Dating Dr. Dil (If Shakespeare was an Auntie #1)(41)

“We have to find the shape of a penis now,” Kareena said.

“Excuse me?”

Kareena drew a symbol that looked like an eight, and an elongated D.

“That’s the smallest damn penis I’ve ever seen,” he mumbled. He turned to her just as she glanced down at his crotch, and away.

“Kareena Mann,” he said, faking scandal.

“What?” she jumped, scampering back.

He didn’t let her get that far, snatching her ponytail to bring her back to his side. She gasped when he tugged gently and brought her close so he could whisper in her ear. “If you want to know, you can just ask.”

Kareena flushed even as she pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest. “Excuse me, but you’re the one who didn’t put out when it was time to shine.”

Prem burst out laughing, then leaned in to kiss her on her temple. “I guess we’re stuck with prehistoric dick then. Let’s just find the penis and get out of here.”

It took them ten minutes before they found the carving, which led them to their next clue.

“How did you know about the symbol?” he asked as they hustled to another wing in the museum. “I mean, that was pretty specific.”

“Jeopardy!,” she responded. “My grandmother is obsessed with Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! That’s how she improved her English.”

“Mine too! Watched it until the day she died almost ten years ago.”

“I’m sorry she’s gone,” Kareena said, pausing to touch his arm.

“Yeah, me too.”

They ended up in the Japanese art atrium where they found the jewelry chest with the same floral design as the French impressionist painter.

They worked together like a well-oiled machine going from clue to clue.

Prem never trusted someone else’s instincts more than his own when it came to achieving a goal, but it was hard not to immediately rely on Rina. Because they were moving so quickly through the museum, an hour and a half flew by, and when they found the last clue, they were sweating.

“Here it is!” Kareena shouted. The second-floor patrons hushed her, but Prem jogged across the room and sidled up next to her to read the inscription on the plaque.

“I’ll be damned. It was the janitor!”

“Told you. Now we just have to make it to the rooftop . . .”

“Not so fast.”

They turned to face the group of teenage bullies standing at the other end of the corridor. They were in a V-shape with the pink-haired jerk right up front. “That final clue is ours, losers.”

“Losers?” Kareena gasped. “You’re the ones who couldn’t figure it out on your own.”

“But no one else has to know that,” one of the other kids said.

“Rina?” Prem whispered so only she could hear.

“Yeah?”

“Run.”

Without a second’s hesitation, Rina shoved her tote at him to carry, and in her three-inch heels, sprinted toward the exit. They slid across slippery marble floors and ran through one of the largest museums in New York City side by side. They didn’t know how far behind their competition was, but Prem couldn’t lose time by looking back.

Two security officers told them to slow down before they reached the rooftop. Breathless, they pushed open the double doors, weaving through groups of people, families, and strollers before they spotted Ms. Frizzle at one of the lookout points in front of the city skyline. New York was painted in a wash of orange and dark blues with hints of violet tracing steel skyscrapers.

Prem grabbed Kareena’s hand, and they raced to their scavenger hunt moderator.

Kareena slapped her answer sheet in front of Ms. Frizzle. “It’s the janitor!”

Mrs. Frizzle looked down at her paper and then back at her. “You got all the clues? In an hour and thirty-nine minutes?”

Prem pressed a hand at the small of Kareena’s back. “Yes,” he said. “Are we first?”

Ms. Frizzle smiled, then scanned their answer sheet. “Yes, you are. Congratulations. You’ve won the scavenger hunt and found our murderer.”

“Yes!” Kareena’s victorious howl echoed above the sound of the city below and the rooftop patrons. She jumped in his arms, and he twirled her around twice. Her face glowed when she slid back to her feet. “We won the coupons!”

“We did,” he said, settling his hands on her waist. “See? We make a killer team, Rina.”

Her expression turned rueful as he put her down. “Okay, I give you that much. We do make a pretty good team. I’m not ready to give up finding what my parents had just yet, but if I do switch to Plan B, I’m . . . grateful that you’re it.”

“Excuse me, winning power team!” Ms. Frizzle called. She held up her phone and gestured for them to face her. “I’d love to take your picture for our social media accounts. You two make such a striking couple.”

“Oh, we’re not—”

“Thank you,” Prem said cheerfully.

He dropped her tote bag and pulled Kareena against him until she fit against the planes of his chest and thighs. The past melded with the present, and the familiar curves under his hands gave him a high that he’d been craving for weeks.

Prem’s gaze dropped to her lips. “I didn’t think we’d be in this position again, Rina, honey.”