Josh whipped his head back and shot Ari a dirty look. “Then why did you pick me? You do know I’m fearing when it hits me.”
The look on Ari’s face was priceless. How she could pull off sweet and innocent was beyond me. In her best southern voice, she said, “Why, Josh Hayes, I declare I have no idea what you’re talkin’ ‘bout.”
He frowned then stated, “You will when you hear my screams of pain coming from the men’s bathroom.”
Ari lost it laughing, as did I. “That’s disgusting, Hayes,” Gunner said walking up with a jug of orange juice. My mouth started to water when he lifted it and grinned.
“How did you know I was craving orange juice?” I asked while standing and making my way over to him.
Gunner reached for a couple of plastic cups and poured two glasses, one for me and one for Ari.
“I remembered Ellie craving it and when I got up this morning for a run, I realized we didn’t buy any last night. The park store had some though.”
Ari downed her drink. “I could kiss you right now, Gunner.”
“Hey, hey, what’s this?” Jeff asked as he set a giant plate full of pancakes on the table.
Ari and I both dug in, each taking four pancakes a piece.
“Wow, y’all are are eating a—”
Jeff stopped talking when both of our eyes swung up to glare at him.
“Um, I’ll go make some more,” Jeff said while giving Gunner a quick grin. “Hey, where’s Ellie?”
I couldn’t help but notice Gunner’s face light up. “She’s still sleeping. We were up late last night.”
Jeff stopped walking and dropped his head. “Dude, really? I don’t need that picture in my head.”
Gunner flashed an evil smile at Ari and me and replied, “I didn’t say anything.”
“Josh! Are you trying to overcook the bacon?” Ari called out.
Glancing over his shoulder, Josh snarled his lip at Ari. “I swear, if you weren’t married to my best friend.”
Throwing out a light-hearted chuckle, Ari responded, “Please, you know you love me, assmole.”
Josh walked over to the table and set two plates of bacon down. One in front of me, one in front of Ari. She reached across and took a few pieces. Taking a huge bite, she went to say something then stopped.
“What in the fuck is this rubber shit in my mouth?” Ari gasped.
Tasting the bacon, I shrugged. “Mine’s good.”
Ari leaned over and spit her bacon into her napkin. “Oh, God I’m going to hurl.” She reached over and picked up a piece of the bacon. It was then I noticed it was shaped weird. Her eyes lifted slowly until she was giving Josh a death stare.
“What. Is. This?”
The boyish grin that appeared across Josh’s face made me press my lips together to keep from laughing. “It’s bacon, buttercup.”
Tossing it back onto the plate, Ari shook her head. “No, Josh. What kind of bacon?”
Without missing a beat, he answered, “Soy.”
Ari’s tongue came out of her mouth as she attempted to wipe any remaining soy bacon from her mouth with her napkin.
“Gross! Oh, my gosh it’s so gross!”
With a wink in my direction, Josh replied, “It’s healthy. Didn’t you say you wanted healthy?”