Before I could find the words to respond, Mayor Dorante bustled over, clipboard in hand and a determined gleam in her eye.
“Everything looks wonderful,” she said with a brisk nod, her silver bob shimmering with her movement. “But I need a favor from you three.”
Finn joined us, wiping his hands on a hand towel. “What can we do for you, Mayor?”
She consulted her clipboard. “We’re short a few people for the treasure hunt. Would you mind joining in? We need one more group of three to even out the numbers.”
I opened my mouth to decline, thoroughly uninterested in being the additional wheel on a singles weekend—but Aiden beat me to it.
“We’d be happy to help,” he said smoothly. “Right?”
To my surprise, Finn nodded. “This is all set up. Just needs to be unwrapped.”
“Excellent.” Mayor Dorante scribbled something on her clipboard. “You’ll be teaming up with Colleen and Warrick.”
Against my better judgement, I followed her over to the couple, nodding my greeting to Warrick.
I’d known Warrick since birth. He’d grown up a street over from me, and at just nine months older than myself, we’d spent many a day rambling through the countryside getting into all sorts of mischief.
A few years ago, he’d set up a tour company to guide people around the island, along with his business partner, Del Bellinger. They lived up in the mountains in a small cabin that backed onto the national park. While Warrick was social, Del rarely made it down the mountain, preferring to spend his time away from people.
I eyed him, hiding a smile. The normally wild-looking Warrick had managed to subdue his riot of auburn curls and groom his beard into some semblance of respectability. He’d traded his trademark scuffed jeans for a pair of fresh dark-washed jeans which he’d paired with a new black shirt.
He stood an inch or so shorter than my own nearly six-feet, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in breadth. His muscles earned through hard labor and thousands of hours of chopping wood.
“This is Colleen,” the mayor introduced. “She’s from the mainland. Colleen, meet Aiden, Finn, and Riley. They run our local pub and auto shop.”
We all exchanged greetings, and I couldn’t help but notice the way Colleen blushed at all the attention. Short, plump with a lovely head of tawny hair, she reminded me of Melissa McCarthy—gorgeous and cheerful, though a little shy.
“How are you liking our island?” Aiden asked Colleen, drawing her out of her shell.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, adjusting her grip on her cane. “I think I’m in love already.”
Warrick grinned, his teeth flashing against his beard. “Wait till you see the mountains. You’ll never want to leave.”
She glanced down at her walking cane. “Are there accessible trails?”
“Aye,” Warrick said with a nod. “But if not, I’ll carry you.”
Her cheeks flushed pink once more as I hid a grin.
“No Del today?” I asked him.
Warrick shook his head. “He’s finishing up a tour. Though you can never know if he’ll come to town or not.”
The mayor called attention, using a microphone and a small portable speaker.
“Welcome to Kink Island,” she said, inclining her head as the crowd applauded politely. “We’re excited to have you here as we host our first singles weekend.”
The applause included a touch more enthusiasm this time.
“I’d like to acknowledge our major sponsor for the weekend, Speedy Singles, for supporting the events.”
She held up a small sheet of paper. “Our first official event is a treasure hunt. You’ll receive a series of clues that will lead you to different places across the island. You’ll need to collect the hints, find items, and get back here by midday. Our event will start when the bell tolls.” She pointed at the clocktower in the distance which read twenty-to-ten. “And don’t try to follow someone else—each team has a different randomized course.” She gestured at the loaded table of good. “Now please, eat and mingle while you wait. You can collect your instructions and your first clue when the bell tolls. Good luck, everyone!”
We served ourselves as Colleen introduced herself.
“I live in Chars most of the year,” she explained, taking a seat at one of the picnic tables on the green. Seated, she fluffed her skirt out, leaning her cane against the bench.
