Page 73 of Wrecked

“Let’s make it a group thing!” she announces.

I spin around. “What?”

She practically falls off her seat. She runs up behind Suzanne and pulls on her shoulders.

Suzanne’s lips are stuck to Rory’s, but she gets pulled back by an ecstatic, bouncing brunette.

“Double date! The four of us are going camping!”

Rory looks at the four of us. His finger makes a circle, pointing to the four people standing here.

Jessica shakes her head. “No, silly. The three of us and Adam. It’ll be fun, and it won’t look super desperate that I’m asking him to go away since it’s a group thing. We will have our own tent though,” she adds with a wink.

Suzanne looks up at me in confusion.

I know, I know. She left me alone with the girl for five minutes, and now, Suzanne’s being dropped into a camping trip. I’m sure I’ll get the fifth degree later.

She eyes Jessica and asks, “How do you know he’ll even want to go camping with us?”

“We’ll ask him,” she replies. Her fingers do a dance as they tap together when she adds, “Right now. Adam, over here!” She’s waving her hand in the air.

Adam is in his uniform, doing his usual surveillance of the crowd. His hands are clasped to his belt as he scours the room. Jessica’s waving arm catches his attention. He walks toward her, his brows curved in. He’s so tall and commanding. Even in a roomful of people, he’s easy to spot. I watch as he struts across the room. When he sees me at the bar, his face relaxes, and he stares my way as he draws closer.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, eyeing his attire.

He’s thrown off by my question. I don’t know why. Every time he comes in here while he’s on duty, it’s to play detective. It usually makes me boiling mad. Tonight, I’m more concerned than anything.

“Yeah. I just thought I’d come in and say hi.”

Jessica is melting into his uniform. “We have the best idea.”

As if he’s just remembered she’s next to him, he looks down at her.

She’s practically clawing him as she says, “We’re going camping!”

His eyes light up when she says the word camping.

“You, me, Suzanne, and Rory. It’s going to be so much fun!”

He juts that masculine jaw my way. “You coming, too?”

I take a long pause before responding, “No. I wouldn’t even know what to wear.”

“I’m not going unless you go.” It’s a promise.

Jessica must sense the seriousness to his words because she adds, “Oh my God, Leah, you have to come. You always know how to break the ice and show everyone a good time.” She leans over the bar with her hands and pulls me in for an awkward hug. With her mouth close to my ear, she whispers, “Please, please, please. I need you.”

Her body is flung over the countertop, arms clung around my neck, and while my hand pats her back, my eyes are staring at Adam, who is waiting for an answer.

“Yeah, sure. It’ll be fun.”

She squeezes me again, and Suzanne helps her right herself on the other side of the bar. Jessica has definitely had more to drink than I expected she would tonight.

“You are the bestest friend ever!”

I offer her a smile as Suzanne gives me a look that says, This is all going to end badly.

And Adam’s gaze is saying…