“So we’ll give you up to three hints, and that’s it,” a lovely person with spiky black hair and a nose ring is telling my boys. “You have to be smarter than the escape room if you want to beat it.”
“I’m smarter,” Charlie says.
“I’msmarter,” Eddie says.
“You thought serial killers attacked breakfast food,” Charlie fires back.
Bea grins.
It’s an utterly delighted grin that turns into a small giggle, which has both of my boys looking at her and this attraction that I cannot deny for her growing stronger and stronger.
Usually, my involvement with women is physical only.
With Bea—well, with Bea, I’ve spent more time helping in her burger bus and having dinners with her family and helping her avenge herself against an ex-boyfriend while daydreaming about the next opportunity I’ll have to see her smile.
I’m quite far gone.
Quitefar.
Would I like to have an entire week with her, just the two of us, with nothing to do beyond each other?
Too bloody right.
I should probably spend some time talking myself out of these expectations.
But I’m too ecstatic beyond belief that she’s here, with us today, where I can squeeze her hand and sneak kisses and just be near her to care about anything beyond getting to enjoy an hour’s activity with her and my boys.
“Hudson and Griff had this same argument about serial killers right after our parents’ funeral,” she says to them. “You’re going to have to try harder if you want to be original.”
They share a look.
“Did you truly have to tempt them to argue more?” I murmur to Bea.
She giggles again.
And it’s such a lovely sound, I can’t even be annoyed with her.
“You ready?” our escape room guide asks.
I look at Bea. “This isn’t too tight?”
“It’s bigger than my dorm room was. I can make it an hour.”
“We’re ready,” Charlie says.
Yes, he’s still wearing that hoodie, and oddly, for once I don’t blame him.
Itisslightly chilly in this room.
Likely ambiance. We’ve chosen the room where we get to pretend to be bank robbers.
Quite fun to rob a bank, actually. I did it once for a television show.
And my character was killed in the robbery, so I didn’t have to memorize very many lines.
Simply play dead.
“Lock us in,” Eddie says to the guide. “We’ll see you in five minutes.”
