Page 56 of Mountain Bean Dream
“Alright, before I post the winners, we have a few prizes to give out.” He flipped through his index cards. “Best couple costume goes to Han and Leia.”
We high-fived each other, and Jeremy went to collect our prize – a gift card to Jasper Pizza for a future visit.
“Guess we have another date in our future.” He winked, making me want to melt into a puddle.
Other prizes were handed out, but we didn’t win any of those.
“Alright, who’s ready to see the winner’s list?”
The crowd cheered.
“Okay, show just the scores.”
On the screen, the top three scores were posted. Two points separated first and third.
“Holy beans, this is close.” I couldn’t believe it, but as long as we were ahead of Mac, it was all good. After all that had been the plan all along, to dethrone the reigning champ.
Third place was a table of barely legals.
Jeremy reached down and held my hand. He was holding his breath and tightly gripping my hand. I squeezed his hand in return.
Second place was revealed.
It wasn’t our name. From beside us, Mac groaned.
First place went to Team MBD—us!
The crowd erupted into cheers as the trivia host announced our victory, but the sound barely registered. All I could hear was Jeremy’s laughter—rich and unguarded, vibrating with triumph. And then there was his hand, gripping my good one, hoisting it into the air like we were Olympic champions. His touch sent sparks along my skin, the warmth of his palm against mine making it impossible to focus on anything else.
“Look at us,” he said, turning toward me, his grin wide and unabashed. “Best trivia duo in Jasper.”
I laughed shakily, trying to ignore the way his fingers lingered on mine before he let go. “In Jasper? Try the whole universe. Did you see those guys when we nailed the weapons and vehicles round? Utter devastation.”
He chuckled, low and smooth, and stepped closer. Too close.
My heart kicked up in a way that had nothing to do with the adrenaline of our win. The small table between us seemed ridiculously inadequate like it might disappear entirely if either of us moved an inch.
“You carried us in that lightning round,” he said. His eyes, dark and piercing, locked on mine. “I had no idea you knew so much about the geography of the Star Wars universe.”
His voice wrapped around me, velvety and teasing, and I hated the way my breath hitched. “What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”
“That you are.” His gaze dropped to my lips, just briefly, but the shift sent my pulse skittering out of control. I tried to swallow the knot forming in my throat, but it was useless.
The trivia host handed us our prize—another gift card, but something generic and anticlimactic—but I barely registered it as Jeremy’s fingers brushed mine again. His eyes stayed locked on me, even as we exchanged polite nods with the other contestants and mumbled our thanks to the host. My cheeks felt impossibly hot. Could he see every thought racing through my head?
“So...” He leaned against the high-top table, his smirk both infuriating and irresistible. “What now, partner? Victory drinks? A celebratory walk under the galactic stars you apparently know so much about?”
There it was again, the teasing lilt, the challenge in his voice. It made me want to laugh and scream in equal measure. It made me want to step closer, to do something reckless. Instead, I folded my good arm tightly across my chest, desperate to keep myself in check.
“Tempting,” I managed, keeping my voice light. “But I think I’ve done enough heavy lifting for one night. Maybe you should come up with the plans for once.”
His smirk widened. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s amaybe.” I tried to inject some steadiness into my tone, but the way he was looking at me made it impossible.
He was leaning in now, just enough to make me wonder if he even realized what he was doing. Or if he knew exactly what he was doing.
The space between us was razor-thin, the air crackling with everything unsaid. My pulse thundered in my ears as I stared at him, waiting—hoping?—for him to close the gap. My breath caught again as his hand brushed my arm, featherlight, like he was testing the waters.