Page 59 of From the Start


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“Do you prefer me to list all the reasons why I think you’re perfect?”

I cross my arms over my chest and fall back into the passenger seat. “I’m not perfect.”

“You are to me.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“Is it still flattery if it’s the truth?”

I don’t actually know. “Where are we going?” I ask since I hate losing an argument. And, frankly, I’m afraid of how I’ll react if Kai keeps saying I’m perfect.

Kai drives out of Smuggler’s Rest toward Rogue’s Landing.

“Are we going to steal a mascot? It’s a time-honored tradition in the Raider dating book.”

Each town on Smuggler’s Hideaway has a live mascot. Pirate’s Perch – the tiny hamlet on the other side of the island – has a foul-mouthed parrot named Plank. Smuggler’s Rest has the most adorable otter known to man – Viking. And Rogue’s Landing – the town in the middle of the island – has Rogue, the rambunctious raccoon.

He chuckles. “The Raider dating book? I think I lost my copy.”

I guess we’re not stealing a mascot. “What are we doing for our first date if we aren’t stealing a mascot?”

“How do you feel about speed?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “It depends. Are we drag racing around the island? I have no intention of spending the night in jail. I have a business to operate.”

He groans. “I only spent the night in jail once for drag racing and it wasn’t my fault.”

“Of course, it wasn’t.”

“We’re not drag racing anyway, so you can take your lawyer off speed dial.”

“What are we doing?”

“How about go-karting?”

“I don’t think I’ve been go-karting since I was in high school.”

“Shipwreck Speedwayhas improved a lot in the past few years.”

“Really?” I raise an eyebrow. “No more go-karts smelling of puke?”

“Nope. And they make you wear a hairnet under your helmet.”

I guess I can’t complain about the foul-smelling helmets either.

Kai reaches over to squeeze my hand. “If you don’t want to go go-karting, we’ll go for lunch early.”

I open my mouth to tell him we should go to lunch but then I notice the disappointment on his face. Damnit. I hate disappointing him. Especially after all he’s done for me.

“Fine. We’ll go, but at the first whiff of puke, I am out of there.”

His smile lights up his face. “Deal.”

He pulls intoShipwreck Speedwayand parks in the empty lot.

“Are they open? There’s no one here.”

His cheeks darken. “They usually open at noon.”