“You’ve got food and enough drinks?” Ignoring his surly expression, Ben keeps going. “I’m happy to go pick up some stuff. Just tell me what we should get.”
It’s obvious Mac is in no condition to be thinking about this right now, so I jump in. “I say we keep it simple and just have hot dogs and chips. Stuff that takes minimal effort. How many people do you think will show up?”
Mac shrugs and mutters, “I don’t know. Fifty? If they all bring friends, maybe a hundred or more.”
Ben’s eyebrows jump high, and he’s not even bothering to hide his surprise as he looks around and obviously tries to work out if there’ll be room for fifty plus friends.
“There will be.” I nod and point to the deck. “This place is huge. Plus, there’s the deck.”
“True,” he murmurs. “But that’s a lot of people to cater for.”
And it’ll get batshit crazy in here if everyone’s drunk and out of control.
I bite my lip, then glance back at Mac. “Maybe we should just stick to beer tonight, hide the spirits, you know?”
He nods. “We’ll get a few kegs.”
“I can go do that.” I stand up. “And I’ll get all the food as well.” Looking at Ben, I point at him. “Want to come with?”
“Yeah, sure.” He dries his hands on a towel before hanging it neatly back up. The dishes are obviously gonna drip-dry. Fine with me.
“Take my credit card.” Mac points to a side table, and I spot his wallet. “Get whatever you want. Thanks, guys.”
“You don’t have to pay for everything,” Ben balks. “We can all pitch in.”
Mac snickers, his blue eyes glinting. “My house, my money, dude.”
Ben and I share another look before I shrug and reach for Mac’s wallet. The guy is loaded and obviously doesn’t care if everyone knows his PIN number, as he openly shares it with me.
Ben’s mouth drops open, and I can’t help another laugh. Mac and Ben couldn’t be more different if they tried.
“Come on, let’s go.” I tug on Ben’s sleeve and ask if we can take his car.
He nods, still dumbfounded as we head out the door.
“It’s probably Daddy’s money we’re spending,” I remind him as we slip into Ben’s car.
“Yeah, I guess. But hasn’t the guy ever heard of security? What if we go and spend up big on stuff for ourselves?”
“We’re not gonna do that. And Mac knows it.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Ben carefully reverses, avoiding cars as he maneuvers out of his space. “My parents just always drilled into me that you keep that kind of information safe. Never share passwords or PIN numbers, you know?”
“Yeah. Mine too. But Mac’s obviously more relaxed.”
“Yet he’s also uptight. Don’t you think?”
“Yeah.” I laugh and bob my head. “Wonder what his life must be like. He’s a hard one to figure out. Super rich, obviously. Rebel child.”
“Obviously,” Ben murmurs, accelerating up the drive and onto the road. “But I’ve also heard he’s stupidly generous. Jimmy told me that the guy usually tips 100 percent and then tries to get out of there before the waitstaff even notice. He doesn’t want the glory; he just seems to love giving his money away.”
“Or his daddy’s money,” I say again, smirking this time.
Must be nice.
My parents weren’t super rich growing up. We did okay, but we were a one-car family, if you get my drift. Most of what I owned was secondhand. My bike was a Craigslist purchase, my clothes were hand-me-downs from older cousins. That type of thing. We always had enough, and I never went without. It was just never brand-new.
“I like that he’s generous and not a tight-ass, even if it isn’t his money. I mean, his dad sure has enough. Last I read, the guy is a multibillionaire. I’ve lost track of how many companies he owns.”
