Ex, Why, and Me by Susanna Carr

limits to the other.
    It was the long, uncomfortable stretches of silence that were freaking her out. Michelle snuck another look at Ryan from under her lashes. She had to do something—say something—before it drove her insane.
    But it had to be a safe topic. They had already discussed the people they both knew. That hadn’t lasted long since they didn’t have the same circle of friends.
    “So…” Michelle reached for another discussion thread. “What have you been doing since I saw you last?” Naked and pissed off underneath me.
    “This and that. Nothing much.” His smile dimmed. “Still working at the bowling alley.”
    “Oh.” She did not want to discuss the bowling alley at all, under any circumstances. “And you took time off because Danny asked for a favor?” What did her brother have over Ryan? It must be something really good.
    The corner of his mouth twitched. “I didn’t do it for Danny.”
    Michelle frowned. What did that mean? “Then—”
    “Voila,” Ryan said as they turned the corner, gesturing to the big, brick building. “Benjamin Franklin Public School.”
    Oh, yeah. She remembered seeing this building from time to time while growing up. There was nothing memorable about the architecture. It was just another tall brick building in a town created by bricklayers.
    Ryan tilted his head to one side. “Are you sure it was around that long? I mean, it looks old, but not that old.”
    “Dad says Carbon Hill did a lot of renovating and additions to meet safety standards.” All that work must have been done on the inside. At least she hoped so.
    Ryan seemed to have trouble believing it, too. “Sure, okay.” He headed for the front door. It swung open, a good sign that they had found the right location. “After you.”
    “Where do you think we’re supposed to go?” Michelle asked, her voice echoing in the cavernous hallway. The high ceilings and detailed woodwork made her feel as though she had stepped back in time. “Should we search every room?”
    Ryan sighed. “If we do that and find out we’re in the wrong location, we will have lost a lot of time.”
    The door down the hall opened abruptly. “Hello?”
    Michelle shrieked and jumped. She reeled back, colliding against Ryan’s chest.
    An older woman with tightly permed gray hair peeked around the door. “Oh, I apologize. I hadn’t expected anyone so soon. You’re with the scavenger hunt, correct?”
    “Yes,” Michelle said, stepping away from Ryan. She’d had no idea the guy was that solid and buff. Now wished she didn’t have that type of information. “And we’re the first ones here?” she asked the woman.
    “That’s right. Now hurry along with me. You don’t want to squander your lead.” She motioned them to approach the door which led them to the steps of the basement.
    “I’m Dr. Doris Fielding, the principal of this school,” the older woman introduced herself.
    “I’m Michelle, and this is Ryan.”
    “What does the school have to do with Homer and Ida Wirt?” Ryan asked as they walked down the steps.
    “It’s where they first met,” Dr. Fielding said. “Homer was from the farming community and Ida’s father worked at the railroad. They both graduated eighth grade, but didn’t attend any more schooling, which was common in those days.”
    At the foot of the stairs, Michelle saw two older women standing by a long wooden table. Photos, plastic trays, and what looked like toys littered the tabletop. Dr. Fielding escorted them to the far end.
    “Now listen closely,” the woman said. “Your task involves some construction and engineering.”
    Construction? Engineering? Dread flooded through Michelle. Those weren’t her strong points. Especially when it came to creating anything multitiered. Like cakes. Construction took time. Steady hands. Nerves of steel.
    “This picture”—the principal held up a faded, black-and-white photograph of a building—“is what the Benjamin Franklin Public School