Echo turned, giving her an exasperated look.
Quinn sighed. “I’m just so tired of everything in my life needing to be planned. We’ll head to Sonoma Valley, find a B&B, and figure it out from there.”
Echo’s expression turned skeptical.
Sneaking a glance, Quinn saw her tapping on her phone. A second later, she held it up for Quinn to see. “I found a B&B with rooms available. Fifteen minutes outside Sonoma. Want me to book it to be on the safe side?”
Quinn caved. “That would be great.”
Over the walkie-talkie, Layla’s voice broke through.“Red One, this is Red Two—can we stop for lunch, or are we on some kind of starvation diet for the duration of this trip?”
Quinn rolled her eyes, looking at Echo before glancing at the ladies in the rearview mirror. If they managed to stay out of trouble with Layla around, it would be a miracle.
Picking up the walkie, she responded,“There’s a tote bag full of snacks with you.”
Layla’s voice came back,“This is Red One. Who’s this?”
Laughter crackled through the speaker.“Eat your damn snacks.”
The SUV erupted in laughter; Quinn included.
By the time they rolled into Sonoma Valley, the ladies werethis closeto throwing the walkie-talkies out the window. Layla’s nonstop complaints about being hungry had grated on everyone’s nerves—judging by the exchanged looks and exaggerated sighs, they were all starting to understand why Quinn hadn’twantedher sister to come.
As the ladies climbed out of the SUVs and grabbed their bags, Quinn took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself. She had no intention of spending her one weekend off herding squirrels.
Still, she wasn’t about to let chaos reign—not completely.
"Listen up," she called, hands on her hips. "That means you, Layla."
Her sister, predictably, was half-distracted, digging through her bag for something. At the sound of her name, she snapped her head up, eyebrows raised.
Quinn continued, "After we get checked in and cleaned up?—"
"Cleaned up?" Layla cut in. "Why do I need to clean up? I’ve been in a damn car, not rolling in mud."
Quinn exhaled, already regretting every life choice that had led her to this moment. Ignoring her sister, she pushed forward.
"Once we’re ready," she stressed, shooting Layla a look, "we’ll pick a place for dinner and drinks then head out. No distractions, no detours."
Layla smirked. "Define ‘distractions.’"
Quinn pinched the bridge of her nose. It was going to be a long night. Cutting a look at Echo, she hoped her best friend realized her mistake. She’d been the one to say Layla was fun. Fun in the form of a roller coaster with no brakes.
Once they checked in, the ladies paired up and headed to their rooms. Naturally, no one wanted Layla. Quinn wasn’t even a little surprised.
She watched as the others quickly claimed roommates, pairing off as if it were a survival instinct. Echo and Sloan were already halfway to their room, laughing about something. Brandi had grabbed her bag and taken off without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Layla stood there, completely unbothered, tossing a peanut from the snack bag into her mouth like she hadn’t just beenactivelyavoided.
Quinn sighed, pressing her fingers against her temple. Thelastthing she was going to do was let Layla have her own room. That would be a mistake. Ahugemistake. She could already picture it—Layla getting into God only knew what kind of trouble, dragging some poor soul into her chaos, and Quinn would be the one left cleaning up the mess.
Nope. Not happening. Resigned, she grabbed Layla’s bag off the floor and tossed it at her. “You’re with me.”
Layla caught it effortlessly, grinning. “Aww, sis, I knew you couldn’t live without me.”
Quinn groaned, already regretting this decision. “Trust me, this isnota favor to you.”
Layla just slung an arm around Quinn’s shoulder as they headed toward their room, completely unfazed. “Sure, sure. Just try not to snore, okay?”
