Page 18 of Fake Dating the SEAL
“Then a scavenger hunt it is.” He pushed to his feet, gathering up the leftovers from their lunch.
Sara reached over, bagging all the trash. “I’m going to guess, because of your job and that keen memory of yours, you’re probably pretty good at this sort of thing.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
The five star resort lobby hummed with quiet elegance. A trio of musicians played easy listening tunes recognizable by anyone over the age of forty, their sound floating through the soaring open space. Guests lingered in linen and sundresses, laughter muted as everyone instinctively matched the tone of the grand hotel.
Kenny glanced at Sara beside him, her smile uncertain but curious. “Ready to do this?”
Taking in a deep breath, she bobbed her head.
At a nearby table, a framed poster announcing the afternoon scavenger hunt rested on an antique brass easel. Beside it, a polished young attendant handed over a printed sheet. “Here you are, sir. The hunt begins in twenty minutes. Teams have two hours to photograph and check off each item on the list. The first group to return with all the items found wins a dinner at our rooftop restaurant.”
While he hadn’t dined at the famed restaurant, he knew from his evening at the bar that this prize was worth winning. Especially for another fake date with Sara. Kenny accepted the paper, thanked the man, then moved aside. He skimmed thefirst challenge and had to bite back a grin. “Find the oil painting with seven palm trees.”
Sara’s brow arched. “You already know, don’t you?”
“Maybe.” He couldn’t help it—he liked watching her exasperation turn into amusement.
Together, they studied the list for the next several minutes until the gentleman by the table announced to the people scattered about that the hunt would begin in two minutes. He already remembered where a handful of the unusual items might be. For instance, he noticed his first day at the hotel that between the lobby and the pool, the hallway was lined with pastoral scenes. From the first to the last painting the number of palm trees grew from one lone tree at the first location to a full-fledged grove by the last painting. It had taken a moment, but then he realized each painting had one more palm.
The woman at the table gently clapped her hands together, calling all the participants to her. Once again she explained the rules, the timeframe, and of course, pimped all the delicious foods at their prized restaurant. His mouth almost watered from the brief description she’d given.
He led her through the glass doors, the soft trickle of water greeting them as the sunlight caught polished stone. Without hesitation, walking in a quick clip, counting. “One, two, three, four, five, six, and seven.” At the last painting on the wall, he stopped and waved a thumb over his shoulder. “Check off the seven palms.”
Sara leaned forward, her eyes darting about, counting palm trees. She straightened to her full height, then turned to face him. “How did you do that?”
He shrugged. “I notice patterns. This is seven of eight paintings. They each have one more palm than the one before.”
Taking a step back and glancing down the wall, he watched as she counted each palm tree in multiple paintings before shaking her head and softly chuckling. “Show-off.”
“Just observant.” He caught the faintest flush on her cheeks, then glanced back at the list. “Next one—find the wooden carving of a turtle.”
For a quick moment, he closed his eyes and as if his mind were an old fashioned Rolodex, flipped the images one after another until he stopped at the turtle. “Follow me.”
They returned to the lobby, her soft soled shoes barely tapping against the sleek marble flooring. Kenny didn’t even slow down as he stopped at the staircase, pulling out his phone and snapping a shot of a two foot turtle resting under one corner of the staircase, a star fish, an octopus, and a jelly fish deliberately hung from string under the same steps, creating a wooden seaside landscape.
“You remembered this?”
He nodded. “For what it’s worth, there’s another display like this near the tennis courts with flamingos, seagulls, and a peacock.”
“How many flamingos?”
Holding back a smile, he blinked. “Four.”
Her head bobbed. “I seriously wish you’d sat next to me in Chemistry.”
Without thinking, he burst out laughing. “I wasn’t quite as observant in high school.” No need to mention in those days, his life didn’t depend on his observation skills.
The next clue read: “Locate the historic photograph from the hotel’s opening.”
“Ooh.” She nearly danced in place. “I know this one.” Grabbing his hand she bolted across the lobby, forcing him to widen his stride to keep up with her pace. Circling around the massive Christmas tree in the center of the massive lobby,she continued across the hotel, stopping just inside the pool doorway, she straightened, proudly pointing. “There it is.”
Quickly, he snapped a photo. “We make a good team.” Judging by her smile, he guessed she agreed.
Who knew running around a hotel with a Navy SEAL could be some of the most fun she’d had in years. And when she said running, she was not exaggerating. This man could move. Besides a keen sense of observation and an astounding memory, he’d taken hold of her hand to lead her out onto the lanai and down the shore to the beach chair shack to photograph the cluster of blue crabs on the shack wall, and had yet to let go. More important, she was glad.
They’d worked their way through most of the list with military efficiency. Kenny seemed to have a mental map of the entire resort, locating items with the kind of precision that made Sara wonder what else that brain of his stored away. Next on the list: Find the blue Christmas tree.
