Second Chance at First Love

by Mandy Baxter

  “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Her tawny brows gathered and she looked down. “Do I look bad?”

  Dear lord. She was killing him! He’d never seen a more enticing sight. “You don’t look bad.” He needed to play it cool, no matter how hard that might be. “You look great, Em. We don’t know where this scavenger hunt is going to take us, that’s all. It could be windy and you might get cold.”

  Her expression softened and some of the tension eased from Chance’s chest. He held the towel tighter around his waist and pushed himself up from the bed.

  “I’ll bring a sweater,” she said with a grin.

  A sweater. Great. He’d prefer she went out covered from head to toe in full ski gear. Bundled up like that kid from A Christmas Story. “Good idea.” A sweater. Good grief.

  The rest of the day was bound to go downhill from here.

  Five

  “Okay everyone! Gather ‘round!”

  Amberly was all smiles as she waited for the group of friends and family to circle up around her. Gone was the harsh frown and temper she’d shown to Brad earlier outside of Emily’s villa. Instead, Amberly looked picture perfect: triangle bikini top, board shorts, perky ponytail, and teeth so white she looked like a spokesperson for Crest. She reached out and took Brad’s hand in hers. The perfect couple. No one would know they’d been fighting an hour ago.

  Barefoot Bay was truly lovely. The turquoise waters of the gulf washed against the bright sand, smooth and gentle like a lover’s caress. With the resort behind them and the beach strewn with lounge chairs and cabanas, the beach begged to be enjoyed. Emily wanted to set up camp under one of the wide umbrellas and soak up the mid-May heat until it drove her into the water. She loved to swim. Loved oceans, rivers, lakes… Any body of water would do. She’d splash her way through a puddle given the right circumstances. Rather than enjoy the lukewarm glide of saltwater against her skin, she was about to go running all over the island following clue after clue in the hopes of getting even one word alone with Brad.

  Gah! She was a total homewrecker. Only a horrible person showed up to her ex’s wedding with the full intent of telling the groom she was still in love with him. It hadn’t worked out well for Rachel on that episode of Friends. Why did Emily think it would turn out any better for her?

  But she’d heard their argument outside her bungalow. They couldn’t have been talking about anyone else. Brad had saved her text messages. There had to be a reason for it. Maybe he wasn’t quite over her either. Didn’t they both owe it to themselves to be happy? What if all Brad needed to know was that she still had feelings for him?

  Yep, you are a horrible person, Em.

  “Teamwork is the name of the game.” Brad stood beside Amberly, his eyes glazed over as though a root canal would be preferable. “And of course, don’t feel the need to let us win just because it’s our wedding.”

  Ugh. Good natured laughter broke out around them. Little did anyone know that what Amberly had not-so-tactfully suggested was that they all do just that. She was the sorest loser Emily had ever met. If she and Brad didn’t win today’s treasure hunt, they could all expect a tantrum of monstrous proportions. Bridezilla, indeed.

  “Dude. We’ve so got this.” Chance leaned in close and spoke next to her ear as his arm wound around her waist. He pulled her against him and every contact point on Emily’s skin tingled. She suppressed a pleasant shudder. It shouldn’t feel so good to have him hold her like this, his palm resting protectively on her hip. The warmth of his touch seeped through the thin fabric of her tank. Even better than the sun that shone down on them.

  Jeez, Em. Conflicted much?

  “It’s in the bag,” she whispered back.

  From the corner of her eye Emily caught Brad watching them. She reached up and placed her open palm over the muscular expanse of Chance’s wide chest, settling over one perfect pec. Chance’s fingers flexed to grip her hip tighter. Emily went up on her tiptoes and brought her lips to his cheek. Before she could make contact, Chance turned his face, and put his mouth to hers.

  The kiss was completely unexpected. His lips moved over hers with a slow precision that made Emily’s toes curl. Familiar and yet not. Comfortable and at the same time, exhilarating. Chance angled his body toward hers as he gathered her against his chest. His free hand gripped the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss, and rather than shy away, Emily parted her lips to let him in…

  “Ah-hem. Someone needs to get a room.”

