by Olivia Evans
“You just like that you have solos and get to sing more,” Chloe joked.
“Says the girl who has her own song,” Greer shot back, smiling when she scowled.
“What?” Josie gasped as the rest of the group showed their surprise.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Abigail asked.
“Because I don’t know if it will make the final cut,” Chloe grumbled, throwing her beer cap at Greer’s head. “Jerk.”
Reid laughed and leaned forward, tugging her hand and pulling her from her chair into his lap. “It’s going to make the cut. She’s just nervous.”
“Why don’t you sing it now?” Josie suggested, her eyes falling to the guitar next to Reid’s chair. Just as Chloe opened her mouth to speak, a line of tiki torches came into view.
“Oh!” Josie gasped. “It’s time!”
“What’s going on?” Keith asked, the rest of the group looking just as confused. Well, everyone except Chloe and Maddie.
“Well, while we were out doing wedding stuff earlier, we were discussing what to do tonight. Instead of us just sitting around and getting shit-faced, we thought it would be fun to play games while getting shit-faced. I mean, I’m not getting shit-faced,” Josie said, pointing at herself before turning her attention to Anders. “And you’re not getting shit-faced, but there’s no reason we can’t laugh at these idiots doing it.”
“What have you done?” Anders chuckled, standing from his chair and helping Josie to her feet.
She smiled. “You’ll see. I’ll be right back.”
Josie jogged over to one of the guys carrying a tiki torch and pointed to where she wanted him to set up. While Josie directed traffic, Anders opened another beer and moved next to Maddie. “She does realize getting these assholes drunk might lead to more trauma. Or a fight.” Anders thought about the way Greer had acted when Owen was dancing with Inky the night before. A fight was definitely a possibility.
Maddie shrugged. “Maybe it will motivate people to up their game.”
Anders was quiet for a minute before he grinned and turned to Maddie. “You’re talking about the bet.”
“I mean, I do have twenty bucks on the line. But Inky knows all about it, so I don’t feel like a jerk. And if a little healthy competition pushes Greer to maybe be a little more honest with himself that Inky is more than just another booty call, well, then I don’t see the harm.”
Anders shook his head. “We never stood a chance against any of you.”
“Not a single one,” Maddie said with a laugh, surprising Anders when she reached over and gave him a hug. “I’m so glad we didn’t have to bury you in the desert.”
Anders patted Maddie on the back. “Well, that makes two of us.”
“Not you too,” Holden said with a dramatic sigh. “Having Josie and Mom fall all over this guy is bad enough.”
“Oh, hell no,” Anders said with a laugh. “She’s all yours. I can barely handle the one I have. And we’re not going to talk about your mother because that would just be uncomfortable for all of us.”
“In-fucking-deed,” Holden said, clinking his beer with Anders’s.
“I see booze and food. I already like whatever it is Josie’s set up,” Walker said, moving toward the tables.
“Did she come up with all this on her own?” Holden asked.
“No. While we were finalizing wedding plans and chatting about tonight, one of the ladies in charge of the wedding mentioned they had these beach party packages they offered guests. They come out and set up drinks, food, music, and a few games. It sounded like a fun way to relax before Josie goes into full freak-out mode.”
Anders turned to Maddie. “Freak-out mode? What the fuck does that mean?”
“Calm down, fool,” Maddie said with an eye roll. “She has a lot to do tomorrow, and it’s stressful and overwhelming. It’s one of the main reasons Holden and I decided to elope. Fuck all that noise.”
Anders pursed his lips, but he let it go. He knew women went a little crazy when it came to weddings, and even though Josie had been pretty chill, she had her moments. “What are they setting up over there?”
“It looks like limbo. After a few drinks, people are going to bust their asses,” Holden laughed.
“I think she got a cool light-up beach volleyball set and some other game I can’t remember. It’ll be fun. Come on, let’s grab a drink!” Maddie led the group to where Walker, Owen, Keith, Nathan, and Greer already stood, drinks in hand.
