Page 52 of Hired By the Enemy
It’s a one-on-one race, and I’m not about to let Matthew down.
I shovel sand like my life depends on it, heaving handfuls over my shoulder. Matthew and I dig side by side, sweat dripping down our faces in the hot sun, our shoulders brushing against each other. The muscles in my arms and shoulders hurt, but I don’t allow something small like pain to deter me.
Not when the reward is going to be Matthew’s smile.
My hands scrape the top of something hard.
“Here it is!”
We speed up our digging until I manage to remove enough sand to pry the treasure chest out from the sandy depths.
“There’s some kind of code to unlock it.”
Matthew figures out the code in a few seconds because, of course, he does, and suddenly, the treasure chest is open, spilling out loads of fake gold coins.
Matthew grabs a handful, raising his eyebrows. “I’m not sure if fake gold coins are the prize I’ve always desired in life.”
I give him a wink. “You get me as a prize later on too.”
“So, a booby prize then,” he says, and I can’t help laughing, then swooping in to kiss him.
We just pull apart when Henrietta and Carl arrive on the beach, treasure map in hand.
Henrietta takes one look at the treasure chest open in front of us, then at Paul and Annette, who are still digging away fruitlessly on the other side of the beach, refusing to concede defeat.
“Let me guess, you two won again?” she asks.
“Yup. It’s what we do,” I say.
“You guys make the ultimate team,” Henrietta says.
Matthew looks at me, and the smile he gives me is almost shy. “Yeah, we do.”
Chapter Thirteen
Matthew
I have a weird feeling in my stomach right now. Because tonight is our last night at the resort.
This is the last time I’ll witness Liam effortlessly charming my colleagues at dinner while his hand rests proprietarily on my knee.
I know I’m quiet, even for me, but my mind can’t help replaying the afternoon events. HowsafeI felt with Liam by my side completing all the activities of the treasure hunt. Which is absolutely the last thing I thought I’d feel in Liam’s presence, ever.
But things have changed so much between us…to the point that they are almost unrecognizable.
How am I going to say goodbye to him tomorrow? How am I going to walk away from this?
The thought hollows my stomach.
After dinner, my melancholy continues.
This is the last time I will dance with Liam.
He seems to pick up on my mood, and his good-natured humor from dinner fades into something quieter on thedancefloor. Neither of us seems in the mood for our usual funny insults and quips, so instead, we just dance.
Henrietta’s patrolling the dancefloor with her phone, snapping photos of everyone, but I don’t pay her much attention.
I’m too wrapped up in Liam.
