“No! No! No!” I snag the cards out of their hands. “You can’t use your boyfriends or fiancés or friends or family to help you win. It’s called cheating.”
Hailey ignores my order to ask, “What do I get when I win?”
I indicate the box on my side table. It’s filled with sweet treats – artisan chocolate, fancy popcorn, peanut butter cookies, shortbread, caramel, etc.
“I’m going to gain ten pounds after I eat all this,” Phoebe whines as she examines the items one by one.
“You aren’t eating any of it because I’m going to win,” Hailey declares and shoves her to the side to study the box for herself.
“You guys are cute. Like you have a chance,” I tell them.
“She’s right,” Phoebe whispers out of the side of her mouth. “Suzie has no shame. She’ll be getting a piggyback-ride from a guy and gathering condoms and phone numbers before we can blink.”
“This is a hard no,” Ryker says as he studies the card.
I snatch it out of his hand but before I get a chance to tell Ryker to mind his own dang business, Phoebe speaks, “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
He smirks. “You like it when I tell you what to do.”
I clap my hands over my ears. “No. TMI! Too much information!”
“Tell you what, we’ll allow this little game,” Aiden says as he walks over to Hailey. “But we are coming with to chaperone.”
I growl. They are ruining all my fun!
“There are rules,” Hailey says as she gives in. “You stay in the corner of whatever bar we are in and interfere if and only if we’re in danger. And danger is not a man attempting to flirt with one of us. Actual danger. Like losing a limb danger.”
I shake my head. This is not going to work. Ryker sees danger everywhere. I am not joking. I’m the one who ends up doing the background checks on the men who are supposedly stalking Phoebe. Spoiler alert – no one is stalking her. Not anymore at least.
“But who’s going to keep Suzie under control? Without a chaperone, she’ll have an advantage over us,” Phoebe points out.
“I don’t need a chaperone.”
“Grayson’s already on his way.” The doorbell rings. “I bet that’s him now.”
The door opens and my body lights up. Not with excitement. No, I’m all about the embarrassment now. I haven’t seen him since the ‘be my sperm donor’ talk.
“I told you I don’t need a chaperone.”
“What’s the big deal?” Phoebe asks. “You got off easy. Grayson and you are only friends. He won’t stop you from kissing the bartender.”
“And he can be our designated driver,” Hailey adds.
Grayson looks around confused. “Wait. What? I thought we were having drinks at McGraw’s.”
I snatch the cards off of the table. “Come on. I’ll explain on the way.”
Once we’re in his truck, I direct him toward a row of bars nowhere near McGraw’s. With her pops and uncles at McGraw’s, Hailey would win before Phoebe and I had the chance to start. Not on my watch.
As soon as he parks, I open the door and rush out. “The scavenger hunt starts now. You’ve got three hours to get as many points as possible.” I run into the bar like my ass is on fire.
By the time Hailey and Phoebe find me, I’ve got a condom, a guy’s phone number, and I’m sipping on a drink the bartender gave me for free. Of course, it’s a coke because I told him I’m the designated driver, but nowhere do the rules indicate the drink has to be an alcoholic beverage.
I fan my face with the condom and phone number. “What took you guys so long?”
I ignore their sputtering because I’ve spotted a guy with a tie. He’s also pretty muscular. Score! “Hi, Stud,” I greet as I walk up to him.
“Sorry, little lady. I play for the other team.” In case I’m stupid, he winks at some hot guy walking past.