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“Leave these bozos and run away with me, Frankie,” Archie yelled. “We’ll have the discussion in air conditioning.”
They were nuts.
Every single one of them.
“Hey,” Coop grunted as he straightened. “We’re talking serious stuff here.”
Bubba snorted. “Archie’s got her first period.”
“I don’t care, I had her before school.”
Jake scowled.
Yeah. They were nuts. And the sweat beginning to work its way down between my boobs was going to not only make me uncomfortable, but probably smell at the rate we were going. We couldn’t all fit into Archie’s Ferrari and Jake’s SUV was around the corner in the other lot.
Unlocking my car had both Bubba and Coop scrambling for doors. “You ride with Archie? I’ll drive Thing 2 and Thing 4?”
Jake frowned for a split-second, then relented. “Okay.”
Bubba grinned widely for a moment, but Archie looked as disgruntled as Jake for a moment.
“Thanks, because I really don’t want to turn into a sweat puddle.” Bubba opened the driver’s side door for me letting out a balloon of hot air from inside the car, then snagged my backpack before I could store it in the back. Coop fell into the front passenger seat while Bubba climbed in back. He couldn’t be comfortable back there, but he didn’t issue a complaint.
I got the car started. Jake had slid into the Ferrari with Archie and they were arguing about something, or at least they were having an intent conversation based on what I could see via my rearview. The air conditioner blew more hot air for all of thirty seconds as we waited on the a/c to kick in.
Archie and Jake hadn’t moved though. Twisting in my seat, I met Bubba’s blue-eyed gaze, more awake than he had been all day for a beat, before I looked behind him at the other car.
Still arguing.
Rolling my eyes, I hit the horn and the pair jumped. Archie flipped me off and I had to laugh. The impatient scowl on his face was so put upon Archie that it reminded me of how much I’d missed him.
Ass.
Then the Ferrari revved, and he accelerated away. Backing up neatly, I threw the car into gear and followed.
“So…” Bubba said from behind me. “Before anyone else asks, are you free tomorrow night?”
Chapter Four
Scheduling
Fifteen minutes later, we were packed into the Crimson Cup. Bubba staked out the round booth in the corner while Archie placed the coffee order—iced coffee with two pumps of sugar for him, iced coffee with cream and no sugar for me, blended smoothies for Jake and Bubba, and a vanilla crème for Coop. Despite the sandwich in my backpack, I still perused the bakery case. They had muffins, cookies, coffee cakes, pound cake, and some croissants.
“Hungry?” Archie asked, and then added three of the chocolate croissants—bastard, I really didn’t need to eat those, and they were my weakness—along with a couple of the blueberry muffins.
Jake drifted over to wait at the counter with us, and Archie shot him an amused look. “We’re not running away together.”
“Not making Frankie try to balance five drinks by herself.”
“What am I?” Archie almost looked offended. Almost. Except he smirked.
“A pain in the ass,” Jake retaliated with a smirk of his own. Thankfully, the iced coffees were ready first, and I sucked down a deep gulp of mine even as Archie pushed the plate with the chocolate croissants toward me.
Evil bastard. I made a face and his grin only grew. Chocolate stuffed croissants were like my kryptonite. I could try and ignore them, I could aim to eat something healthier, but they pulled me in like a siren luring ships to their death.
Or in my case, extra pounds on the scale. Not that it would stop me from eating them. I spent thirty-two hours a week on my feet and moving. According to the pedometer I’d worn for a couple of weeks, I was clearing thirty thousand steps a week easily. I could afford the splurge now and then.
The fruit smoothies and Coop’s vanilla crème came next. I took possession of the crème and the croissants along with my iced coffee and then led the other two over to the booth. Bubba and Coop were both sitting at the edges and both stood up. I handed Coop his crème and set the plate of croissants onto the table before I slid in, doing a butt scoot and hop to move around to the middle. Coop followed right behind me, and Jake rolled his eyes as he settled in near the edge. Bubba’s legs bumped mine as he slid in closer, too, and Archie got the end where he’d been sitting.
