Page 92 of Ex Marks the Spot

There isn’t much to do after that but step to the side and wait. Gianna and Alexis sandwich me in a hug, the three of us wiping our cheeks intermittently until Old Bay rounds the corner of the mansion.

In all the years I’ve watched this show, I’ve never seen Paul more apologetic than when he tells Kadeeja and Haylee they’re the last to check in. To their credit, they have nothing but love and encouraging words for us and slide into their taxi with their heads held high like the badass women they are.

“You know what this means,” Alexis says after they’ve left.

“What?”

“We need to destroy the Wise Asses.”

Standings after leg 10, Netherlands

Wise Guys (DeAngelo and Big Mike)

Bombshells (Gianna and Alexis)

Us

Old Bay (Haylee and Kadeeja)

“You’re going to run out of time,” Court says.

“Just keep looking out the window.”

Our flight from Amsterdam to New York City was about eight hours. We slept for the first half and spent the second half going over our notes for the memory challenge at the end of this leg. That’s when I got the idea to give Court a souvenir to commemorate our journey.

“The buildings are getting bigger.”

“I’m almost done.” I cap the black fine-tip permanent marker and exchange it for the orange one.

“You’d better not be drawing a penis.”

Ha! I roll my lips between my teeth because he’s close in an abstract way.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing the show will have to blur out.”

I finish as the landing gears are lowered and stow my markers in my backpack. “Okay, you can look now.”

I’m grinning my ass off when Court shifts his gaze from the window to the rubber duck on his right forearm. “Figured I’d leave you with a memory from the first time we were in an airport together.”

His laugh comes out on a soft breath as he shakes his head and smiles. “You know damn good and well the Dallas airport is not what I’m going to think about.”

I shrug innocently. “That’s okay. Art’s open to interpretation.”