The guys file into the round padded room, and we step up onto the viewing platform. Becca’s studying the guys, frowning.
“I weigh less than some of those guys. Why the fuck can they go, and I can’t?”
Holly points to the sign over the door behind us. “They obviously got that same question more than once. Says right there, ‘women carry their weight lower and have a different center of gravity, making it harder for them to balance.' See, perfectly reasonable.”
Becca snorts. “Whatever,” she mutters under her breath, not looking at all happy with that answer.
We all lean forward for a view into the round padded room — walls and floor— with a huge fan-looking grate taking up the floor. The instructor is giving them more rules, so I tune out as I mentally undress Declan. The flappy suit hides everything but the width of his shoulders. Even his eyes are hidden by funny-looking goggles.
“So,” Becca says, nudging me with her shoulder, “how did things go between you two at that motel?”
I glare at her, and trust me, my glare has made more than one man shrivel, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect on her. She grins at me, folding her hands in her lap and blinking exaggeratedly.
“Fine,” I say shortly. Evie joins us on the long bench, stopping to kiss the back of Mia’s head before sitting.
“What did I miss?” she asks, looking between all of us.
“Cara was just about to tell us how she and Declan handled being snowed in,” Becca says cheerfully.
“I really wasn’t,” I say flatly.
“You don’t have to tell us anything,” Holly says, scowling at Becca. I like her. I’ve only met her once or twice, but she seems like a kind, thoughtful person. “Besides, pretty sure by the way you two were looking at each other, there was some fornicating in that motel room.”
I take it all back. She’s a vicious harpy.
“I don’t do this,” I say, waving my hand around. “I don’t gossip about my love life, and I really don’t chit-chat. Why don’t we watch the guys, huh? Isn’t that why we’re here?”
It works briefly. We turn our attention to the wind tunnel just as the fan is turned on. The guys all look ready to leap, and it’s clear the instructor is way over his head handling them. Suddenly, one of the guys, Nick, I think, swan dives into the middle. For a minute there, I think he’s going to make it. He gets a bit of lift, then wobbles, arms outstretched, before getting blown sideways right into a couple of his brothers. All three of them fall back against the padding. There’s a hell of a lot of hooting and laughing.
“Lord,” Evie mutters, “we’ll be lucky to get out of this city without a trip to the hospital.”
Smiling, I wink at her. She’s right. That would be pure luck. When these guys get together and are this excited, one of them usually ends up bleeding.
“Doesn’t gossip imply going behind your back?” Becca asks, dragging us right back into the conversation.
“Maybe. But why should I spill my guts to a bunch of women I barely know?” That kind of attitude is usually effective at chasing people away, but it seems to have no effect on these women.
Becca laughs, and I have to fight the urge to push her backward off the bench. “Because all of us have spent a ton of time with him. We know him really well. A wise woman would use that to her advantage and pump us for information. Besides, we’re a package deal. You might as well get used to us now.”
“You may have a point,” I mutter grudgingly.
“Look, we love Declan,” Evie says. “He deserves someone great. And according to Ransom, you’re the smartest, most capable woman in the world. If you want any insight, you just let me know. Just...don’t hurt him, ok. He’s soft-hearted, and if you’re not serious, then tell him that.”
“Are you warning me off?” Why does that hurt so much? They’re assuming I’m this man-eating harpy, and while I don’t mind that image when it suits me, I don’t want these women thinking that.
“No. Just asking you to communicate with him. He’s not as confident as the other guys. I just think you’ll need to be aware of that.” It almost feels like they want me to back off, despite what they say. And I can admit I’m a little hurt by that. I’m tough. I’ve never denied that, but it doesn’t make me heartless. I’m just...focused.
A loud cheer goes up, drawing our eyes back to the wind tunnel just in time to watch Colt dive into the wind, spread eagle. I wince in sympathy when he lands face-first on the grate. He didn’t slow down at all.
“That’s going to leave a mark,” Evie mutters, picking up her purse and rifling through it.
Not a minute later, Colt’s sitting on the bench between Evie and Holly, holding a paper towel to his nose, looking sad.
“It’s okay, baby. You tried,” Evie says consolingly, patting his big shoulder.
“I really wanted to fly,” he says in a nasal voice. “Maybe I can buy one of these things. But a bigger one. A more powerful one. I can take my little princess on it, too.”
Evie’s eyes widen, but Holly gently pats his hand. “Sweetheart, any fan that would hold your body weight would launch Mia into space.”
