Page 12 of Resisting the Fall

Even if she did agree to meet with us, there was no way it was going to go well.

But it had to.

“Excuse me.” The same young man who had delivered our note stopped in front of us. “Judge Rost is taking a short recess and said she’ll speak with you in her office. If you’ll both please follow me.”

Unable to help myself, I sent Ben a panicked glance.

Ben stood up and waited for me to do likewise, allowing me to go first. As I passed him, he stepped up behind me and leaned in, my senses tingling at his nearness. “Don’t look so worried. What’s the worst that can happen?”

I glanced over my shoulder, my eyes narrowing on his widening smirk. “We leave here still married.”

Carson flipped through the channels before accurately deciding there was nothing worth watching. He turned the TV off and glanced at me and Tate from the other side of the couch. “What do you guys want to do?”

“We could…” Tate shook his head. “I can’t think of anything.”

“I can’t either,” I said.

“Hey, Maven!” Carson called, and I cringed inside. I used to think Carson had just put up with his sister because he had to, but the more I was around the two of them, the more I was convinced he actually liked spending time with her. I couldn’t see why.

The muted sound of her violin stopped. Her door opened, and she peeked her head out. “Did you just call for me?” Her gaze shifted to me and Tate, and she smiled. “Oh, hey.”

I lifted a lazy hand in near unison with my brother.

“What did you need?” she asked Carson.

“Want to do something with us?”

Her gaze flicked to me before returning to her brother. “What were you thinking?”

Carson shrugged. “I hoped you’d have an idea.”

A smile spread across Maven’s face. “Are you guys up for a scavenger hunt?”

That sounded lamer than sitting here staring at a blank screen.

“Sure,” Carson said before I could voice my opinion. “If you two are?”

Tate nodded.

I could always head home if it was boring. “I guess.”

Maven disappeared into her room before coming out with a piece of paper. She folded it in half, then ripped it down the middle. All three of us watched as she set to work, vigorously writing a list of some kind. She glanced up. “Carson, grab a reusable grocery bag and put in….” She glanced at her list. “A can of corn, a fork, a plastic cup, a paperclip, and a AA battery. Maybe shove another bag or two inside too.”

Carson headed to the kitchen without so much as a question.

“What are those things for?” Tate asked.

“Evidence.” Maven crossed out several of the items she’d just written.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

She smiled, her eyes brimming with mischief. “You’ll see.”

What kind of scavenger hunt was this?

When Carson returned, he handed her the bag. She looked inside, then nodded. “Let’s ride our bikes into town. That way, we can hit more houses.”

On the way into Autumn Ridge, we passed Dominic outside shooting hoops and invited him along. Worst-case scenario, we could come back here and play ball if this scavenger hunt ended up being a flop.