Page 28 of Flights and Sights

Henry grinned and pumped his fist before turning very serious. “What’s our team name going to be?”

After some back-and-forth, Henry and Charlie came up with Sweet Victory, which Charlie suggested as a nod to my day job, and Henry agreed to, because he was sure we’d win it all.

First up was the grown-up sack race, and each team sent an adult representative to hop their way to the finish line. I was nominated for our team—as Henry explained, being the tallest in the group meant I could hop farther.

“I’m not entirely sure that’s going to work out in our favor, but I’ll try,” I assured them before taking my place at the starting line and stepping into the burlap sack. A few people separated me from Jacob, who kept shooting daggers at me with his eyes. When the bell rang to start the race, I fixed my gaze on my team waiting at the finish line, and started hopping determinedly, letting the noise of all the cheering bystanders fade into the background.

Eventually I crossed the finish, stumbling the last few steps but righting myself and stepping out of the sack gracelessly so I didn't fall. Henry threw his arms around my waist, jumping up and down.

“I knew you could do it!”

I looked around to discover that I had, in fact, won the race. Jacob hopped his way over the line last, anger easy to read across his features.

Charlie came over and clapped me on the shoulder. “Well, that was impressive.”

I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

He nodded in Jacob’s direction. “Not if you ask him.”

Before we could carry on celebrating, the kids were lining up for their turn at the sack race. Cal and I stood on the sidelines and cheered for Henry, along with Charlie, who whooped the loudest. When Henry crossed the finish first—another win for Sweet Victory—he came over to us to get high fives. I hoisted him onto my shoulder and carried him around like the champion he was.

Next up was dizzy bat, which we nominated Charlie for. He competed mostly against the tween-and-under set and came in a reasonable fourth place out of nine competitors. Once that was complete, Cal’s Aunt Lynn informed us that it was time for the three-legged race, and that Callum and I were contractually obligated to run together since we were a couple. We were handed two lengths of twine and left to tie ourselves together.

“I…” He started to speak but trailed off, his cheeks blazing red.

I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s fine,” I murmured. “How about we just get this done quickly?”

“Deal.”

I bent and tied us together at our calves and then our thighs, trying not to take up too much of Cal’s personal space, which was impossible, of course. Soon enough, we were pressed against each other, our legs bound together. I threw my arm around his shoulder and leaned in, his body heat radiating against me and making my throat tight. “Ready?”

He blushed again and looked down. “Ready.”

Lynn rang a bell and we were off, making our way across the yard. We quickly found our rhythm and hurried to the finish line. For the second time that day, I found myself on the winning end of a race, and as we cheered, I heard someone start yelling.

“Goddammit!”

Cal and I turned to see Jacob and Angie on the ground, Jacob’s face red with anger.

“You’re so fucking clumsy,” Jacob continued, louder than necessary. “I told you to tie it tighter.”

From where we stood, it looked as if Jacob and Angie’s twine had loosened and drooped around their ankles, causing them to get tangled up and fall. Angie’s face was crumpled and she looked as if she was going to cry. Jacob was shaking his head and fuming.

Angie murmured something to Jacob, something I couldn’t quite catch from the distance, and he waved her away furiously before reaching down and untying their legs.

“Well, that’s the end of the three-legged race,” Lynn announced, clapping her hands together. “We have our winners. Great job, Sweet Victory.” The crowd cheered half-heartedly before Lynn announced the start of the water games. “Next up, water balloon toss. Teams, send up your competitors.”

Charlie and Henry took point on this race, Cal and I standing to the side as they lined up. We watched as they gave it a valiant effort, tossing the balloons as carefully as possible. They were knocked out third, but we cheered loudly anyway.

When Henry approached, a deep frown on his face, I patted his shoulder. “It’s okay, bud. You did a great job.”

“We didn’t win, though. We were in fifth place.”

I shrugged. “Did you have a good time?” He nodded, his lower lip still pushed out in a pout. “That’s all that matters.”

He shrugged unenthusiastically before stepping back to watch the rest of the relay. Jacob and Angie’s team came in third, thanks to the other two members of the team, a couple of tweens I hadn’t met yet, a respectable enough showing. Jacob didn’t look impressed.

“Last pairs event,” Lynn informed everyone. “The sponge relay.”