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Laughing, I interrupt her tirade before it can get heated. “Guys, I’ve got an idea.”
They both throw their cards onto the table. I catch Brody’s gaze and nod my head for him to come over, too.
When he sits at the table, I launch into my idea. “Rick and Rodney are both going to be fifty soon, and I was thinking we should throw a big party for them.”
“Oh, fuck. I forgot this was a big birthday for them,” Brody says.
“They’re going to hate a party.” Charlie’s grin tells me she loves the idea of making them squirm.
“I thought we could build off the fundraiser next week and bring out a massive cake or something,” I tell them.
“Yes! We could have a big banner saying Happy 50th Birthday, too,” Taylor adds.
“They’re going to hate this.” Brody laughs. “You need to get it approved through Cap, though.”
I grimace. Tucker James is our captain at the house, and he’s pretty hit or miss when it comes to our hijinks. Most of the time, we don’t ask and accept the consequences if there are any. Given that our fundraiser is a community event, we should probably get permission first.
“Okay, fine. I’ll ask him. Come up with a plan B just in case this doesn’t go the way we want.” I get up from the table and leave the rec room.
Tucker’s office is down the hall from our bunks. Being captain, he gets his own room. I’d be jealous, but I have no desire to do his job, no matter what the perks are.
I find him sitting at his desk, leaning over a stack of papers. His dark, wavy hair falls over his forehead, and his biceps look like they’re about to rip the seams of his T-shirt. The guy is fit, and I can’t help but check out his muscles. They’re hard to miss.
“Hey, Cap. You got a minute?”
Tucker looks up from his work. “Sure, Sam. Come on in.” He turns in his seat and hooks a second chair with his foot to pull it closer for me to sit in.
“So, I had an idea I wanted to run by you.”
“Is this another one of your pranks? Gotta say, I’m a little surprised you’re asking first.” Tucker smirks. He likes to pretend he hates our games, but I think he secretly enjoys them. We’re not stupid enough to pull one over on him, though.
“Well, we’d like to use the fundraiser next week to throw an impromptu birthday party for Rodney and Rick. We want it to be a surprise, though.”
“Their birthdays aren’t for another month.”
“Exactly! That’s why this is perfect. They’ll never expect it.”
Tucker thinks for a few minutes before he finally relents. “I need full updates about everything you plan first. And if you do anything that I’m not aware of, there will be massive consequences. Don’t make me regret this.”
“Yes! Thank you! I swear it will all be above board.” I jump out of my chair, ready to head back to the rec room, but something makes me hesitate. He knows Carter. He’s practically a brother-in-law.
Tucker’s eyebrows lift in question.
“Um…” I clear my throat. “You know what? Never mind.” I start to leave when Tucker stops me.
“Wait a minute.”
I freeze where I’m standing.
“I got a text from Nolan Ellis the other day. He was asking if I knew a guy named Sam. Apparently—and I quote—‘Carter had heart eyes all over him.’”
Pink floods my cheeks, and I thump back down in my chair. “I’m a little surprised Nolan was with it enough to even remember my name.”
“To be fair, there were approximately six typos in his text, so my guess is he was way past drunk when he asked. I haven’t responded yet. Do you want me to?”
“Well…” I grip the back of my neck. “Brody, Taylor, and I met them at O’Malley’s last weekend.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.” Tucker smirks.
