“You have no idea. Come on, we need to get to the starting line.” They worked their way to where the other participants had lined up to race. A cool breeze blew a lock of her hair against his cheek. His fingers itched to tuck it back into place. Ah, there he went. Mesmerized again.
He sensed someone watching them and looked over to where Candace and her husband stood, their legs roped together. Not far away, something indecipherable flickered in Candace’s features. The hair on the back of Levi’s neck stood on end. Candace could always be counted on to uncover and keep up with anything interesting happening within a fifty-mile radius of Opportunity. But this time, he did not want to be the source of her curiosity. The woman was the ultimate pot stirrer. Lately, he’d wondered if she’d somehow influenced Tori’s decision to abruptly end their engagement. He didn’t have proof, so he wasn’t about to lob any accusations publicly, and Tori’s decision to become a dentist did seem genuine. But Tori had spent quite a bit of time with Candace in the last year, and they’d gone out of town for a long weekend right before Tori broke up with him. Except now, when he turned the notion over in his mind, he felt jealous and petty.
The kind of feelings he’d rather escape.
His eyes drifted back to Savvy’s face. The freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose, her full pink lips... It wouldn’t take much to tip her chin up with one finger and—
“Okay, here’s the deal. Our strategy is a come-from-behind victory.”
“What?”
Savvy eyed him. “You said you wanted my strategy. I say we go for a come-from-behind victory.”
“So try to lose and then don’t.”
Two ridges appeared in her smooth brow. “Well, not try to lose, exactly—but no one’s expecting us to win, so how can we pull off an upset?”
He squeezed her shoulder with his hand. “Good plan. I like the way you think.”
Maybe they could win this thing.
“Come on, Lee-by and Sabby,” Wren cheered from her perch on the steps. She’d obviously found her way to the chips, because she was holding a small bag of Fritos in one hand.
A sigh escaped.
Savvy looked up at him again. “Are you good?”
“Yeah. I mean, she’s eating the chips instead of stuffing them in her pocket, so that’s a win. Sort of. Do you think I’ll ever get her to eat a healthy meal? She only wanted chips and quesadillas for dinner.”
“Well, to be fair, they served us tacos from a taco bar. That’s a lot of textures to deal with,” Savvy said.
“She can handle a corn chip, but she can’t handle ground beef and tomatoes inside a crunchy shell?”
“Listen, my love for tacos knows no bounds, but I’m just saying, for some kids, food with a lot of textures can be tough to deal with.”
“I should only serve her smooth things?”
Savvy took an awkward step forward, forcing him to follow her closer to the makeshift starting line as Mr. Jackson motioned for them to get ready to race. “Try it. See what happens.”
“Will that stop the hoarding?”
She offered a gentle shrug. “I have no idea. Not my area of expertise. But one of my sisters would only eat smooth foods. That’s how she survived childhood.”
“Now we’re getting to the good stuff. Come on, spill all the juicy Morgan-family secrets.”
She flinched.
Oh no. What had he done?
Her expression hardened. “Let’s focus. The race is about to start.”
“Savvy, I didn’t—”
“Next heat, please. Savvy, Levi, Robert, Gwen, Calista and Jason,” Mr. Jackson called out. “You’re up.”
A caution flag flapped in his mind. He’d obviously said something to aggravate her, but what? He’d been so impressed by her suggestions. Maybe she thought he’d been mocking her or her family. That hardly seemed realistic. He loved her sisters, and Wyatt too. Her whole family was amazing. He’d have to circle back to this conversation, because the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.
“On my count, this heat will begin,” Mr. Jackson shouted.
“Wow, he’s making this sound very official,” Savvy murmured as they stood beside Jason and Calista.
Levi flashed her a confident smile. “We’ve got this.”
Her gaze skittered away. Again. But she did tighten her hold around his waist.
Mr. Jackson cupped his hands around his mouth and projected his voice over the chatter. “On your mark... Get set... Go!”
Adrenaline surged through his veins. He pulled her closer as they half stumbled, half trotted across the yard. Their classmates cheered and clapped, urging each of the three couples to hustle.
For a few glorious seconds, they claimed the lead. “C’mon, Savvy. We’re so close.”
“I’m trying,” she insisted, her words mingling with her nervous laughter.
But when they were a few strides short of the finish line, Jason and Calista blew past them, winning the heat.
He and Savvy crossed in second place. They wouldn’t move on to the final round.
She quickly untied the bandannas securing their legs, then straightened and offered him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Good job.”