  “They’ve already got one. Maybe they need to go back to it.”

  A few giggles broke out over the good-natured ribbing. Emily pulled away, her cheeks heated, breath rushing in her chest. They were met with mostly smiles after their little PDA, the only two people who didn’t seem to be amused were the bride and groom.

  Whoops.

  “Sorry.” Emily gave Amberly an apologetic—and totally not triumphant—smile.

  Amberly continued to lay out the rules for the scavenger hunt. Chance wrapped his arms around Emily’s waist and pulled her against him until her back pressed against his chest. He lowered his mouth to her ear and his warm breath brushed the outer shell as he whispered, “For the record, I’m not sorry.”

  A riot of butterflies took flight in Emily’s stomach and threatened to break right out of her chest. Either Chance was a much better actor than she gave him credit for, or there had been more to their kiss than keeping up appearances. It felt like more.

  It felt like way more.

  “Everyone gets an envelope with the location to the first clue. From there, you need to collect a flag from each check point and the next clue. The first couple to end up back here at the beach wins.”

  Amberly continued to talk and hand out envelopes to each couple. Emily couldn’t focus on anything but the way her lips still tingled from Chance’s artful kisses. Even her knees felt a little weak. If his arms weren’t wrapped tight around her waist, she doubted she’d be able to support her own weight.

  He was one hell of a kisser.

  Amberly stopped in front of Emily. Her expression grew cold as she held out the last envelope. Emily took it from her former friend’s hand and not for the first time she wondered why they’d bothered to invite her at all. “Okay, everyone!” The passive hostility melted from her expression as Amberly turned to face the group. “See you back here in a few hours. No cheating!”

  Chance leaned down to Emily’s ear once again and she shuddered. “How can you cheat at a scavenger hunt?”

  Laughter spluttered from between her lips. “I have no idea.”

  Chance released his grip on her waist and took Emily’s free hand in his. “If we have to do this, we might as well get the show on the road.”

  That sounded like a pretty good idea. Emily needed something to take her mind off her conflicted thoughts. One of which being why it had felt so good—so right—to have Chance’s lips on hers.

  #

  The scavenger hunt barely registered on Chance’s radar. His only interest was losing the crowd and spending as much time alone with Emily as possible. Their kiss had been electric. A supercharge of energy that had vibrated down his spine and rushed through his thighs. He usually only felt a rush like that when he was running headlong into a fire or pulling people out of wrecked cars. She’d felt it too. Emily’s lips had parted to let him deepen the kiss and her body had trembled against his.

  Couldn’t she see what he already knew? They’d be perfect together.

  Emily’s gaze lingered not on him, but on the couple hustling away from them down the beach. What was it about Brad that Emily couldn’t seem to let go of? The guy had been awful to her. Had cheated on her with her friend and rubbed his expensive, over-the-top wedding in her face. He couldn’t find a damn thing about any of it that was even remotely appealing. Emily could do so much better than Brad Harris. Hell, she could probably do better than Chance. She deserved the world and more. Maybe it was time he grew a pair and told her that he wanted to be th
e man to give it all to her.

  “Hey.” Chance gave a gentle tug on Emily’s hand to get her attention. She turned to face him and a blush painted her cheeks. A light breeze stirred the stray hairs that escaped her ponytail. Her beauty sucked every ounce of oxygen right out of his lungs. He was sure the smile he gave her was 100 percent star-struck. “I’m not about to lose this thing. Let’s get going.”

  Her glazed-over expression cleared as though she’d given herself a mental shake. “Oh yeah. Right.” Emily tore open the envelope and pulled out the cardstock note. “Mimosa Key is one big question mark. To get the next clue, get to the point.”

  She squinted up at him and raised her free hand to shade her eyes from the sun. “What in the heck does that mean?”

  Chance hated riddles. He hated games. If not for the opportunity to spend some time with Emily, he would have opted out of this particular pre-wedding event. Part of being a good firefighter was the ability to make sound tactical decisions. Finding a few clues stashed away on a tiny island shouldn’t be too hard. Maybe if he could get his mind off of how amazing Emily’s mouth had felt against his, he might be able to form a coherent thought.

