Ex, Why, and Me by Susanna Carr

drive in the country. They posed beside their car and their dog sat at their feet. The Wirts looked as though they were ready to relax with some friends, not thinking about another crime spree.
    And now he was following their footsteps, minus the relaxing. For money? No, something even more pathetic. For a woman who didn’t want to have anything to do with him.
    Ryan slid another glance down the long table and caught Michelle’s gaze. She really was a stunner. Just looking at her made his heart pinch, the ache lingering as Michelle turned abruptly and spoke to Clayton sitting next to her.
    Clayton. The bitter taste of jealousy filled his mouth. He wondered how friendly Michelle had been to her former history tutor.
    Ryan shook his head in self-disgust. Well, not that friendly since he had been Michelle’s first.
    Damn, he wished he had known that back then. It made his behavior even worse. And it was another example that what Michelle said was true.
    She had been too sexy for him. He had been in awe of her beauty, her sensuality, and all the while, she had been inexperienced.
    Michelle might exude bold sensuality, but he still couldn’t believe she had said she was too sexy for him. From how quiet she had been afterward, he got the sense she was equally stunned.
    But he didn’t argue. He doubted that she noticed.
    “So, Ryan, what about you?” Dennis Aschenbrenner said, sitting at the head of the table. The overhead chandelier cast a glow on his bald head. “What competitions have you been in?”
    “This is my first one,” Ryan said as he took a drink from the crystal glass. He didn’t realize how hungry and thirsty he had been until he walked into the house and sniffed the heady aroma of a roast beef dinner.
    “Your first scavenger hunt?” Dennis asked, his eyeglasses slipping down his nose as he frowned.
    “My first competition. Ever.”
    Dennis paused, his fork hovering above the plate. He looked at his wife, who sat at the other end of the table. Margaret shrugged and then they both stared at Ryan as if they didn’t quite understand.
    “You can’t mean that,” Brandy said with a smile. “What about sports?”
    “Nope. I worked at the bowling alley after school.” He had never developed an interest in after-school events, probably because he knew his parents would never give him permission to try out for them. He was needed at work.
    “The lottery?” she asked.
    “Um, no.” He pulled his leg back when Brandy determinedly brushed her toes against him. Again. Since she sat right next to him, he knew it wasn’t an accident. And he didn’t think it was a coincidence that she suddenly developed an interest in him.
    “Spelling bee?” Clayton asked, joining in. “Math Olympics?”
    That sounded like torture. “Not a chance. Why?” He looked at the others. “Is previous experience mandatory?”
    “Well, no,” Dennis said as he pushed up his glasses. “But it might prove helpful. Margaret and I are sweepers.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Contest sweepers,” Dennis repeated, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. “Whenever a business has a contest, we enter it. Sometimes we have to write a poem, or maybe it’s calling in at the radio station for a prize.”
    “We’ve won lots of great prizes,” Margaret said as she daintily ate her dinner.
    “And this is what you do for…fun?” He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. But these guys probably thought bowling would be a waste of time unless there was a prize attached to it.
    “Yes, and it helps make ends meet,” Dennis admitted as he lowered his eyes to his plate. “Don’t you think this scavenger hunt is fun?”
    “It’s had its moments.” Like when he kissed Michelle. Ryan glanced at her and watched the blush stain her cheeks. Yeah, they were on the same wavelength. That knowledge gave him more pleasure than it should.
    “No offense, but if you’re not doing it for fun, why are you in this hunt?” Dennis asked.
    “I’m doing it for