The Tessa Randolph Collection, Books 1-3 Paula Lester (year 7 reading list .txt) 📖

a picture of Timothy with a ketchup stain on his lapel during the talk, hoping for a chance to ask Lee more questions when it was over. But the supervisor got up before Preston finished talking, squeezed behind Tessa’s chair, and left.

The next couple of hours dragged by with two more boring presentations, then Tessa met up with Gloria for lunch before the team-building exercises. They pored over the pamphlet that listed their choices as they munched on sandwiches and chips.

Tessa pointed to one that looked interesting to her. “How about we do this before the stand-up paddle board lesson?”

“An escape room?” Gloria considered for a moment and then shrugged. “Sure, why not? You feeling sharp enough to solve a mystery?”

Tessa chuckled. “I’m perfectly fine. The food and coffee helped, plus I basically slept through this morning’s presentations with my eyes open. I’m going to try to get to bed early tonight, though.”

“Good idea.”

The escape room was set up in a dingy, out-of-the-way room in the hotel basement. Soon, Tessa was engrossed in the experience of solving a set of clues in order to find the key to unlock the door. Where usually, it was the whole group trying to escape the room, they’d made this into a competition to get out first. Gloria and Tessa partnered up against three other reaper pairs, including Bubba and Shirley, who turned out to be their biggest rivals.

In the end, Shirley figured it out moments before they did.

“Ha!” Bubba jabbed a finger at Tessa and Gloria. “You guys owe us a drink!”

Tessa laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll buy you a bottle of cheap domestic. But you have to promise us a rematch next year.”

Gloria glanced at her watch. “We’re going to have to hurry if we want to make it to the paddle board lesson.” She pulled Tessa’s arm.

They hurried out of the hotel, past the dock where a group was gathering for snorkeling, toward the designated meeting spot on the beach for the paddle board excursion. As they got closer, Tessa slowed down. April and Lee were there, along with Preston, Cynthia, and Timothy. She considered bolting and going snorkeling instead. Hanging out with the two district supervisors really didn’t strike her as a good time. But Gloria grabbed her arm and kept marching forward.

Man, the woman really wanted to paddle board.

A man in board shorts and a rash guard scurried around, fitting people with lifejackets and boards and explaining the basics of stand-up paddle boarding. Timothy flitted around for a few minutes but then said, “Okay. Looks like you’re in good hands, April. I’m going to head over and make sure everything’s going well with the snorkeling contingency.”

April ignored her assistant completely, and he left after an awkward silence.

If my boss was that mean, I’d be looking for a new job. Cheryl might be a little on the critical side and she had an annoying habit of using Tessa’s full name, but she wasn’t outright mean.

As she watched Timothy leave, a thought occurred to Tessa. Lee had said Timothy was the brains behind the operation at the eastern division’s office. He himself had bragged to Tessa that he kept the accounting registers for the agencies in the district. Could he be behind Art’s unaccounted for death somehow?

Tessa wouldn’t blame him for wanting to make April look bad—she was horrible to him.

But she didn’t have much time to ponder the thought because raised voices drew her attention. April and Lee faced off a few feet from each other. April’s face was twisted in fury. “Don’t dish it if you can’t take it, man. I’m only offering a standard bet—just like we always wager. Too scared to take it?”

Lee smirked. “When have I ever been afraid to take a bet with you?”

“Then what’s the issue?”

"You haven’t laid down fair terms. We’re both beginners, so there has to be some leeway. I propose we each get a little practice time before we start the timer. Then, it’s on. Whoever stays on longest wins.”

April shrugged. “If you need a couple of free falls into the ocean, that’s fine. It’ll just give me time to get sea legs, so to speak. Does five minutes sound fair?”

"More than.”

She smiled devilishly. “Then I’ll be accepting my steak dinner voucher from you within five minutes’ time. Let’s go.” She grabbed her paddle board and splashed into the water.

The instructor, alarm plastered over his bronze face, said, “Wait! I need to go over some basics first.”

But April continued as though she hadn’t heard him.

Lee gave a small shake of his head, picked up his board, and advanced more slowly into the surf.

The instructor brushed a hand through his sandy blond hair and appeared flummoxed. Finally, he grabbed his own board and waved an arm for the rest of the group to follow him. He began going over the basics of paddle boarding, speaking faster than Tessa believed he normally did.

April climbed on her board, stood up, and began to use the paddle to move forward. Lee watched for about half a second and then leaped onto his own board, taking only a moment to balance, and then he too advanced into the small waves.

“They’re something else, aren’t they?” Tessa said over her shoulder to Gloria.

But her friend didn’t answer.

Tessa climbed onto her board, sitting with a leg thrown over each side, and twisted to see what was going on.

Gloria was in the water, clutching the paddle board like it was her only anchor in a stormy sea. Her face was slack, eyes wide. Tessa saw something in her friend she’d never seen before: fear.

Tessa bit back a laugh. The water couldn’t be much calmer. It was suitable for toddlers, and they weren’t out deep yet. “Hold onto the far side of the board and kick,” she called. “That’ll give you the momentum to get onto it.”

Gloria maneuvered the paddle board slowly to the position Tessa recommended. She hoisted her body up, kicking madly, resembling nothing so much as a huge seal