“Hold it,” Scout said. “That envelope needs to go straight to Ranger Rivers.”
“It will.” Chase put a hand on her shoulder as if to reassure her. “I just need to take a look at it. It’ll end up in the chief’s hands. I promise. But we need to keep this moving forward.”
Scout drained the last of her coffee as Chase stood. “If you’re ready, Scout, I’ll go settle the bill. We need to get rolling before the rain hits.”
“Rain?” Scout said. “If rain is due in—”
“Very low chance of it,” Chase said. “We’ll be up and back in the blink of an eye. I’ve done this trail dozens of times. It’s as easy as Beehive.”
Scout didn’t think Beehive was so easy. “Still, if it rains—”
Chase dismissed that. “If it rains, then we’ll head down.”
“Rain?” Frankie groaned and leaned back in the booth. “I hate rain. Almost as much as I hate dumpsters.”
Paying him no mind, Maisie was lifting the basket of biscuits, hoping for a leftover.
Scout shook her head, grabbing her hat. Poor Maisie. She looked hungry and Frankie smelled horrible. On the way to the ladies’ room, she slipped the waitress some cash and told her that it was to buy their breakfast.
A few minutes later, Scout turned off the faucet in the ladies’ room, the scent of soap lingering as she shook the water from her hands. The restroom door creaked open, and in walked Maisie. “Chase is looking for you.”
“Okay.” Scout reached for a paper towel. “Tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”
But Maisie didn’t leave. She leaned against the door, crossing her arms. “Scout, do you have a boyfriend?”
“What? No.”
“Why not?” Maisie said, like it was the most obvious question in the world. “I mean, look at you. You’re smart, you’re pretty, you’re all ... ranger-y.” She gestured vaguely at Scout’s uniform.
Scout looked in the mirror. “Ranger-y?”
“Yeah. Ranger-y. Capable and tough. It’s a vibe that’s trending right now. Guys totally dig it.” She pushed off the door and stood behind Scout, looking in the mirror over her shoulder. “You and Chase would be perfect together. Seriously perfect. You look so cute together.”
“We look cute,” Scout repeated, her voice flat. “Seems like a low bar for a relationship.”
“Well, I admit that I wasn’t a Chase fan after he pulled a fast one on me and took off with the envelope, but then he confessed to it. You gotta admit, that’s an impressive quality in a man. Knowing when he’s wrong. Frankie could learn a few lessons from Chase.” She gasped. “And guess what? The waitress said someone is buying us breakfast.” She grinned. “Bet it was Chase.”
Oh really?Hmm. Scout felt a prickle of discomfort, her fingers fidgeting with the paper towel.
“Fun fact. If you haven’t found true love by your late twenties, chances start to plummet. Like, dramatically.”
That, Scout thought, was ridiculous. “Thanks for your concern.” She tossed the paper towel in the garbage can.
Maisie moved aside from the door. “Seriously, Chase is the whole package. You should give him a second look.” She held the door open for Scout. “I’m kinda famous for my matchmaking. My friends say I have the gift. We can grab coffee sometime and talk more.”
Not a chance in high heaven that’ll happen.“How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
Scout fixed her ranger hat on her head. “Kids your age shouldn’t drink coffee.”
As she turned to walk down the hall, she heard Maisie sputter, “I amnota kid!”
Fifteen. Scout wouldn’t want to be fifteen again for all the coffee on earth. That was the worst year of her life.
Rain puddles splashed beneath Maisie’s boots as she and Frankie worked their way through dumpster after dumpster. The thrill of the search had long worn off, replaced by a growing sense of futility. Frankie was hunched over in the dumpster, muttering under his breath as his hands sifted through the soggy pile of refuse. “This is hopeless. We are never going to find that thing.”
“Only a few more dumpsters,” she said, trying to sound positive.