  Emily turned the card over in her hand. “Hey, there’s a map on the back.”

  She held out the card and he took it from her outstretched hand. Their fingertips grazed and the contact sent a rush of heat through his veins. Yeah, focus wasn’t going to come easy as long as all he could think about was laying Emily out on the warm sand and covering her body with his. Chance gave himself a mental slap and focused on the sketched out map of Mimosa Key. The island was sort of shaped like a big, fat question mark. “I think the next clue is here.” He pointed to the skinniest tip of the island. “At Pleasure Point.”

  “It’s as good a place as anywhere to start,” Emily said. “How do we get there?”

  The island couldn’t have spanned more than ten or fifteen miles from end to end with Barefoot Bay at the northernmost tip and Pleasure Point at the southernmost. Still, that wasn’t something they were going to easily walk. The other pairs of participants had begun to filter off the beach. If they didn’t get a move on, they’d be left behind.

  The island spanned about twelve miles, so Chance was happy to see that cars had been provided for the scavenger hunt. He could have biked it, but he doubted he’d woo Emily if he was dripping with sweat and stinking like a locker room. Thanks to GPS, they found Pleasure Point without any problem. The next set of clues—and the flags they had to collect—had been tied to silver and teal balloons that floated near the gates of the private residential community that took up the southern tip of the island.

  Emily hopped out of the car and grabbed the next clue along with a flag. Her expression shone with excitement as she slid back into the passenger seat and ripped the envelope open. “No wedding is complete without a bouquet, find a Bud and a clue in the flowers.” Emily showed the card to Chance. “The word ‘Bud’ is capitalized.”

  “That’s the stupidest clue I’ve ever heard,” Chance grumbled. “I have no idea what it means.”

  “There are flowers in a bouquet,” Emily said. She laughed. “Obviously. And flowers are buds before they open. Hey…” She turned to Chance, her lips quirked with curiosity. “Didn’t we pass a florist on the way to the kitchen place? Bud’s Buds, I think it was called.”

  Chance hadn’t paid much attention to anything but Emily yesterday. He punched the name of the shop into the GPS and the mechanical voice replied, “Getting directions to Bud’s Buds.”

  “Good job.” He reached out and plucked the card from her hand. Not because he wanted it, but because he wanted the opportunity to let his fingers slide against hers. A blush painted Emily’s cheeks and she averted her gaze. Chance wouldn’t have pressed the issue if he didn’t know deep down that he affected her. All he needed was for her to let go of Brad once and for all. Then he could prove to her how perfect they’d be together. He smiled. “Let’s get moving.”

  Like the clues at Pleasure Point, envelopes and flags attached to balloons floated outside of Bud’s Buds florist shop. Emily collected the clue and the second flag and hopped into the car, a little breathless and flushed from jogging down the street to where they’d parked. Chance got behind the wheel and waited for her to tear open the envelope. “Way to go, you’re almost there! Head to the red and white awning for some sweets and flare.”

  Chance groaned. Who came up with these clues? “At least we know where we’re going.”

  “Yep.” Emily grinned. “Ms. Icey’s.”

  “We can grab a cone while we’re there.”

  Emily wrinkled her nose at the suggestion. “Nah. I want to win more than I want ice cream.”

  Chance had a feeling that winning meant less to her than suffering Amberly’s disdain if she saw a cone in Emily’s hand. It made him want to give up the stupid scavenger hunt altogether. He wanted to take Emily home, to get her away from these toxic people who affected her so negatively. Two more days, he reminded himself. And then they could go home.

  “The ice cream shop is just down the street. You wait here, I’ll grab the clue.”

  “No way.” Emily’s brow puckered. “This is a couple’s scavenger hunt. “We’re doing it together.”

  Couple. That’s all he’d ever wanted. To be the man that Emily looked at with affection that surpassed their friendship. Chance grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “All right. Let’s go.”

