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Zack mimicked the fencing steps he’d learned earlier. Knight training started with an hour of exercise under the trees. They each had an individual instructor and referee. Once he completed the exercises, his trainer took him into a circular, covered arena with sand on the ground to learn the fight sequence. With very little breeze, the heat radiated like an incinerator. He’d long ago sweat through his clothes. He wore a breastplate, held a shield in one hand to protect his body, and a sword in the other for fighting.
The life of a knight would’ve sucked. How did warriors survive wearing full armor in the heat? Of course, they didn’t have to fight in the summer in Dallas, Texas. Still, he didn’t know how men breathed in helmets while exerting so much energy. He could barely catch his breath, and he was only play fighting.
His trainer started toward him, and Zack backed up—the steps ingrained in his memory after practicing. They performed the scene like he’d been taught.
Once done, Zack turned to the official.
“Complete.”
His instructor and referee led him out of the arena. Many were still performing this assignment, and one woman was having difficulty even holding up the heavy sword and shield.
Sadie waited beside the stables and rushed toward him—her clothes and hair wet.
Zack’s official held out an envelope.
Sadie opened it and read, “Reunion Tower. I’ll drive. You look beat.”
They ran to the car.
“I’m not knight material. Why are you soaked?”
She glanced over at him, a smile on her lips that lit her entire face. How he’d missed that smile. “My horse was a flirt.”
He chuckled, feeling grateful to a damn horse.
Truman filmed them from the car.
Once in the backseat, Zack unfolded the map as Sadie drove down the wooded drive. He glanced back to check how many cars remained in the parking lot, but they’d gone too far and trees blocked his view. Better to run their race and not be concerned about the others.
After giving her directions, he cleaned his hands with Germ X and rinsed them with an ice cube from the cooler. He gave Sadie one of the apples and took a bite of the other.
They arrived back in Dallas, and she drove into the parking garage with the Chasing Sunsets logo banner above the entrance. At the indicated spots, she parked. Truman videoed them until they went inside the tower. They followed signs to a stairway with a plaque beside the door that said 837 STEPS TO THE OBSERVATION DECK.
Zack took in a deep lungful of air and trailed Sadie. Exhausted as he was, it was less than a mile. He could do this. Cameras were set up in the top corners of the floor landings.
They both needed to stop and rest on the thirtieth floor until they heard voices from below. Then they sprinted up the last floors, using the handrail for help.
Gemini smiled as they raced out of the stairwell and onto the observation deck. “Congratulations. You’re the first to arrive.”
Zack put his hands on his knees and leaned over to concentrate on inhaling and exhaling. Sadie stood next to him, doing the same. Hearing the door behind them bang open, he gripped Sadie’s arm. Together they trudged over to two oddly shaped stone stools and collapsed onto them.
In the lead on the first day. Success.
He kept fit, but the physical activity he performed today evidently worked muscles he never used or even knew he had because he hurt everywhere.
Jessie approached them. “Your accommodations are in the hotel next door.”
Luckily, they didn’t have to travel any farther. The parking lot they’d been directed to was for the hotel. “You will not be rooming together. You’ve been assigned same-gender roommates. Here are your room keycards.”
He handed Zack an envelope. “We’ll meet back here for sunset. Well, whichever teams are finished. Everyone should be able to make it by sunset today since it’s an easy day.”
“Easy day?” Zack wouldn’t let that go. “You ever train to be a knight?”
Jessie smirked and continued without answering the question. “After sunset, we’ll be attending the Medieval Times Tournament and Dinner. You’ll be able to check out the skills you learned today. Be back by seven-thirty.”
They rode the elevator down with Lowell and Uri, the only gay couple in the race, who spoke of the grueling day, and how excited they were about the show. Zack responded, but Sadie kept quiet. He hated she was no longer the talkative, lively woman he married.
Once at their Audi, Zack gave her the envelope with their room keycards and grasped their backpacks. Sadie opened the car door and grabbed their lunch bag. “Two granola bars. This will have to hold us until tonight.”
He took the offered bar and slipped it into his pocket. He needed a shower before doing anything.
Sadie’s chestnut hair, still in a ponytail and almost dry, glistened with red and blonde streaks in the afternoon sun. He itched to pull the band out and run his fingers through the strands, feel the silkiness he remembered so well, the rich weight of it in his hands. He trailed her through the sliding glass doors into the hotel.
She stopped and opened the envelope. It held two others with their names on them. Holding out the one with Zack written on it, Sadie motioned to her backpack. “I’ll take it now. Thank you for carrying it.”
He passed it over and checked his room number. “I’m in 1412.”
“My room is 1450. Same floor.”
“Can I come by your room at 7:15 so we can walk over together?”
“Sure.” She met his gaze. “We did well today.”
“Yes, ma’am. I definitely have the right partner.” He meant the sentiment about his life, their life together. He hoped this race would bring them closer. Sure, they needed the money, but more importantly, he needed to be with her. Being separated did not agree with him. Even with their problems, he’d rather be with her than without her. Hopefully, in the days ahead, she would come to feel the same way.
~
Sadie exited the bathroom following a refreshing shower.
“Hello! I don’t want to startle you,” a voice called from the living area. A woman she’d met earlier stepped into the doorframe of the room Sadie chose. “In case you don’t remember, I’m Kelly.”
“Sadie.”
