She wouldn’t let him get to her. “We don’t know what we’re looking for. What counts as finding something?”
He tapped his knee. “How about we both have to agree it matters.”
That was fair, and beating Wes would give her more of an incentive. “I’m in and claim my Miss Marple book discovery as my first point.” Already one ahead. She liked this game.
“The room behind your bed is mine.”
Damn, but she couldn’t think of a reason to say no. “Fine.”
They went to the kitchen, where Wes set up tallies on the whiteboard. He put a single line under their names. “It’s a tie so far.”
They looked at each other for a long moment.
Then they dashed off in two different directions.
Twenty-four
Three hours later, they both ended up in the attic. The lamplight in the main house made it too difficult to find little cracks in walls that might indicate secret hidey-holes, and if he was honest, Wes felt a little daunted by the entire endeavor. There were a lot of searchable spots in Dot’s house.
He paged through property tax bills in a desultory fashion as he tried to stay awake. He hadn’t wanted to break first, vaguely feeling as though he’d be letting Nadine down. She was so involved in the competition they’d made up that he wanted to bring the same energy.
She pinched her shirt between her fingers to fan in some air and looked over quizzically when he made an involuntary sound. “Wes? Are you okay?”
“A little overheated.” True enough although not in the way he felt it. That decade-old attraction had kicked up hard the other day when she’d appeared in the attic ready to work, dress swirling around her legs. Despite their constant need to be at each other’s throats, he’d been powerless as it grew when she was on her hands and knees taping that ridiculous line on the floor. Tonight in the damp heat, she’d pulled herhair up, and tiny tendrils had escaped to frame her face. The harsh lights lit up Nadine’s skin to show the little pattern of freckles across her shoulders, like the sun had peppered her with kisses.
Nadine looked inside the dusty trunk she was about to sort and sighed. Wes sympathized. She sounded like he felt.
“Want a break?” he offered. He’d take one for the team by giving in first. They’d do better if they paced themselves. “I found a curious place earlier.”
“Yes.” She switched off the light, plunging the attic into a dim twilight. The moon was bright enough for them to find their way through the boxes. “Where is it?”
“Out back.”
Nadine looked out the window. “What if there are clues outside the house?”
“Dot could barely walk, and we never saw her outside,” Wes pointed out.
She looked relieved. “True. What’s this secret place?”
“You’ll see.” Wes didn’t want to tell her the details so he could see the surprise on her face.
They stopped in the kitchen, and Wes opened the fridge to fetch her a can of the fruit beer she preferred.
“Thanks.” She handed him a glass of his favorite red. “Where to?”
“This way.” They were being so polite, as if exhaustion had sapped the energy to snipe at each other, a habit they still fell into despite their big talk. Wes went straight to the trees they’d assumed had delineated the edge of the property, then ducked into them.
“Is there a path?” asked Nadine as she stepped behind him.
“Yes, but you can barely see it.”
They came into the clearing a few seconds later, and Nadine gasped. “No way.”
He waved his hand. “Voilà. She wasn’t kidding. Dot had a grotto.”
It was exquisite. Water fell from a rock formation into a pool thatlooked like it was hewn from actual stone and was small enough to cross in four or five swim strokes. He couldn’t believe it when he found the place. His first thought had beenNadine is going to love this.
He was happy to know he was right.