  They climbed out of the car and Chance took her hand in his once again. Together, they ran down the sidewalk to Ms. Icey’s where another cluster of silver and teal balloons waited for them. Chance took an envelope while Emily grabbed the flag—it looked like maybe there was one other couple ahead of them—and tore it open. “Looks like we’re heading back to the beach.”

  Emily’s elated expression caused his chest to swell with unspent emotion. “Woohoo!” she cheered. “Let’s go!”

  Six

  The only good thing about today’s treasure hunt was that it had kept the both of them too busy for anything but hustling from point A to point B. Together, Chance and Emily had covered the entire island in the space of a few hours and with all of their clues gathered, were now back on the beach at Barefoot Bay ready to swim for the final flag along with several other couples who’d made it back, including Brad and Amberly.

  Emily shucked her shorts and tank top, and left them on the beach. Her bikini body might not be Victoria’s Secret worthy, but she’d spent all winter working out so she’d look good in her suit. From the corner of her eye, she caught Chance’s gaze locked on her. Her blood heated from his undivided attention, only adding to the conflicting emotions that swirled within her.

  Chance reached out and grabbed her hand. “I can swim for it. You don’t have to.”

  Chance hated the water. That he’d even offer coaxed a grin to Emily’s face. Always the hero. “No you can’t,” she said with a laugh. “You’re like a cat near water. I’m surprised you’re even letting it touch your feet.”

  “Honestly, I’m surprised the salt water isn’t melting the flesh off my bones,” he teased as he kicked a spray of water her way. “But if I’m a cat, then you’re a mermaid.”

  His wide grin and heated gaze stole the starch from Emily’s spine. He knew she loved the water. They were total opposites. He was laid back while she was intense. Chance was analytical while Emily was ruled by her emotions. She was adventurous while Chance was okay with routine. But that’s what made them such great friends. Whatever qualities she lacked, he brought to the table. He appreciated the things that Emily didn’t like about herself. And likewise, when he grumbled about his own shortcomings, Emily saw them as his strengths.

  “All I’m missing is a tail.”

  Chance closed the gap between them. He was so tall, he blocked out the sun that shone behind him. He reached up and captured a lock of hair that dangled from her ponytail. Time froze. Emily’s heart raced in her chest. The world around them melt
ed away until she couldn’t even remember what had brought her to this beach in the first place.

  “Who cares who wins this stupid thing.” The deep rumble of his murmured words vibrated through her. “I want to be alone with you, Em. Let’s get out of here.”

  Alone? With her?

  “Chance, I—”

  A piercing shout interrupted Emily’s words. “Help! We need some help over here!”

  Without hesitation, Chance turned and sprinted down the beach toward the sound of the distraught voices. Emily took off after him, her breath sawing in her chest as she pushed herself to a sprint in order to keep up with him. At the far end of the beach, a woman was being dragged from the surf. Emily’s heart leapt up into her throat as her limp body was settled down onto the sand. In a few long strides, Chance pushed his way through the small group of onlookers who’d gathered as he went to his knees in the sand beside her. Emily followed a few seconds behind. Panting, she came to a stop and pushed her way through the crowd.

  “I’m a paramedic,” he said, not even winded. “What happened?”

  The guy who knelt beside the woman looked up at Chance, his brow pinched, hands shaking. “I don’t know. I think she hit her head. We were snorkeling. She went under the water and didn’t come up—”

  “What’s her name?”

  “K-Kory,” the guy stammered.

  “Kory, can you hear me?” Chance gave her a gentle shake before put his fingers to the pulse point at her throat.

  She didn’t respond. He tilted her head back and put his ear to her mouth for a brief moment and then turned to give her a breath. Emily had never seen Chance in action. Hell, she’d never seen anyone unconscious before. He gave her one more breath and then settled the heels of his palms over her sternum to begin chest compressions. Emily watched in horrified awe as he alternated the chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth for what seemed like an eternity. The woman’s body twitched and then seized with an upward jerk. Chance pulled away as she gave a spluttering breath that expelled water from her lungs.