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“They were seventy.”

Hudson nodded. “Experienced competitors.”

The manager studied us. “You want the buffet?”

“No, we want the challenge,” Hudson said.

The manager’s eyebrows rose. “Again?”

“We’ve trained.”

That wasn’t technically a lie. My training had not been designed for buffet performance, but it seemed unwise to weaken our position by introducing nuance.

The manager reached beneath the register and pulled out two waivers for us to sign. “Same rules. Thirty minutes. You can split the food however you’d like, but both of you have to participate. If you beat the current record of twenty-two minutes and fourteen seconds, your picture will go on top as the champions.” He paused and then muttered, “Though I doubt that will happen.”

“Hey, I heard that.” Hudson looked offended.

I touched his arm. “Save your strength.”

The manager pressed a button near the register. A small brass bell rang. “Lucy,” he called. “Your favorite challengers are back.”

Lucy emerged from the dining area carrying a tray of drinks. She spotted us and stopped. “No way.”

“Yes way,” I said.

Her grin spread as she approached. “You’re doing it again?”

“We came prepared this time,” Hudson said.

Lucy looked at my sports bra and leggings, then at Hudson’s running clothes. “You stretched first?”

“We ran several miles,” I told her.

“That’s either brilliant or deeply unhealthy.”

I shrugged. “Only time will tell.”

She guided us toward the same booth we’d had before.

I glanced at the Wall of Fame as we walked past. Our first photograph was near the lower right corner. Hudson stood with one arm around me, both of us holding our red T-shirts. I had looked happy, nervous, and slightly overfull.

Seeing the picture now caused something inside me to twist. That had been one of our happiest dates. It had been a lie.

Hudson followed my gaze. His hand settled against my lower back. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

I glanced at the photograph again. “I just hate that good memories got tangled up in what I did.”

Hudson turned me slightly toward him. “That night was real for me.”

“It was real for me too.”

“Then we keep that part. We don’t have to bury it.”

I searched his face. “What do we do with the rest?”

“Learn from it.”