Page 28 of Winging It with You

“Nope, we need something that’s ours.”

“Ours?” I ask, the word choice making me smile. “I’ve got it.”

Asher signals me to go on with his free hand, clearly eager for whatever it is that I’vegot.

“If either of us saysmozzarella sticks, it’s on,” I say, hoping it’ll elicit some sort of laugh or smile from him.

He barks out a laugh. “Mozzarella sticks? That’s what you’re going with?”

“Listen, it’s how all this started, so, if you ask me, that’s as official as it gets,” I say, extending my hand in his direction.

“Attention passengers in the terminal, Flight DL2302 will begin boarding in ten minutes.”

“Asher Bennett, do you consent to our newly finalized rules for this season ofThe Epic Trek?” I ask, doing my best Dalton impression.

Placing a warm hand in mine to seal the deal, Asher nods. “I’d be foolish not to.”

9

Theo

Three miles off the coast of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Argentina

“Can we get an extra life jacket over here?” Jo yells into her headset.

Once Arthur successfully parked and managed to drop us off at the marina, we were quickly ushered across a large dock built into the island’s peninsula. We climbed the set of stairs leading up to an expansive boat deck, where several of the other teams had already begun getting into position, and followed Jo to our spot.

“An adult extra-large should be fine,” she barks after taking another glance at me. How humbling. Jo shrugs innocently when she realizes I’ve been hanging on her every word. Ellie catches my eye through all the commotion and gives a small wave, rolling her eyes at everyone running around with filming about to begin. Asher and I are sandwiched between the Army pals and the newlyweds, both of whom appear to be squabbling like old couples.

“Here,” Jo says, pushing the life jacket she’s been holding into Asher.

He looks at it like it’s venomous. “Must I?” But she ignores him and he does as he’s told, quickly securing the offensive flotation device around his tall body and fastening the clasps one by one. A PA runs across the deck toward us with another life vest in tow, which Jo quickly rips from his grip and tosses at me.

“Okay, listen up,” she says, pulling her tablet out of her bag. “I can guarantee that neither of you is going to be too pleased about today’s challenge.” Before either Asher or I has a chance to react, she preemptively cuts us off. “I don’t want to hear it. After the whole ice cream fiasco, I need you two to give a little bit more thanthis, okay?” she says, gesturing at us.

I glance at Asher, who’s now fiddling with the straps of his life preserver while I fasten mine. He’s pale. Paler than normal, which is saying something. The boat then lurches forward, and I wonder if he has an issue with motion sickness.

“When you say this…” I ask, turning my attention back to Jo.

“Guys, seriously,” she says, folding her arms. “I’ve had dental procedures with more convincing chemistry.” A laugh catches in my throat, but when I look at Asher, I see he’s shoved his hands deep in his pockets, either uncomfortable or annoyed.

Or both.

“You two assured me that when the cameras were rolling, you’d sell one hell of a love story. It’s time to pay up,” Jo says. “I’m looking at you, Asher Bennett.”

His head snaps up when Jo singles him out.

“If there’s any part of you that wants to make it to the finale, you’re going to need to try a little harder. Understood?”

Asher nods, his cheeks reddening at the public callout, and I fight the urge to say,Yes ma’am.The snap behind Jo’s tone makes me stand up a little straighter, and the others have stopped to observe the two grown men who just got scolded by their stage mother.

“Go easy on them, Jo,” chimes in Arthur, who, unlike his counterpart, is all smiles this morning. He tinkers some more with his portable sound equipment. “I’ve got you boys hooked up with a nice little waterproof camera on your boat. I mounted it myself. Hated doing it, though,” he says, his lips pulling into a thin line. “It’s the first time it’s being used so do me a solid and don’t break it.”

Out of nowhere, Dalton comes careening through the chaos of crew members finalizing whatever shot they’d been setting up. “Alright, people, let’s get this over with,” he calls out impatiently.

Jo steps between us and places a hand on each of our shoulders. “Do not let me down.”

---