“That’s not so bad,” he commented. “I think we can do that pretty easily.”
She frowned at the card and then at him. “How could you possibly already know what we need to do?”
“Well, the card talks about atemporary home to get across. That would be a boat. I’ve got all the boats we could need.”
“Oh,” she gasped, pointing to the card. “We need to get across the lake and to Fish Island?”
“Yeah, we do,” he beamed at her for having solved it as fast as he had. “See? We’ll be a great team.”
“I don’t take any credit for my brilliant mind. I just read way too many murder mystery books.”
He threw his head back with a laugh, but when Nora asked why he was laughing, Jack didn’t answer. He would let her discover that for herself. Instead, he shook his head, still chuckling. “You’ll see, Nora. All in good time.”
* * *
Nora satacross from him in the canoe, and though he insisted that he didn’t need her help rowing, she was insisting on doing her part of the work. If she wasn’t such a natural at it, he would have insisted a tad bit harder than her, but over the years, Nora and Jade had rented enough canoes for both women to develop a smooth technique.
“You like being out on the water like this?” he asked, making conversation. He didn’t miss the red blush creeping over Nora’s face.
“I do like it, yeah.”
“I should say so. You and Jade are always at my rental cabin during the summer. Remember when I tried to convince you to buy your own boat so you could save money on the rentals?”
“Uh-huh,” Nora answered, nodding ferociously. “I remember.”
“I do, too, but I also recall that you had a hard time looking in my eyes.”
“I don’t have that problem right now,” she shot back daringly, meeting his gaze head-on.
If Jack hadn’t already been sitting, he would have been flattened by such a look from this woman.
“You sure don’t,” he answered, his throat so dry that his voice was much hoarser than he intended it to be. “Any guess why?”
She shook her head and returned her focus to the rowing. With her renewed determination to avoid his question, they made good time and quickly arrived at Fish Island.
The tiny stretch of land wasn’t much of an island, but it’s what the locals called it. It was a small rocky and packed-earth terrain with tall grass and a little beach. It was a good lovers’ lane for the more daring teens in town, especially since the island was often used by the local fishermen to cook their fish lunches before they headed back to Half Moon Key.
Jack and Nora worked together to drag the canoe onto the beach. They made sure it was secure on the sand before tying it off to one of the larger trees on the island. While Jack grabbed his heavy backpack from the boat, Nora took out the envelope again, and she read the clue over again.
“I’m not sure what we’re supposed to be looking for on here. It’s not exactly clear.”
“Read it to me again,” Jack said, sensing that he had already figured it out.
Nora handed him the clue after reading it again.
Yup. His guess was right. This had very little to do with the scavenger hunt and everything to do with their meddling friends. This first clue wouldn’t bring droves of participants to Fish Island. In fact, the clue would bring no one to the island but the two of them.
“Come on,” he said. “This way.” He waited for Nora to join him, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his board shorts to keep from reaching out for her. “I think I know where we need to go.”
“What do you even have in that bag?” she wondered as they trekked across the island to its other side, where there were a series of shallow but fascinating caves.
“I’ve got all of the essentials to survive in the wild.”
She snorted. “Survive in the wild? We are so close to town on this island. There’s no way we need all of that survival gear. Right?” she added, her face falling ever so slightly.
“No, you’re right. It’s way too much, but I like being prepared. I never go on a hike or boat ride without my trusty backpack. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”
She nodded. “That sounds reasonable. So what all goes in it, anyway? It looks heavy.”