Anders took a sip from his drink and looked around the beach. Tiki torches lined the perimeter, boxing them in around the already roaring bonfire. “Alcohol and fire. What could possibly go wrong?”
Josie stood with one arm behind her back, her feet spaced apart, and her eyes locked with Anders’s. To her left, Inky, Chloe, and Lori stood in a similar position with Greer, Reid, and Owen across from them. Between each group was a long white table containing red plastic cups filled with beer.
“Anders, I don’t think you boys know what you’re getting yourself into,” Maddie said, her voice playful.
Greer shook his head. “You girls always talk so much shit. I don’t see you playing. Are you scared?”
A Cheshire cat smile spread across Maddie’s face at the same time Holden groaned. “Dude, you just fucked all of us.”
Maddie looked at Lori. “Why don’t you and Owen take over for me and Holden to make sure no one cheats. Apparently, I need to back up my shit talk.”
Lori grinned and nodded. “Come on, Owen. I have a feeling we’re going to be glad we’re not playing.”
“Flip cup not your game?” he asked, the pair moving so Holden and Maddie could take their places.
“Not really. But I’m always willing to try something new.”
Owen smirked. “Is that so?”
Even in the soft glow from the tiki torches against the night sky, Josie could see the bloom of color spread under Lori’s skin.
“Are you guys ready to start?” Josie asked.
Holden let out another sigh and looked at Greer. “How much do you know about Josie and Maddie?”
Greer shrugged. “I don’t know. They’re friends. Related now. They’re down with Chloe. They like to play with clothes. Oh, and they drink a shit-ton of tequila.”
Inky rolled her eyes. “Sweet Jesus.”
“And do you have any idea where they found their love for playing with clothes and drinking a shit-ton of tequila?” Holden asked, his line of questioning obvious.
Greer gave him a blank stare as Josie and Maddie giggled.
“College. They met in college, you idiot. Where they played this fucking game every damn weekend. Hell, I think they have a damn certificate for best flip cup team or some shit. We will not win this.”
“You hustling me, Ivy?” Anders asked, his voice filled with mirth.
Josie bit her lip and shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I see how it is.”
“You don’t get to be the best at everything.”
“Before Anders and Josie take their conversation in a direction I won’t be able to forget, can we just get this ass-whooping started?”
Josie looked at Holden and laughed. “Sure, bro. Lori, count it down.”
“One, two, three, go!”
Chloe and Reid were up first. They slammed their cups against the table before chugging the beer and placing the cup on the edge of the table. Chloe was the first to flip her cup, but it landed on its side. The music from the small DJ station the hotel provided kicked up the volume as the group yelled words of encouragement and a healthy dose of trash talk. It took Reid only two tries to flip his cup before Greer knocked back his drink. One more flip and Chloe landed it. Then Inky snatched up her cup and downed it in one go. She set the cup on the edge of the table and, in one smooth motion, flipped her cup.
Maddie let out a peal of laughter just as Greer landed his cup as well. Grabbing her cup, she let her head fall back and downed her beer in sync with Holden. In a move that surprised e
veryone, Holden landed his cup in one flip and Maddie missed.
“Shit,” she murmured, her eyes darting to Anders as he downed his beer. On her second try, she landed the cup and turned to Josie. “Deep-throat that shit!”
Anders choked on his beer as Josie drank hers and set her cup on the edge. She looked at Anders who had also positioned his cup and smiled. Never taking her eyes off his, she flipped the cup, landing it perfectly before he could even touch the red plastic. All the girls let out screams as they high-fived each other.
“See,” Holden said, unsurprised. “Even when they fuck up, you can’t beat them.”
Anders shook his head. “I want a rematch. Maddie, you can’t talk about my girl and deep-throating and expect me to concentrate.”
Maddie laughed and nodded. “Fine. Let’s rotate teams. Best out of five is the winner. And the winners get to pick one of the activities we have out here for the losers to do.”
“I don’t want in on this bet,” Holden said. Clearly, he knew the odds were against him.
