the obscure dog park entrance.
“Let’s go check it out,” he offers, following me.
We covertly look over our shoulders as we casually head toward the far gate, noting the location of the other two teams. They’re watching us too closely. It doesn’t seem like we’re going to lose anyone this round, either.
I’m not surprised to find the last clue where I’d suspected, and it leads us back to the main entrance again, where we regroup with the other teams to break for a thirty-minute lunch.
“Can I buy you a sandwich?” Alex asks as we scatter toward the park entrance. “I’m heading over to Holly Beans.”
I hesitate, glancing over my shoulder. I’m sure half the teams are headed to the coffee shop right now, me included.
“I can buy my own sandwich,” I mumble. A look of disappointment crosses over Alex’s face, and I inhale. “But I’ll go with you.”
He accepts the compromise.
The little shop is already filling up as we enter, cheerful Christmas tunes piping out through the speakers as we take our place in line. A staff member paints the display glass of Holly Beans with a little paintbrush, the cute elf coming to fruition next to a jovial Santa Claus. Each barista wears a holiday- themed hat, their hands working skillfully behind the espresso machines to keep up with the orders.
“Roth!”
My head turns inadvertently at Alex’s name being called through the crowd, and an attractive brunette with an infant in a front carrier ambles toward us with a grin on her face.
“I thought you were doing the scavenger hunt today. Santa’s going to put you on the naughty list if you’re playing hooky from work,” she scolds Alex, wagging a finger teasingly. Her long lashes hood a pair of lovely, dark eyes, and an odd pang of jealousy shoots through me.
Alex snorts. “We’re in the middle of it,” he reassures her, stepping back to introduce me. “This is my partner in the scavenger hunt, Quinn Tanner. Quinn, this is my partner at work, Catalina Vega.”
A fusion of relief and confusion sweeps through me as I offer Catalina a quick smile. “Hello,” I say, moving up in the line.
Catalina’s eyes narrow with recognition. “You’re a teacher, aren’t you? At the elementary school?”
I nod.
“Quinn and I went to school together, too,” Alex adds, sounding proud.
I cast him a dubious look. He says that like we were friends or something.
“I think one of my nieces had you as a teacher,” Catalina tells me.
“You’ve taught half of Holly Ridge,” Alex teases, shuffling forward with me.
“It feels that way sometimes,” I agree.
“I’ll see you at the festival later?” Catalina asks as her baby begins to fuss. “I better get this one back home for her nap.” She bounces the child gently, and Alex nods. “Nice to meet you, Quinn,” Catalina says brightly.
“You too,” I say absently, still shocked at my own conflicting emotions. I wait until she wanders back to her table before asking, “How long have you two been partners?”
“Four years,” he answers.
“She’s pretty.”
Aghast, I take a huge step forward, almost stepping on the heels of the person in front of me.
Did I just say that aloud?
“Can I take your order?” the barista asks sweetly from behind the counter.
Suddenly, I’m not hungry anymore, and I order a plain coffee, determined to get my head on straight. Avoiding Alex’s eyes, I step to the side and wait for my order, willing my pulse to return to its normal rate.
I take my drink outside and gulp in mouthfuls of fresh air among the throng of people around me.
Pretty red bows encircle all the wrought-iron lampposts on Main Street, garlands draped over the awnings and twined through the rooftop lights.
Across the street, a nativity set sprawls over the lawn of Mountain Grace Church, the steeple lined with string lights. The town is ready for the holidays.
“She’s happily married.”
My chin jerks up, shattering my temporary reverie, and I realize Alex has rejoined my side. His gloved hands curl around a coffee and a sandwich, green eyes twinkling as he peers down at me.
“What?”
“Catalina. She’s happily married.”
I frown. “Okay?”
He grins at me. “You said she was pretty, like I might be interested. Her husband works with us.”
My brow knits into a vee, and heat creeps up my neck, embarrassment clouding my vision.
“We should get back,” I mutter.
“Good idea.”
Silently, we cross the street again and wait at the main entrance for everyone else before sectioning back off into our respective areas.
Edna takes to the head of the group again.
“You each have two more sections to complete,” she intones. “At the end, the remaining teams will compete in the last section for the grand prize. Try to remember your Christmas spirit, and don’t scratch out each other’s eyes.”
A nervous titter rushes through the group.
“Meet up with your groups. Good luck,” Edna orders us.
Alex and I walk over to the other teams in our group and catch them looking at us suspiciously. I return their looks with just as much skepticism until Alex steers me away toward the playground.
“Why don’t we start on opposite ends?” he suggests. “That seems to have worked for us before.”
Begrudgingly, I agree, but I’m also reluctant to be alone with him, away from other people. The smell of his cologne is following me now, no matter where I go or where I stand, almost like it’s in my nose. Almost like he’s infected me.
“‘It’s a sliding scale…’” he reads, locating the first clue, his mouth pressed pensively at the corners.
“That’s it?” I ask, reaching for the note.
He nods, and our covered hands brush, sending yet another shiver through me.
This has to stop.
I pull back and step away, turning my back to read the clue.
“A slippery slide and a scaly surprise…” I muse, lifting my head to look around, my eyes narrowing as I take in the playground.
The slide is the obvious answer, but I can already see the other teams climbing over the apparatus, peering down the tube with no luck. My head cocks to the right, and my eyes brighten.
“I think I know what it is!” I whisper. “But we have to be sneaky, so no one sees us.”
Alex creeps around the back of the playground with me, ensuring we’re not being watched, and we duck behind the community center toward the closed splash pad. There, a spitting fish fountain sits in the middle of the kiddy pool—with our next clue.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you wrote these clues yourself,” he jokes, striding forward to take the page from the fish’s back.
“I like puzzles,” I admit. “And games.”
He gives me a small grin. “I can tell. You were always good at them in school, too, weren’t you?”
My smile fades, but before I can respond, he continues. “My brothers were always better at this kind of thing than me. I could never win at board games or any other games. Youngest child syndrome, I guess.”
He laughs lightly, but I sense a melancholic twinge to his words. Unexpectedly, a pang of sympathy for him strikes me.
“Your brothers left Holly Ridge, didn’t they?” I ask.
“Yeah. They’re both doing really well,” he says quickly. “They have families.”
“You’re an uncle. That’s nice,” I offer. The teacher in me can’t help myself. There’s a distinct pain in his words and expression, making me want to connect with him, despite who he is.
“I guess. They don’t come back very often, and my work keeps me pretty busy.”
I almost want to ask him more, but I steel myself against it.
He’s not my buddy, and I don’t care about his life choices. Maybe he’s getting his karma for being such a terrible person.
The line of thought doesn’t sit well with me. He hasn’t frowned or complained all day. He hasn’t slowed down or sulked, despite my cold shoulder.
Am I being too hard on him?
His head raises, and he peers at me as if he’s reading my thoughts, his face softening.
“It is. I like kids, and when I get to see my nieces and nephews, it’s always fun. We have a great time.”
The enthusiasm in his voice speaks volumes to his sincerity, and I feel myself softening more toward him.
“Quinn, are you?—?”
Loud voices interrupt us, breaking the spell between us for the moment, and I gaze back down at the clue in my hand. I nod at the latest trinket in the basket. “Grab that, and let’s get going,” I mumble, spinning away. “We can’t slow down or we’ll lose.”
I don’t wait for him to respond or catch up. Alex Roth is a part of my past, not my future. Maybe I won’t hold a grudge, but I won’t be a fool and make a mistake by falling for his charms, either.