“Think you’re strong enough to hold my legs up?” Miles asked, flashingme a grin.
I looked him over. He was six-four and all muscle. And while I was pretty strong for a girl, my five-foot-one stature was much more adept to help someone like Amanda over either of my male teammates.
“I’m thinking you and Theo should be partners,” I suggested instead. “Might be easier to match up by size instead of… chemistry.”
“Chemistry, you say?” Miles grinned, arching an eyebrow. “Well, if you notice any sparks between Theo and me, try not to get too jealous. Turning off my magnetic charm isn’t something I can just do.”
“Oh, don’t I know it.” I laughed, because he was the kind of attractive that really should come with a warning label.
“And finally,” Lia said, pulling our attention back to her as she stepped beside three tables set up on the patio. Each held four silver domes, the kind you’d expect from room service. “You’ll finish with the mystery food challenge.”
I narrowed my eyes, my stomach tightening at the thought since I had a feeling this competition might be about to take a disgusting turn.
“Each team member is required to eat the food item under one of the domes on your team’s table,” Lia continued cheerfully. “And let’s just say that some options are more palatable than others.”
“As in we’re probably about to eat something gross,” Theo muttered beside me.
“You think?” I looked up at him with wide eyes. I graduated from the kids’ menu years ago, but my idea of adventurous eating still had very firm limits.
“Just look at the glee in Lia’s eyes,” he said, nodding toward her. “This is torture disguised as fun.”
“Anyone on our team secretly into bugs?” I asked, glancingbetween Theo, Amanda, and Miles, hoping one of them might shock me with a sudden love for unconventional snacks.
Both guys shook their heads immediately.
“The closest I’ve come is gummy worms,” Amanda said apologetically.
“So we’re doomed,” I said, eyeing the other teams and wondering if any of them had more adventurous palates.
Ian’s dad was a billionaire. For all I knew, this was a normal Tuesday for him.
“Well,” I said with a sigh, “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
“Yeah,” Theo added. “Maybe it’ll be gummy worms instead of chocolate-covered scorpions.”
I crossed my fingers. “One can only hope.”
Lia glanced around at the group. “Any questions before we start?”
No one spoke.
“Okay, then.” She smiled, clearly satisfied. “Let’s get this competition started. On your mark… get set… go!”
10
NORA
By the timewe hit the wheelbarrow relay, things were actually going well.
Shockingly well.
The blindfold tower station had been chaotic at first. Too many voices. Too many directions. But once we figured out a system and stuck to it, everything clicked. Miles and Amanda rotated with placing the blocks. I coached Miles, Theo coached Amanda, and we somehow made it through without the whole thing crashing down, finishing just ten seconds behind Lucy and Owen’s team.
Which meant the relay mattered.
Theo was about halfway across the grass, palms planted, shoulders flexing as he powered forward while Miles held his legs steady just outside his hips. He was moving fast.
“You’ve got this, Theo!” I called. “Just a little more!”