“Fuck that. We’ve got this,” Walker said, stumbling from the drink table. “We used to play this shit in rehab all the time. I’m a flip cup master.”
“I don’t think that’s how rehab is supposed to work,” Inky commented, her words laced with confusion.
Walker winked. “Then you’re not going to the right rehab.”
Turned out, Walker really was good at flip cup. And surprisingly, so were Josie’s parents. She didn’t want to think about how they’d learned their skills. They’d met in college. The thought of her parents drunk at frat parties and making out in basements caused a shiver to run up her spine. Just no. In the end, her dad’s skills and Lori’s lack thereof didn’t matter. Josie and Maddie together wouldn’t be beat, and the girls won in three games.
“So, what should we have them do first?” Inky asked, her eyes dancing.
“Josie, what are our options?” Lori asked. Josie noticed the way Lori swayed and her smile was relaxed. It was the first time she’d really seen Lori drunk the whole weekend.
“Well, we have hula hoops, light-up volleyball, and those pugil jousting poles used to knock your opponent off small platforms.”
“Oh my God, one hundred percent hula hoops. With Owen and Walker,” Maddie laughed.
Owen smirked. “Clearly, you’re doubting my skills, girl. You might know how to flip a cup, but moving my hips has never been an issue.”
“Less talking, more making an ass out of yourself,” Holden said, a slight tinge of annoyance to his voice. Josie wasn’t surprised. She was more than certain both Holden and Anders had had enough talk about dicks and sex tapes and anything else to do with fucking from the other guys.
While Owen and Walker got into position, Abigail walked out to join them. “Let me show you boys how it’s done.”
“You mom is like the gift that keeps on giving,” Inky said, bumping her shoulder to Chloe’s.
Chloe disagreed. “She’s hit her wall. We’ve already hit peak trauma. This is nothing. She’s hula-hooping, not flipping upside down on a stripper pole.”
“If you say so,” Inky teased.
The music changed, the beat quick but sexy. Abigail spun the hoop around her waist and hit a rhythm right away. She laughed at Walker and Owen as they struggled to get their motion right. Owen was the first to find his groove, but as soon as he tried to smile smugly at the group, the plastic ring fell into the sand. Walker was hopeless. After his sixth try, he moved the hoop to his arm and spun it around while taking a sip from his beer.
“I don’t need all that motion of the ocean bullshit. My boat is a fucking cruise liner.”
Owen shook his head as everyone burst into laughter. “We’re sending you back to rehab when we get home.”
Walker grinned. “Fine by me. Apparently I need to brush up on my flip cup.”
“This is it, Sonya,” Keith said with a sigh. “These are the people we have to look forward to running the country.”
“Let’s be honest,” Nathan said with a chuckle. “We aren’t in danger of Walker running anything.”
“Okay, who’s up next?” Josie asked, already knowing what she wanted to see follow this.
“Depends on what you have in mind,” Holden said, eyeing the hula hoops. Josie had seen her brother dance. He’d be worse than Walker.
“You and Dad on the platforms with the pugil jousting poles!”
Everyone cheered as Holden and Keith climbed onto the small wooden steps, and each took one of the long plastic poles with heavy padding on the ends. They looked like giant Q-tips. The rules were simple; the last one standing on their step was the winner.
“Go!” As soon as the words left Josie’s mouth, her dad swung his pole forward and whacked Holden in the shoulder. Holden tipped on his side but quickly righted himself.
“I see how it is, old man,” Holden said, his balance still a little wobbly.
Keith smiled. “You didn’t think I was going to take it easy on you, did you?”
“Let’s go, then.” Holden swung high, and Josie’s dad ducked. The momentum of Holden’s swing almost threw him off the platform again. That was when Keith went for the kill. He swung low, hitting Holden in the hip, and a second later, Holden was flying through the air and landing with a thud in the sand.
“Hell yeah! You totally kicked his ass!”
“Mom,” Josie said, her mouth hanging open. “You’re trash-talking about your husband kicking your son’s ass. Shouldn’t there be at least a hint of conflict there, or no?”
