Lost Without You by Heather Thurmeier Page B

She cringed, knowing the words hurt him as much as they hurt her. But she couldn’t spend time alone with Chip. She couldn’t let him in any closer than he already was.
    He dropped his hands to his sides. “I’ve never wanted to kiss someone so badly as I wanted to kiss you that morning. When you’re ready to get over whatever is standing in your way, you know where to find me.”
    When Chip walked away, Zoe felt as if her resolve to resist him crumbled to her feet. She did want to be with him. She did want to kiss him again. But she couldn’t.
    And no amount of persistence or guilt from Chip was going to change that.
    Maybe the easiest way to make him understand was to show him she wasn’t interested in him. And the best way to do that was by distracting herself with Rick. At least with Rick she didn’t have to worry about her feelings actually going anywhere dangerous.
    â€¢ • •
    The teams paddled hard down the river in a race to the finish line. Three of the teams were in a deadlock tie on the river while the last two teams wandered about like lost ducks a few hundred feet upstream. Chip held his breath, waiting to see which team would come in first.
    So far it looked as if Rick’s team was going to win.
    Screw Rick and his stupid good-at-everything team.
    He’d hoped Rick would lose today and be sent packing so he wouldn’t have to look at his smug face while he flirted with Zoe every time he got within fifteen feet of her. But that didn’t look like it was likely to happen. With his luck, he’d be stuck with Rick right until the end of the show.
    Unless of course he could figure out a challenge that Rick would suck at. But what kind of challenge would that be? The guy seemed to be able to handle anything they’d thrown at him so far. He could survive in the wild so well he could have been raised by animals. He seemed to be able to cook with even the most limited ingredients. And the guy was built like a lumberjack so any physical feat would probably be no sweat off his back. There had to be something the guy couldn’t do. Chip just had to work harder to figure out what it was and then maybe he could redesign one of the challenges to capitalize on it.
    Sneaky and a little lowbrow, but totally worth it if it sent Rick home.
    Just then Rick and his teammates splashed onto shore and dragged their raft and flag across the soft mud to where Zoe stood waiting for them at the finish line.
    â€œCongratulations! Rick … ” Zoe paused, her gaze darting to Chip to silently tell him she needed help with the names.
    â€œPam, Roger, and Todd,” Chip said clearly and quietly into his mic so that Zoe would hear him in her ear. “You’re doing great.”
    â€œPam, Roger and Todd, you are the winning team!” Zoe clapped for them and looked enthusiastic that they’d won. “Join me over here for a moment while the rest of our teams check in.”
    The other teams crossed the finish line. Second was the team of doctors. Chip once again said their names for Zoe, which she repeated back to the viewing audience without hesitation. They were getting good at this. She looked calm and beautiful doing her hosting job, smiling at the contestants as they arrived and cheering them all on equally. He’d known she’d settle into the role just fine.
    When the rowing team crossed the finish line in third position, Zoe’s smile faltered for a moment.
    â€œThis stream must be tougher than it looks if the rowing team struggled,” she said without malice. It was true. Chip had thought their team would be the first to the finish line today.
    â€œThings aren’t always as they seem, are they, Ms. Oliver?” Alex retorted, his voice sharp as if he was pissed off at more than coming in third.
    Zoe paled but recovered quickly, plastering her usual smile on her face. If Chip hadn’t been watching her so closely, he could