Page 17 of The Interception
He chuckles. “Yeah, absolutely. We can wow them with dessert and the main course. Fifth is nothing to scoff about.”
“You’re sure? I don’t want to make you lose because I’m—”
“Layne, stop.” Ender’s soft tone catches me by surprise. He boxes me in again, this time only by blocking me from the rest of the crowd. It’s just us in our little bubble, surrounded by people too busy cleaning up their messes to notice us. “You did an amazing job. This is your first time, and you’re doing great. We’re good, okay?”
I take a deep breath. “Yeah. Okay.”
“All right. We should get this cleaned up so we can make it to the bonfire before all the good food is gone.”
“The bonfire?” I scour my brain and try to remember what was on the competition schedule. “I don’t remember anything about a bonfire.”
“It’s not an official part of the competition, but years ago it started as a fun thing the top twenty-five do together after the first round. Of course, since we’re in teams, there will be more people, hence my encouragement to hurry if you want to get food. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Do I have time to change first?” I ask and look down at my flour-covered self.
“Do you have a change of clothes?”
“Yeah, in the truck.”
“You can change in the locker room. No worries.” Ender dumps the trash into the tableside trash bin, then pushes all the good ingredients into a neat pile. I wipe down the table and make sure we have done everything required of us.
“All right. We’re all set. Grab your clothes and meet me at the front entrance. I can take you down to freshen up and change, sweetness.” Ender drops his apron on the table and heads toward the main building, leaving me thoroughly stuck on one word—sweetness. What?
I stifle the urge to call my sister-in-law again and hurry to the lot to get my things. If there is one thing I’m learning on this wild adventure it’s to expect anything…including wildly confusing football players.
Chapter Eight
Ender
Sweetness. Why on earthdid I call Layne the same thing I call my niece? I don’t think she heard me, or if she did, she didn’t bother to address it. I rushed off to gather my senses because, yet again, the woman has me too out of sorts to focus. She’s just so…sweet.
It was all I could do to escort her to the locker room so she could change, then release her back into the wild when we reached the bonfire party already in full swing. It’s been a long day, and the contestants moving forward in the competition mingle and get to know one another. I know all the veterans, but for Layne, this is an entirely new experience. Despite my best effort to stay in her vicinity, I keep getting pulled away.
Every single time I head her way, I lose her in the crowd. I hear her laughter over the chatter from time to time, which only amplifies my need to find her and ensure every single man here knows she ismypartner.
When the sun goes down, a few people head back to their hotel rooms to rest up. Others, like me, stick around to chat and catch up with old friends. I’m in the middle of a conversation when Ispy Layne on the other side of the fire talking to none other than Jonas Lake, also known as the guy who has won second place the past three years. The guy hates my guts, but he sure seems to like my partner.
I don’t blame him. Layne could wear a potato sack and look great. It’s not about her clothing style or even her natural beauty. That all pales in comparison to how she makes people feel just by being herself. She puts you at ease, makes you feel really heard. It’s not hard to see why everyone wants to chat her up, but I’m almost sick watching my mortal enemy lean in and whisper to her.
Doing my best to choke down my frustration, I work to focus on the conversation in front of me.
“So we hopped a plane for a second honeymoon,” Sam, a long-time veteran, says. “Anyway, the wife is probably waiting up for me, so I should head out. Want to catch up after the competition?”
Sam is a good guy. I like him a lot, so yeah, I definitely want to catch up with him and his wife after this thing is over, but I can’t focus on anything else but Layne. “Uh, yeah. Sounds great. You got my number.”
“Sure thing.” He claps my shoulder and shifts his gaze toward Layne and Jonas. “Maybe save your partner from certain death.” With a laugh, he heads toward the lot.
Yeah. Save Layne. Only, I’m not positive she needs saving. I shift my focus to her for the hundredth time tonight.
There is no legal reason for a woman to look so good with her nose all scrunched up like that, but whenever Layne giggles, I lose it. She has a way of crumpling her features when she smiles that would probably be scary on anyone else, but it’s adorable on her. Coupled with that sweet laugh, I can see why half the guys at this bonfire are staring at her, flirting with her, and generally ticking me off.
She’smypartner. They need to back off.
If I wasn’t stark-raving mad with jealousy right now, I’d walk through the four-foot-tall bonfire just to talk to her. Unfortunately, I’m trapped by a grumbly bear attitude, and she’s now involved in a conversation with Jonasandhis partner, Alex. I have no idea what Alex is saying to her, don’t even care, which is one of those rude things my sister says I do when I hyperfocus, but how can I not make this woman my obsession?
She glances over the fire and makes eye contact with me. That look sayssave meif I ever saw one, and I’m up for the task with or without my jealous streak on display. I weave through the crowd and finally make it to Layne, who immediately uses me to her advantage.
“Oh, Ender, there you are.” She smiles at Jonas and Alex and reaches for my arm. “Sorry, fellas, I need to talk to him about our next round. Catch up later?”
