Slow No Wake - By Dakota Madison Page 0,42

Ricky suggested.

“I’ve got the old Mini,” Eddie said.

Ricky threw ups his hands. “Okay, then, you guys are on your own.”

I gulped, wondering what I had gotten myself into.

***

Eddie and I stood in front of his 1976 Mini Cooper. “Does it run?” I asked. The thing looked like it should have been in a junkyard rather than a parking lot.

“Of course it runs,” Eddie scoffed. “How do you think I got it here this morning?”

Good point.

“There is one catch,” he said. “We have to push start it to get it running.”

“Seriously?”

Eddie nodded.

“Maybe we should just take my car,” I suggested.

He shook his head. “This is something I want you to experience. A ride like this will get your adrenalin pumping.”

The last thing I wanted was to be alone with Eddie with my adrenalin pumping.

“And maybe we can get something else pumping in the back seat later.” He gave me one of his irresistible dimple grins. Oh, God.

“Let’s just get the pizzas,” I muttered.

A few seconds later, I saw Daniel running toward us. “I’m going with you,” he said firmly.

“Don’t you trust your girlfriend?” Eddie taunted his roommate.

“I don’t trust you,” Daniel shot back.

“Takes two to tango,” Eddie said. “That little lady of yours isn’t going to do anything she doesn’t want to do. Maybe you’re just afraid she wants what you don’t have or can’t give her.”

Daniel’s jaw was clenched and I could see he was seething. I decided to take control of the situation again.

“We have hungry teammates to feed,” I said as I marched over toward my Kia Soul. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Daniel and Eddie reluctantly follow me. Daniel was a little quicker than Eddie and he made it to the front passenger door before Eddie, who resigned himself to taking a back seat.

I started the engine as the guys buckled themselves in place. “I don’t want to hear another word from either one of you until we get back with the pizza,” I warned them. Neither one of them said another word.

***

Thirty minutes later, we arrived back to the Ropes Challenge Course with one pepperoni pizza, one sausage pizza and one vegetarian pizza. The others had already set up a picnic table with paper plates, plastic ware, napkins and drinks.

Ricky was seated between the twins and Brad was at the other end of the table. I sat down directly across from the twins and Eddie and Daniel took either side of me.

“Did you get vegetarian?” Serenity asked.

“Of course,” I said. “I’ve got your back.”

She smiled and grabbed a slice.

Brad also took a slice of the vegetarian and Trinity grabbed two slices of the pepperoni. I also took a slice of the pepperoni. I noticed that Ricky, Eddie and Daniel filled their plates with all the remaining slices with meat.

We all ate in silence for a few minutes then Ricky glanced at me and said, “I heard a rumor that you were traveling with us this weekend.”

I cringed. I didn’t know how much I wanted my co-workers to know about my personal life, not that it wasn’t completely on display anyway, thanks to the feud brewing between Eddie and Daniel.

“Lexie’s accompanying me,” Daniel interjected.

“And we’re not supposed to look at her, speak to her, or touch her,” Eddie said dripping with sarcasm.

I suddenly regretted agreeing to go up North with the guys. What was I thinking? Why did I ever think it would be a good idea to go on a trip with both Eddie and Daniel? Was it too late to cancel? I couldn’t do that to Daniel. I knew how much he was looking forward to me going with him.

Then Brad saved me by saying, “So, what do you think about the town’s plans to attract a new super mall? They say it will rival Mall of America.”

The other staff members jumped right into the conversation and I breathed a sigh of relief.

When the lunch had been completely devoured, the twins grabbed me for a potty break.

“What the hell is going on?” Trinity asked as she pulled me into the ladies room. “If Eddie and Daniel had swords and it was a few hundred years ago, they’d be dueling over you.”

“It’s kind of romantic,” Serenity said.

“It’s kind of like being in the middle of a Shakespearian tragedy,” Trinity said.

“Or maybe a Renaissance Festival,” Serenity said.

“I thought things were cooling with Eddie,” Trinity said.

“That’s what I thought, too,” I said. “I made it clear to Eddie that I was with Daniel,