I turn and look back at Luke, who’s staring at me, trying to transmit the answer telepathically to me. “Don’t help, men! Let your wives do it on their own!” Will chides. “Ten seconds!”
I think I’ve got it anyway. I quickly scribble down the answer.
A buzzer sounds somewhere in the darkness, and Will says, “All right, let’s see how the couples did on Marriage Test Number One!”
He starts with Marta. Amazingly, though I’m not really sure Marta can speak English, she knows the p-word, the slang, vulgar word for a woman’s sexual parts, and it turns out, that’s just what Ace said. So one point for them.
Natalie, next to me, says, “Protein shakes!” which, weirdly enough, happens to be Brad’s answer. They also get a point.
Then Will comes to me. I gnaw on my lip. “Okay, Dr. Carpenter. What do you think Luke Cross can’t live without if stranded on a desert island?”
I flip over my board and show the answer. “A woman?” I ask.
People start to laugh. Luke lets out a muffled curse behind me. So, I’m wrong? That same annoying buzzer sounds, and Will says, “Sorry, Dr. Carpenter. The answer we were going for was a penknife. A penknife.”
I whirl around to look at Luke, who’s squinting at me. A woman? he mouths, like I’m insane. I shrug.
Turns out, he doesn’t do much better at answering my questions either. We end up going zero for six, which puts us in group three, the last group, which will end up leaving ten minutes after group one. Of course, Ace and Marta are in that group. I can already tell by the way Luke’s muttering that he hates them.
“Our first challenge is taking place at the Riverview Farm in Lancaster County, site of the largest and most challenging corn maze in the entire world. This corn maze is not like any other. There are miles and miles of paths, and one wrong turn can put you off track for hours. There are also underground tunnels that you might have to go through. As you go along, you will be collecting numbers to show that you are on the correct path. There are dozens of paths through the maze, but you must collect the numbers one through ten, in your color, on your journey. On your way, there will be various challenges and riddles for you to solve.
“Also, be aware that there are several ‘ghosts’ hunting you in the maze. If you see one, run. If it manages to catch you, you will need to go back to the beginning of the maze and will lose valuable time. Any questions?”
I look at Luke. Do we have any questions? He doesn’t; he’s in ready stance, like he can’t wait to plunge in.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Because we really want to encourage couples to work together, you’ll be tied to each other, front to front.”
Everyone collectively lets out a sigh.
But I can’t even bring myself to do that. I’m just plain . . . horrified.
I have to spend the next few hours pressed up against Luke Cross? I thought that was why I kicked him out of the sleeping bag. To avoid such a thing!
The teams leaving earlier get tied up and sent on their way. We watch them, and all the while my heart is racing. Most of them don’t seem at all bothered by the proximity. But right now, I can’t think of anything other than being so close to Luke Cross that I will be able to feel his every breath, and he will feel mine.
A few minutes after the second group goes, it’s our turn.
Blushing furiously, I manage a peek at him as the staff members come around with thick lengths of rope. He has one hand fisted on his hip, one hand working through the even darker scruff on his jaw. His eyes are on me. “You okay with this?”
I like that he’s asking me. But it doesn’t matter. “Do I have a choice?”
The staff member instructs us to stand close together. Luke spreads his feet, and I step between his, and we lift our arms as they coil the rope around our waists. Then the rope is tightened, pushing us impossibly close to one another. My breasts squish against his hard chest.
We drop our hands down, and I feel embarrassed looking at him, so I just stare right ahead, at his chest.