“Guess this is going to be some real team building, huh?” I murmured, concerned about the height as I stared at the zip line. “I’d rather have someone hold a gun to my head.”
“That’s morbid as hell, Izzy Bizzy.” He nudged me, and my duffel bag and suitcase wobbled, causing the spray cans to clink together.
“Did you request painting supplies?” Lucas sounded appalled.
“It’s two weeks! I figured we’d have free time, and I might get inspired.”
He pointed to my cabin. “That’s your inspiration. Look at your bunkmate. Holy hell.”
Cybersecurity for the election was apparently buff, tatted, and dreamy. He had a light-brown man bun and was grabbing a paddleboard in his swim trunks.
“Jesus,” I grumbled.
“Goodbye, Gerald. Hello, team building, right?” Lucas grabbed my luggage and hauled it up the porch where a little wooden swing attached to chain-links swayed gently in the wind. “Want to ask him which bed he’s in so I can set your suitcase down next to it?”
I laughed. “Shut up, you jackass. He’s going to hear.”
Right then, the guy turned around and smirked. “Oh, I heard. I’m the first room on the left. Name’s Rodney, and I’m fine with you sharing my room if you want.” He glanced at Lucas. “Happy to share with you too. I’m pan, and you both seem like my jam.” Dude even winked before he turned and ran out to the water.
“Fuuuck.” Lucas let out a string of curses under his breath. “If I come out of the closet on this trip, it’s for him.”
“Izzy.” Lucas and I jumped about a mile when we heard Cade’s low voice behind us. “Heather got the room assignments wrong. We need a private IP address to work out the last kinks of JUNIPER. So you’ll be staying with me.”
“With you?” I squeaked, and Lucas quite literally gasped, both of us in complete disbelief at Cade’s words.
He didn’t really give me or Lucas time to digest them either. He just snatched my luggage and strode away as he called out, “Don’t make noise at whatever ungodly hour you get back.”
My jaw hung open, ready to catch mosquitoes, flies, and any other sort of bugs that might fly by out in the wilderness. After a moment of silence, Lucas practically shoved me. “Why the hell does he want you in his cabin, Izzy?”
Combing a hand through my hair, I shook my head. “I really have no idea. I... the IP address thing is... I don’t know.”
This would have been a perfect time to tell Lucas about Cade, except it was one thing to tell my sister who was tucked away in the suburbs and another to tell someone who worked with us. Icouldn’ttell anyone else. I was going to sweep it under the rug and hope the dust stayed put.
“I wonder if he acts normal at home. Can you record him while you stay there?” Lucas asked with a smile on his face.
“That’s a hard no. I’m not going to be hanging out in that cabin unless I have to.”
Lucas chuckled. “Bizzy, I’d be in there all day. Rodney is chef’s kiss, but Cade Armanelli, that’s forbidden perfection right there.”
It took everything I had not to glance back longingly at the cabin because he was right.
“So, Cade probably knows I’m gay now, huh?” Lucas whispered as we made our way to his cabin instead of mine.
I chuckled and welcomed the change in subject. “That, I have no idea.”
“Well, you need to go figure it out. And you need to see if there’s room for me to sleep on your floor. I’m grossly intrigued by your new living situation.”
I sighed as he shoved me away from his cabin porch. “I really hate you right now.”
“Call me if you want to hang out later, but I’ll totally understand if you don’t.” He waggled his eyebrows at me like this was a freaking reality show that I was on.
The walk through the grass, around the lake, and to the isolated cabin on the other side made my heart beat like I was on my way to either be voted off or receive the last rose.
I knocked on the door before I entered, but Cade didn’t welcome me in, open the door, or say a thing. After another knock and trying to peer in through the windows, which had closed blinds, I turned the knob.
Cade sat on the living room couch with his feet up and a laptop on his lap, typing away. “You don’t need to knock.”
“You could have just told me to come in,” I huffed and waved a hand in front of myself, already irritated.