“Because you look like you’re ready to skin a person alive, Izzy Bizzy, and we’ve got to travel with them for two weeks.”
Knowing his tone, I held up a finger to shut it down immediately. “Don’t start, Lucas. I don’t even want to hear you breathe your next thought into existence. We’re not getting drinks. We’re going home, we’re packing, we’re getting our shit together to make sure we kick ass at this team building next week.”
“If they don’t have alcohol, I’m going to die.”
“But not too much, right?” Lucas nodded and we fist bumped because we always noted the limit we could handle. We never wanted to slide back to a place where we didn’t have control. Then, I sighed, “But, honestly, me too.”
10
Izzy
They had alcohol at night, thanks to every higher power that may exist. We’d landed early Monday. The drive in was scenic enough with forests and farmland for thirty minutes as we traveled in luxury SUVs from the airport.
As we pulled onto a gravel drive and weaved through thick pines and maples, it opened up to a sparkling lake surrounded by cabins. A bright, bouncy blonde gave us name tags the moment we exited the vehicles along with accommodation instructions and itineraries.
“The election security team is already here, and we’ve paired you all with them in separate cabins. You’ll find food in your fridge, although we will have food stations outside throughout the day. Bars with bartenders are set up between cabins for beverages, and you may call the number at the bottom of your itinerary if something isn’t up to par. You each have private Wi-Fi connections with optimum security. We truly think these two weeks will be most enjoyable once you get to know everyone. So please don’t switch accommodations.”
It was four people to a cabin, and there were five cabins available. Ms. Heather—she’d introduced herself as such—handed over bags for those of us who’d requested items. Mine clinked with the spray cans I’d asked for, considering they were prohibited on the flight.
Eight of us had come from Stonewood Enterprises. Cassie and Penelope seemed pretty disappointed that they couldn’t fight over rooming with Cade, but he’d taken his own car, and it appeared his cabin was on the other side of the lake, completely isolated from us.
“Guess Mr. Armanelli gets his own cabin,” I grumbled to Lucas as we hauled our luggage to cabins 1 and 2.
“He’s probably working on some nuclear warfare stuff that he can’t share with anyone else.” Lucas laughed and pointed to the literal log cabins ahead of us with what looked like kayaks and paddleboards set up along the shore for us if we wanted. Picnic tables and grills were sprinkled over the grassy areas, and I took note of the zip lines that were attached to some of the taller pine trees.
“Guess this is going to be some real team building, huh?” I murmured, concerned about the height as I stared at the zip line. “I’d rather have someone hold a gun to my head.”
“That’s morbid as hell, Izzy Bizzy.” He nudged me, and my duffel bag and suitcase wobbled, causing the spray cans to clink together.
“Did you request painting supplies?” Lucas sounded appalled.
“It’s two weeks! I figured we’d have free time, and I might get inspired.”
He pointed to my cabin. “That’s your inspiration. Look at your bunkmate. Holy hell.”
Cybersecurity for the election was apparently buff, tatted, and dreamy. He had a light-brown man bun and was grabbing a paddleboard in his swim trunks.
“Jesus,” I grumbled.
“Goodbye, Gerald. Hello, team building, right?” Lucas grabbed my luggage and hauled it up the porch where a little wooden swing attached to chain-links swayed gently in the wind. “Want to ask him which bed he’s in so I can set your suitcase down next to it?”
I laughed. “Shut up, you jackass. He’s going to hear.”
Right then, the guy turned around and smirked. “Oh, I heard. I’m the first room on the left. Name’s Rodney, and I’m fine with you sharing my room if you want.” He glanced at Lucas. “Happy to share with you too. I’m pan, and you both seem like my jam.” Dude even winked before he turned and ran out to the water.
“Fuuuck.” Lucas let out a string of curses under his breath. “If I come out of the closet on this trip, it’s for him.”
