She’d probably drop her camera in the water trying to sneak the picture instead of just outright snapping it. If Fitz didn’t already think she was hopeless, that would surely do the trick. So she sat on her hands.
She tried to relax as suggested, but she couldn’t decide which was more uncomfortable, the squared-off cushions that lined the back of the bench seat or the heat being generated from Fitz’s thigh, which bounced a mere inch away from hers. The man had boundless energy, a thousand expressions, and rock-hard pecs.
What was she doing here?
The boat slowed and Jack cut the motor suddenly. “Let’s regroup, guys.”
“Good idea,” Fitz shot back wryly, his voice ringing out in the sudden silence. “I’d love a better rundown of the plan. How did you know to head toward Green Cay, for example?”
Jack shrugged. “I heard some guys talking about heading there.”
How did Jack even know where Green Cay was? Did he have a map? GPS? What if the navigation system stopped working or all the satellites failed due to a solar flare? All at once, the risks involved in this whole enterprise snuck up on her and clenched her heart in a death grip.
There was water everywhere. All the way to the horizon, all the way around their very small boat.
While she’d been angling for an excuse to take pictures of a pretty man, the realities of being in the middle of vast ocean had escaped her. Until now. There might be hyperventilating in her future.
Fitz glanced at her and leaned in until their shoulders bumped. The contact sang through her, coalescing in a spot south of her rib cage. For God knew what reason, that centered her. Sweet, precious air filled her lungs.
“Wanna hold my hand again?” he murmured.
Yeah, she totally did but not under the watchful eye of Thora, who’d make a federal case out of it for sure. Plus there hadn’t been a whole lot of decision necessary earlier. He’d practically ordered her to do it as they’d walked across the beach to the dock, leaving little room for argument. “Before was only because the sand was hard to walk in.”
“Uh-huh.” He nudged her shoulder again, letting his linger and provide a solid sense of comfort that she appreciated more than she could ever say. He jerked his chin at Thora as she and Jack swiveled their seats to face the back of the boat. “What does the clue say?”
Thora handed him the square card with black letters, and he held it half in his lap and half in Lilah’s so they could both read it. Wash your hair 112 times at the shore.
“What the hell does that mean?” Fitz grumbled.
Thank God. He’d voiced the exact thought in Lilah’s head. Though she’d read and reread the rules on the official Galloway Games site before leaving home, her faculties had scattered pretty much from the moment she’d opened the door of her hotel room to find a near-perfect specimen of man outside. “We’re supposed to find objects, and that will lead us to the next clue, right? Maybe we’re supposed to find seashells at the shore?”
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t wash my hair with seashells.” Fitz flipped the card over, but the back was blank. “There’s not much else to go on.”
“So we’ll figure it out,” Jack said cheerily, with a grin reserved for Thora, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her face had gone the distinct green of yesterday, right before she’d christened the toilet in their hotel room.
Instantly concerned, Lilah latched onto Thora, desperate to focus on something besides the big ocean, the big presence of the man in the seat next to her, and the big ball of anxiety both were causing her. She smoothed back her friend’s hair. “Hey, are you okay?”
Thora shook her head and eyed the side of the boat as if thinking about whether she could make it before losing her cookies.
Jack did a double take. “Why didn’t you say something, sweetheart?”
“Stop calling me that,” Thora growled as her face drained, turning a shade of pale that yanked Lilah’s heart into her throat.
“Guys, I think the important thing is to get Thora to the nearest land mass, whether it’s the destination the clue refers to or not. She doesn’t need to be on a boat,” Lilah said, and both of the beleaguered men on board nodded in agreement.
Green Cay came into view a few minutes later, the marina a beehive of activity. Judging by the number of boaters sporting numbers, this was indeed the first destination for the scavenger hunt. Was it cheating to use context to verify you were in the right place?
Though it hardly mattered if Thora was sick again. Jack helped her out of the boat and then swept up her friend in his strong arms to carry her to a covered area near the head of the dock where they’d tied up. He laid her on an empty bench and pulled out his phone to stab at the screen. Probably calling for help.