Page 72 of The Cupcake Standard

Things went smoother after that. Gina and Josh drove one car to the escape room, unsure of their plans the rest of the day. Derek drove the Mercedes, he and Liam in front, me and Carla in the back. Carla and I chattered the whole way about what to expect, how much fun she’d had with us last night, and other mundane things. Liam sulked in the corner. I watched Derek in the rearview mirror as he eyed his friend, and I could tell he was annoyed at Liam’s attitude. Especially since he was the reason we were doing all this.

I touched Derek’s sleeve when we got there, my eyes flicking to Carla, letting him know I’d distract her if he wanted a minute with Liam. He nodded, one side of his lips tilting up.

“Carla, come on. There’s this adorable store right next to the escape room, and they always have the cutest window displays.” I wasn’t lying.

It was a store called Props, and they never disappointed. Their stock was unique, handpicked and local. Today’s display was done in traffic light colors. All reds, greens and yellows, staggered throughout the big window. There were aprons, shaker cups and kitchen items. Then there were cute wispy scarves, berets and fingerless gloves. Sassy coasters and magnets sat off to one side. A metal airplane dangled from the ceiling. A crate display held various abstract art made of metal, contrasting nicely with the rough wood.

His lecture evidently over, Derek slid his hand around my waist, pressing a kiss to my temple. “See anything you like?”

I glanced up at him with a smile, staring at him for a beat. “Oh, you mean in the store.”

He rolled his eyes but grinned.

“I like that red sculpture down there.” On the bottom right was a twisted pile of metal that somehow flowed in a way that made me think of passion. And Derek. “But it’s all neat.”

Gina strode up, looking at her watch, with Josh in tow. “Let’s go, guys. Don’t want to be late.”

Liam lingered next to Carla, murmuring to her. Carla’s face softened, just a little, and she leaned into him.

Once we’d checked in, our guide led us back to our room, explaining the scenario. I was too busy studying Liam and Carla to pay much attention, figuring the others would fill me in when our time started.

Just before the guide finished, Derek nudged me. “Hey, you okay with this?”

I blinked up at him in confusion.

His face was full of concern. “It’s all based on cryptography. Completely numbers.”

And I really started to look around. Every surface had numbers on it. I’d been in escape rooms before and had no problem, leaving the number puzzles for the others. But this one was different.

The whole room seemed to taunt me, shoving my weakness in my face. I kept my issue with numbers close to my chest, and if we did this room, everyone would know. They would all see what an idiot I was in that field, how inferior I was compared to them, how lacking. There were even numbers on the floor. I shook my head, involuntarily taking a step toward the exit.

Gina came over. “Avery, is this going to work?”

But I was frozen. Long buried names from my school days reared their head along with the bitter memories of laughter and humiliation. I fled to the hallway before I became completely overwhelmed, Gina following me.

“Girl, I should’ve paid more attention when we were checking in.” She wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

Derek came out with the guide. “I need your discretion here.” His words were quiet. “I’ll talk to you about it more privately in a minute, and I promise I’ll make it worth your while. In the meantime, is there some place where our friends can wait?”

The guide escorted the others down the hall. Gina shielded me from their view, but I felt their curious eyes on me.

Derek stepped up. “It’s okay, Gina. I’ve got her.”

Gina tightened her grip for a second, waiting until I nodded. Always the protective one, she couldn’t help looking out for my best interests. I gave her a small smile.

Derek waited until we were completely alone before asking, “You all right?”

I nodded, trying to fake it. Then I gave up on pretending and shook my head.

“Aww, come here.” He wrapped his arms around me, and I sank into his embrace, letting the safety of him chase away the lingering edges of panic. His chuckle rumbled through me. “You must have really been out of it.”

Burying my face in his shoulder, I mumbled, “I was watching Liam and Carla.” He was quiet for a second, so I looked up at him.

He smiled. “Hopeless romantic.”

I stepped out of his arms, needing some space as the entirety of the situation hit me. I stared at the floor, thankfully number-free. Derek’s eyes weighed on me, so I forced out my thoughts. “I ruined it for everyone. Carla’s going to hate me.” Guilt wracked me, knotting my stomach.

“Oh, Avery.” He pulled me back, smooshing me to his chest. “No, she’s not going to hate you. I’ve got it covered, trust me, okay?” After we found the others, he left me with Gina. A few minutes later he came back in with the guide. “I get it. Mistakes happen. Just fix it, all right?” His voice was overly patient.

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