Page 14 of Hired By the Enemy
“Are you ready for the final reveal?” she asks.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I mutter.
“All right. You know the drill. Flip them over.”
Liam and I both flip our whiteboards at the same time. My gaze flies to his.
Liam’s writtenmy bicepsfor what he thinks I most admire about him, but he’s writtenhis intelligencefor the thing he admires the most about me.
What the hell?
Our gazes catch. For a second, something throbs in the air between us. Liam admires my intelligence? Or did he just write that because he thought that’s what I’d write? And does he honestly think his biceps are the part of him I admire the most, or did he just think I’d write that? My thoughts are a chaotic, messy tangle.
“Congratulations, Liam and Matthew, you are the winners,” Mindy says.
I snap back to attention. “What?”
“I’m giving you the intelligence/brain answer, so you are our winners.” She gives me a big smile.
I glance at Paul and Annette’s boards, but their answers don’t match.
Liam and I have won the couples’ quiz.
Which is such a ludicrous result that it’s up there with sushi ice cream.
None of my team members are focused on our victorythough. Instead, the main focus of conversation as we head out of the room is the questions their partners got wrong.
I wonder if the resort offers couples counseling services as well? It feels like it could be a lucrative side hustle for them.
“Well, it’s fair to say that was an utter triumph,” Liam says once we’re alone on the pathway leading to our villa. Tropical gardens sprawl on either side of us, the path lit by tiki lanterns.
I can’t help asking one of the many questions bubbling inside me. “How did you know my favorite movie?”
“Dude, you used to have Frodo pajamas, and you nicknamed me Sauron for half of high school. It wasn’t a stretch. But how the hell did you know the name of my old dog?”
“I think you wrote something about her in elementary school. Maybe fifth grade?” I say.
He stares at me for a few moments. “I can’t believe you remember that.”
I feel my cheeks heat under his scrutiny. “I remember all kinds of random stuff.”
“I guess I am pretty unforgettable,” he says.
I snort. “That’s one way of putting it.”
We reach the villa.
“Thank you,” I say begrudgingly as we step inside. “That went better than I expected.”
“What’s with that guy, Paul?” Liam asks. “It seems like he’s really trying to get at you.”
I heave a sigh, rubbing my forehead. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. He’s a valuable team member with a lot of experience, but lately, he’s started doing that more and more, finding ways to dig at me.”
“Well, I guess there is a whole lot of material he can use,” Liam says as he flops onto the couch.
I roll my eyes. “Thanks.”
There’s silence between us. I stand there awkwardly,studying the tiled floor. What should I do now? Somehow, the thought of sitting next to Liam on the couch has my muscles clenching.