“Izzy.” Lucas and I jumped about a mile when we heard Cade’s low voice behind us. “Heather got the room assignments wrong. We need a private IP address to work out the last kinks of JUNIPER. So you’ll be staying with me.”
“With you?” I squeaked, and Lucas quite literally gasped, both of us in complete disbelief at Cade’s words.
He didn’t really give me or Lucas time to digest them either. He just snatched my luggage and strode away as he called out, “Don’t make noise at whatever ungodly hour you get back.”
My jaw hung open, ready to catch mosquitoes, flies, and any other sort of bugs that might fly by out in the wilderness. After a moment of silence, Lucas practically shoved me. “Why the hell does he want you in his cabin, Izzy?”
Combing a hand through my hair, I shook my head. “I really have no idea. I . . . the IP address thing is . . . I don’t know.”
This would have been a perfect time to tell Lucas about Cade, except it was one thing to tell my sister who was tucked away in the suburbs and another to tell someone who worked with us. I couldn’t tell anyone else. I was going to sweep it under the rug and hope the dust stayed put.
“I wonder if he acts normal at home. Can you record him while you stay there?” Lucas asked with a smile on his face.
“That’s a hard no. I’m not going to be hanging out in that cabin unless I have to.”
Lucas chuckled. “Bizzy, I’d be in there all day. Rodney is chef’s kiss, but Cade Armanelli, that’s forbidden perfection right there.”
It took everything I had not to glance back longingly at the cabin because he was right.
“So, Cade probably knows I’m gay now, huh?” Lucas whispered as we made our way to his cabin instead of mine.
I chuckled and welcomed the change in subject. “That, I have no idea.”
“Well, you need to go figure it out. And you need to see if there’s room for me to sleep on your floor. I’m grossly intrigued by your new living situation.”
I sighed as he shoved me away from his cabin porch. “I really hate you right now.”
“Call me if you want to hang out later, but I’ll totally understand if you don’t.” He waggled his eyebrows at me like this was a freaking reality show that I was on.
The walk through the grass, around the lake, and to the isolated cabin on the other side made my heart beat like I was on my way to either be voted off or receive the last rose.
I knocked on the door before I entered, but Cade didn’t welcome me in, open the door, or say a thing. After another knock and trying to peer in through the windows, which had closed blinds, I turned the knob.
Cade sat on the living room couch with his feet up and a laptop on his lap, typing away. “You don’t need to knock.”
“You could have just told me to come in,” I huffed and waved a hand in front of myself, already irritated.
When he didn’t respond, I decided I wouldn’t even bother engaging with him. I deserved someone’s full attention, not a half-assed comment here and there without even a look in my direction.
Scanning for my bags, I noticed the furniture was new, the countertops were granite, and the AC was cooling the place even though it was autumn and we could have opened the windows. “Looks like we’re actually going to be glamping.”
“Yes, the accommodations are fine.”
“Where did you put my bags?”
“Next to our bed,” he said, like it was nothing out of the ordinary. Like we did this all the time. Like he hadn’t made a colossal mistake.
“Our bed?” I whispered. “You mean my bed?”
He closed his laptop and met my eyes for the first time since I’d walked into the cabin. “There’s one room and one bed in this cabin, Izzy. If you like, you can have the couch, but I figured you’d want a good night’s sleep and it’s a king size.”
“Why would they put me in a cabin with you without two beds?”
“I told you. There was a mistake in the itinerary.”
“Well, you can’t sleep in a bed with me!” Why did I screech that? I didn’t stop there either. I stomped down the hardwood hallway to peer into the one bedroom and growled toward the heavens. The bed appeared plush, soft pastels draped over fluffy pillows with a quilt that looked as smooth as butter. The headboard had solid pine posts stained dark to match the outside feel of the wilderness. “This has to be reason enough for me to call my therapist, text my family, and maybe even fall off the wagon.”
“If you do that, it’s not going to be on my watch,” he murmured from right behind me, and I jumped, not realizing he’d followed me in.