Sonya shrugged. “Holden’s grown. I can cheer for your old man to show you two who’s boss every now and then. It’s hot.”
“Nope. Not doing this with you,” Josie said, turning away from her mother. There was far too much talk about sex with these people. “Who’s next?”
“Come on, Reid,” Greer said, tossing him one of the poles. “Let’s see what you got.”
Reid laughed and stepped onto the platform across from Greer. “Don’t get mad when I embarrass you.”
Greer rolled his eyes and cracked his neck. “In your dreams.”
Greer landed the first blow, but unlike Holden, Reid kept his balance and returned a hit just as hard. The group stood around cheering and taunting the guys as they literally beat the hell out of each other. Josie was glad the ends were super padded or else they’d likely be covered in bruises. Hell, she still wasn’t one hundred percent sure they wouldn’t be anyway. After a couple minutes of trash talk, a few of the onlookers wandered to the food table or the limbo pole.
Walker moved next to Inky and pointed at the limbo pole where Abigail was getting assistance from one of the resort employees as she struggled to bend her back to get under the pole. “What are you, five feet tall? I bet you’re flexible enough to get under that with no problem.”
Before Inky could open her mouth, Josie gasped and Anders let out a low whistle. Distracted by Walker’s conversation with Inky, Greer didn’t even see it coming until it was too late. Reid landed a solid hit to his shoulder, and in dramatic fashion, Greer flew through the air before landing in the sand, much like Holden had done, but far worse due to his distraction. Inky’s eyes widened, and she rushed over to Greer’s side, with Josie and the rest of the group following behind.
“Shit, Greer, are you okay?” Inky asked.
“Dude, what the fuck? You didn’t even try to block that.” Reid snapped his fingers in front of Greer’s face when he suddenly pulled in a sharp breath.
“Holy shit,” Greer coughed. His eyes found Inky’s, and he must have noticed the panicked look on her face because his pained expression morphed into a cocky grin. “Were you worried about me, Inky?”
Inky pursed her lips and stepped over his legs, straddling his body. She leaned down over him and took his face in her hands. Josie lifted her brow, wondering if Inky was going to give in to Greer, after all. She should have known better.
“You,” Inky said in a soft and sultry voice
before her expression changed and everyone knew she was up to no-good. “Got knocked the fuck out!”
“Oh my God,” Lori laughed. “You just went all Smokey on him! This is amazing!”
“Come on, Deebo,” Inky joked, reaching for Greer’s hand to help him up. But Greer had other plans. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Inky and pulled her onto the beach, rolling on top of her and pinning her arms above her head.
“Who’s Deebo now?” he asked. Inky fought to get out from under him, but Josie had seen enough.
“I’ll feel like I’m watching soft-core porn. Let’s leave these two to whatever the hell it is they’re doing,” Josie said, turning away. She took a couple of steps before she spun around. “Walker!”
He let out a quiet chuckle and shrugged before following the rest of the group. Over the next couple of hours, people divided up, some playing volleyball, some working on their limbo skills, which had become dramatically worse as the night had worn on and the alcohol disappeared.
“They look cozy,” Inky said, stepping next to Josie and nodding toward Abigail and the guy who’d helped her with the limbo stick earlier.
Josie smirked. “So did you and Greer. You gonna make me lose my money, Inky?’
“You realize you’re a horrible person for making a bet like that, right?”
“Tell me right now that if the roles were reversed, you wouldn’t have done the same thing, and I’ll apologize.”
Inky rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously, I would have done the same thing. You think the band didn’t have a bet on when Chloe and Reid would bang? That doesn’t mean I can’t complain and whine about it now that the shoe’s on my foot.”
Josie laughed and wrapped her arm around Inky’s shoulder. “I’m so happy I met you. You’re good people.”
“Don’t suck up to me,” Inky sassed before returning Josie’s hug. “You’re pretty fucking awesome yourself.”
Maddie walked over to where they stood, her face apologetic. “Guys, I know we’re having fun and all, but Josie, we have a lot going on tomorrow, so I think we should call it a night.”