Page 394 of The Romance Adventure

“You have as many as I do.”

I tip my head to the side. She’s not wrong.

Jolie’s throat bobs on a swallow. “We’re both undercover. We both work for international agencies. You’re looking for the Coroa de Lágrimas as a personal matter. I am, too, but it will also mean bringing a criminal to justice.”

“So, you’re not going to stop?”

She doesn’t answer.

“I relent, Jolie. I can’t speak for the rest of my family, but the crown isn’t more important than us.”

“You’re right.”

“But that’s not the same as agreeing.” I tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Now what?”

“I love you more than I want this treasure.”

“You do?” Jolie wears her Mona Lisa smile, but her eyes tell a different story. Whereas moments before she was devoid of hope, it sparks there now.

“I really do.”

“You’re just saying that to get the treasure back,” she counters.

“No. I could’ve made off with it sooner. I figured out the key was in the coconut a ways back.” I tap my temple. “Remember? I’m a professional, and Chip taught me everything he knows. But he also left this treasure hunt for us, my brothers and I. Where would the fun be if I just went ahead and completed it myself?”

“You’re the real mystery man,” Jolie says.

My phone rings. It’s Ryan. “What’s up?”

“This isn’t good. We need you to come back.”

“Why? What did you find?”

“The crown isn’t in the box. There’s just a note. It doesn’t make sense, like some kind of code.”

“The Salty Skeleton,” I whisper.

Now, this little snafu I did not anticipate...or that Jolie has a personal stake in the crown as well. But why?

Jolie

CHAPTER 17

As CJ and I race toward the main building at the resort, my thoughts reel backward. During those last weeks when my mother was sick, the only thing she wanted to do was watch movies. I’d have liked for us to get to know each other, but that wasn’t on her agenda. Occasionally, she’d talk about the characters as if they were people she knew—some stars, she may have.

The lines blurred between reality and fiction as she gossiped about the personal lives of the characters as if they were real. But one thing she said stuck out to me. Don’t be an unlikable character. The truth of my recent behavior makes my very bones ache.

I stop CJ in front of the main doors and tell him about that memory.

“I don’t know what came over me. But if the scene in Chip’s old office were in a movie, I’d get the award for least likable character. Throughout my life, in the most challenging and dire situations, I’ve remained cool, calm, and collected. Never desperate and certainly not deceptive.”

CJ arches an eyebrow.

“Okay, that’s a lie. I’ve lied my pants off, but never to someone I love. Just omitted the truth.”

His expression remains impassive as if he knows I need to say this even though it’s incredibly hard.