“Maybe we’re jumping to conclusions.”
Please, oh please, let them both be wrong. “Maybe.”
He opened the box. “There’s only one clue pouch in there.”
“So we’re either in last place or…”
“Or they sent racers to different locations.” He finished the thought for her.
Once she had taken his ability to complete her sentences as a sign of how close they were, how much in tune. She knew better now.
“So what does the clue say?” she asked.
Jace opened the clue pouch and pulled out a card. “Congrats on teaming together to find your second clue. Working together will be the key to your continued success in the race. The two of you are now teammates, one of eight teams competing for the cash. Using public transportation, make your way to the Marina Green to find your next clue. You don’t want to come in last and go home empty-handed!”
So much for maybe.
“Teammates,” she said.
A muscle twitched at his neck. He nodded. “Teammates.”
Just great. Six months later, and Millie was right back where she started. Standing in front of Jace Westfall for the world to watch and critique. She bit back a sigh. Whining or moping wouldn’t change anything. Unfortunately.
“So what do we do now?” she asked.
He consulted the clue. “Find a bus.”
“No, I meant…” Millie struggled for words, aware of the camera aimed at her face. She had to get over the intrusive cameras, the way she had on The Groom, or she wouldn’t survive long. At least the network hadn’t discovered a way to tap into her mind and broadcast her inner most thoughts. No, they just edited her actions and words so everyone watching assumed they knew everything about her. What she thought, how she felt, who she loved…“What do we do about…us?”
Jace’s eyes were wary. “What do you want to do?”
Quit.
But she couldn’t. So many children needed her to win this race. She thought about Bonnie, the petite little girl with Down syndrome who loved princesses and running the hundred yard dash, and Samuel, the gentle eight-year-old boy with Autism who was also a math wiz and javelin thrower. Each one of Millie’s students was a special, precious gift. She had learned so much from them, more than she’d taught them.
“I guess—” she straightened her shoulders “—I want to win a million dollars.”
It was only for thirty days, she told herself, as she climbed down the steps to the elevator. She could survive anything for a month.
Even Jace Westfall.
And then she wanted never to see him again.
What do we do about us?
Millie’s earnest question sliced through Jace’s pretense of composure. He jabbed his finger at the elevator button. He only wished he knew.
Competing on Cash Around the Globe was supposed to save his company and his family, but now…
Jace gazed down at Millie, who rested with her eyes closed against a mural covered wall. He couldn’t believe she was here, but knew he wasn’t dreaming. Not with the subtle changes he couldn’t have imagined.
Her trademark ponytail was longer though the ends still curled in familiar wisps. She’d lost weight though her curves were all too visible in her warm-up suit. Her eyes seemed to be a deeper green than before.
Some things hadn’t changed like those damn freckles on her face that he’d always wanted to trace with his finger.
A part of him was happy to see her.
That wasn’t good.
I want to win a million dollars.
He’d never expected to hear those words from sweet, adorable Millie.
What was she doing here? Her father was loaded. She didn’t need the money. Not the way Jace and his family did.
The show’s generous participation fee and the one million dollar prize had overcome his reluctance to step in front of the cameras and be humiliated again. But with Millie involved he was suddenly rethinking everything. Jace didn’t like that. Once he made a decision he stuck with it.
Not her fault, he reminded himself.
“Do you want some water?” Jace asked.
Millie’s eyelids sprang open. Wounded green eyes stared at him. “No. Thanks. I’m fine.”
Yeah, right. Less than an hour into the race, Millie looked liked she’d dragged herself halfway around the globe already. Her skewed backpack was ready to topple her slender frame at any moment. She couldn’t stand up straight.
This race would chew her up and spit her out. He didn’t want to see her hurt again.
“I’ll carry your pack,” he said.
She adjusted the straps, straightening the backpack. “I’ve got it.”
But she didn’t. Not really. That put him in an awkward position.
From the first day Jace had met her, he’d felt drawn to her. She was kind and insightful and smelled like grapefruit. But the more he got to know her, the more he realized how different their lives were. How different they were. Sure, she was an incredible woman, but she wanted more from a relationship than he could give her. He’d saved them both a lot of pain by not choosing her at the end of The Groom.
Still he liked her and appreciated her wanting to win, but he had to be realistic. She, like his mother and sisters, was the kind of woman who needed to be coddled, cared for and protected. He didn’t want to take on vulnerable Millie, too.
Maybe that’s what the producers had in mind, pairing up opposites and seeing how they would get along or not. He could only imagine how this “twist” would be used once filming finished. The editing room was where hit reality television shows happened. He’d learned that lesson on The Groom and wasn’t about to make the same mistakes again.
That was why Jace wanted—needed—a different partner.
He needed a teammate who would meet challenges head-on, never give up and do whatever it took to win the million dollar first prize. Jace couldn’t afford to lose.
He stabbed the down button again. “What’s taking so long?”
“It hasn’t been that long,” she murmured.
The elevators opened as if on cue.
He and Millie entered followed by the two camera crews. The doors closed, making it a tight fit with the backpacks and production gear, and the elevator descended.
Tension filled the static air. Darting glances, unspoken words, an uncertain future. The first two things didn’t bother Jace, but the third needed to be dealt with. Now.
“You know, Freckles, the show will be challenging,” he said, mindful of the cameras mere inches from them. “You can always stop if you think the race will to be too much for you.”
“I can handle the race,” Millie said as if she were discussing a parent-teacher conference and not a race around the world. “The clue said working together was the key to success.”
Success wouldn’t cut it. Jace had to win to put the money back into his struggling money management firm. His family relied on him for their paychecks and pretty much everything else. He wouldn’t let them down. “I came here to win.”
She raised her chin. “So did I.”
“I’m not going to lose.”