The younger woman was fair-skinned with golden red hair and blue-green eyes. “How did you hold up today?”
“Fine.” She’d surprisingly enjoyed a great day. “You?”
“My official made me muck the stall three times until he approved.”
“That’s terrible.”
Kelly shrugged. “My instructor left out a lot while training me the first and second times.”
“My guy was very thorough and stayed on me, and I thought he might’ve been too strict. After hearing about your problems, I’m glad for his attention to detail.”
“Well, I just got here, so I’m going to clean up and change. Can’t miss sunset.” Kelly hastened across the living room, a huge area with couches, chairs, a desk, and a tiny kitchen. It separated the bedrooms each with its own bathroom.
Sadie crossed the room, found water bottles in the fridge, and snatched one to wash down her granola bar. She used a towel to remove the wetness from her hair and let it dry naturally instead of using the hairdryer the hotel provided. She moisturized her face and rubbed lotion on her body, but didn’t even bother bringing her makeup. Last year she wouldn’t have left her house without mascara and lipstick.
So much had changed.
An hour later, she walked beside Zack as they got off the Reunion Tower elevator. It looked like all the teams were already there. Money was not allowed unless provided as part of a challenge, so they were at the mercy of the studio for meals. If players took too long on a task and missed dinner at night, they received another sack with food. Water bottles, though, were always available. Kelly waved to her, and Sadie walked over. Kelly introduced her husband, Brett. With dark brown hair and eyes, he wore a closely clipped beard. Brett and Zack were rooming together.
As the sun descended, internal vibrations shivered in Sadie’s body. If they were still racing, she’d blame it on nervousness, but they were done for the day.
Why was she shaking?
While they spoke, Gemini arrived. The larger-than-life star still wore the skin-tight jumpsuit she’d been in since this morning. A few people not associated with the show talked in whispers and pointed at her.
Jessie came off the elevator with Gemini. He held a fifth of clear liquor in one hand, and a bottle of Fiji water in the other. Beside him, one of the camerapersons held a stack of throwaway tiny shot glasses and a bowl of sliced limes.
“Before we turn the cameras on for sunset, we’d like to perform a custom we’ve been doing since we began filming this show. We invite you to share a shot for good luck. If you prefer not to drink—” Jessie held up the bottle of water. “Please still join us.”
Sadie snagged a cup and lime wedge from the camera guy. When Jessie came to her, she pointed to the tequila. She concentrated on keeping her hand as steady as possible as she held out the cup.
Jessie finished pouring the drinks and set the bottle down to pick up his own little red shot glass. For an instant, Sadie felt like she was back in college. Parties she’d attended always had these shot glasses.
Glass raised, Gemini proudly said, “To Chasing Sunsets adventures!”
“To Chasing Sunsets adventures,” everyone echoed and downed their shot.
The tangy taste and sharp burn of the alcohol down her throat made Sadie suck in a needed breath just before she bit into the lime.
Five minutes later, Gemini recorded an energetic recap of the day while the sun descended below the horizon, spreading rays in a myriad of colors—orange to pink to purple—across the sky.
Transfixed on the magnificent sunset, on its beauty, Sadie’s vision blurred. Something moved in her periphery. She turned toward it and found a cameraman filming her.
A reminder she must keep a lid on her emotions.
After sunset, they boarded a bus. She slid into an empty row in the middle of the bus and Zack sat next to her. She wondered if he’d taken the tequila or water. She hadn’t noticed.
Conversations murmured around her, nothing distinctive because of the loud bus engine. Sadie realized how relaxed she was now. Her shaking had stopped, thank goodness.
The city, alive with lights and traffic, rushed by. The trip didn’t take long, and soon they approached an illuminated building in the shape of a castle with a two-headed bird coat of arms painted on the outside. Ever the gentleman, Zack allowed the couple across from them to get up first, then he rose and let her out of the row. The hot night air, dryer than the humidity she was accustomed to, didn’t instantly make her sweat. Grateful for small graces, she entered the building.
Led past the ticket booth, they walked into a vast room decorated in vibrant colored flags where the crest from the front of the building spanned the length of the ceiling. They passed a souvenir shop with displays of knives, swords, maces, lances, and armor. Different from anything she’d ever seen. A woman dressed in a poufy shirt, tight corset and long skirt handed them each a paper crown. Everyone put them on while she escorted them inside. With most of the seats already taken, she directed them to a roped off section.
The seats were at long bars that faced a vast arena filled with sand. Each section was lit by uplighting and colorful coats of arms covered the walls.
Zack held out her chair as she sat. The menu listed one meal with a footnote stating vegetarian meals were available upon request. The other side had alcoholic cocktails with clever medieval names.
A young man dressed in black came to their row and started taking drink orders. Ruben, sitting on the other side of Zack, said, “I think we all need another shot of tequila.”
“I’m sorry, my lord,” the waiter replied. “Only the drinks on the menu are available.”
“If you have margaritas, you have tequila.”
Tamara shushed him.
Ruben sighed and looked at the menu. “Fine. I’ll take a Dragon Slayer.”
“What would you like, my lady?” the server asked Sadie.
“Ma—”
Maiden’s Kiss never made it out of her mouth.
Reality crashed through her.
Pinpricks stung her skin. Heat radiated from her core.
She knew exactly why her shaking stopped.
“What you do when no one is watching is what separates a champion from everyone else.” ~ Unknown