“Any luck, Tommy?” Bruce called from the steps of the Mercantile.
I pulled my face out of my coat long enough to say, “Still looking,” then retreated like a turtle in the clutches of an alligator. The smell of wet dog permeated the layers of polyester batting. “The Beast” whipped his tail against the pine steps, but didn’t rise to greet me.
I stepped past Bruce and the door groaned shut, followed by the clank of the cowbell. “Sheriff said anything?”
He patted my shoulder. “Nope. Hang in there, son.”
Idiot Sheriff. If he’d allow his daughter an inch of freedom… I shook the thought away.
I stomped ice from my feet and inhaled the saltiness of fried bacon. Heading past the neatly-stacked aisles, I cringed at the earthy tune playing overhead. “Hidey ho, Holly,” I said with less enthusiasm than intended. She had a never-ending appetite for flutes… and musicians. “What’s this?” I pointed up. “Ode to a Waterfall?”
She grinned from behind the counter, then threw another slice of bacon on the grill. She didn’t flinch when it snapped hot grease back at her.
“What can I getcha, Tommy?”
“Hot chocolate.”
She eyed me. “Haven’t found her, huh?”
“And whipped cream.”
She drained a pitcher of molten chocolate into a mug and swirled a loop of whipped cream on top.
I sat by the window defrosting my hands on the steamy drink. Fog settled around the trees, hiding the lake. Just like the clue I needed—it was there, but I couldn’t see it.
The last time I saw Enna, she was just outside, blonde waves frosted with snow, lips making blowfishes on the window. I’d laughed, and we’d put our hands and foreheads together, separated by nothing but iced glass. “You’re it.” she said, her voice muffled through the window.
“One more day?” I mouthed.
She only smiled and waved goodbye. That was a week ago, and berry lip gloss still smudged the window.
Then, I saw it.
I imagined her fingers squeaking across the condensation. “He… Is…” My hands were an earthquake. Hot liquid sloshed onto the table. I bent forward and exhaled, revealing the rest of the message on the glass. “Heard Island,” I gasped.
Her voice echoed in memory, “If we dug straight through Earth, we’d end up on Heard Island. Wanna try?”
I licked the frothy sweetness from one finger and wiped the rest on my jeans. I went to the framed map, bumpy with the rainbow of pins that tourists use to say, “I was here.” Heard Island stood lonely in the Antarctic waters. No pins, no message.
“Found something?” Bruce swung a dirty white towel over his shoulder, holding back a smile. He was hiding information. I knew it.
“You know where she is?” It came out more like an accusation.
He chewed the inside of his cheek, but said nothing above the amusement in his eyes.
“There’s no way Sheriff would let her go all the way to the other side of the world. Not for me.”
His round belly shook before the laugh escaped his mouth. “Darn right. But, you hopping a plane to find her would make his day, wouldn’t it?” He shoved a toothpick under his tongue and turned to leave.
“Where is she?”
He held his hands up and retreated. “Close. Now, keep me out of your weird little game.”
I slammed my fist against the wall, and the map jumped an inch. “On the other side of the world,” I whispered. Gently, I pulled the frame off the wall found a post-it note. It said, “Turn around.” I spun, heart pounding at the sight of her. “Enna, how’d you–”
“Finally,” she said, tapping her index finger against her hip. “Took you long enough.”
I stopped her with an eager kiss, then smiled, stroking her lavender-scented hair.
“Say it,” she whispered.
“No.” I kissed her again, pulling her body against mine.
She pushed away and kept one hand on my chest as a barrier. It may as well have been iced glass. “Say it before he finds us.”
I shook my head. “I can’t do this anymore. This is torture, you know that?”
Her gaze dropped to the ground. “I’m not ready yet. This is the only way we can–”
“Tag,” I blurted. I couldn’t bear to hear all the reasons again. “You’re it.”
Her eyes sparkled, ready for the challenge. So, I disregarded the sick feeling that we were playing two different games.
