When his chest struck the ticker tape, a cheer started deep in his chest and rose up through his throat. He lowered the cart. He drew in quick, deep breaths.
The next thing he knew, Annabelle ran up to him. With a great big smile, she flung her arms around him. “We did it! We did it!”
He wasn’t so sure how much of a “we” effort it was, considering all she’d had to do was hold on, but he wasn’t about to deflate her good mood. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and enjoying the way her soft curves molded to his body.
But then she pulled away—much too soon. She was still smiling as she leaned up on her tiptoes and swayed toward him. She was going to kiss him. That would make this torture he’d gone through totally worth it.
And then something happened that he hadn’t expected; her lips landed on his cheek. His cheek? Really? He deserved so much more than that.
Totally deflated, he struggled to keep the smile on his face as the official made his way over to congratulate them and let them know that they would be racing later that afternoon in the final heat.
Yay! Grayson couldn’t wait. Not. But when he looked back at Annabelle, who was still grinning ear to ear, his mood lifted. How could he complain when it obviously made her so happy? Besides, it meant that he didn’t have to go running later this evening or tomorrow morning. He could deal with th
at.
When they set off to get drinks, Annabelle glanced his way. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“If you say so.” He refused to tell her that she was right. If he did, he worried about what she’d come up with next for them to do.
“And I bet you thought all of these old games would be boring. Sometimes you don’t need technology to have a good time. Doing things the old-fashioned way can be fun too.”
There was something in what she said that struck a chord in his mind. While Annabelle got them some cold water to drink, he thought about what she’d said about not needing technology and doing things the old-fashioned way.
“Here you go.” She held the water out to him.
He readily accepted it. He could feel the icy-cold liquid make its way down his parched throat. It tasted so good that he ended up chugging most of it.
“You know, you’re right,” he said.
“Of course I am.” Then she paused and sent him a puzzled look. “About what exactly?”
“Not needing technology. Sometimes old school works.”
“I’m not following you.”
He lowered his voice, not wanting to be overheard. “The note. I was trying more modern ways of cracking it but I need to try a more old-school method.”
“Oh.” Her eyes lit up. “That’s great.” Then the smile slipped from her face.
“What’s the matter now?”
“You won the race.”
Leave it to Annabelle to confuse him once again. “I thought that was a good thing.”
“It was until you figured out what to do with the note. Now we have to stay for the final heat and the note is back at the palace.”
“Stop fretting. It isn’t going anywhere.” He glanced around. “Why don’t you show me around the village before lunch?”
She hesitantly agreed and set off. He found it interesting that the streets within the village were blocked off to cars and trucks. The cobblestone paths were for two-legged and four-legged passersby only.
Annabelle pointed out historic buildings with their stone-and-mortar walls. Each building was unique, from their materials to the layout, and even the doors were all different shapes. There were no cookie-cutter replicas anywhere.
Walking through Portolina, Grayson felt as though he’d stepped back in time—at least a couple of centuries. He enjoyed visiting, but he definitely wouldn’t want to stay. He had a soft spot for all things technological starting with his computer and microwave.
The villagers were super friendly. Many of them made a point of greeting Annabelle. They didn’t treat him as an outsider but rather drew him into the conversation. He’d never visited such a friendly place.
The cobblestone path wound its way through the village, past the tailor, baker and schoolhouse. Whatever you needed, it was within walking distance. It was such a simple way of life. The exact opposite of his high-tech, state-of-the-art existence.