Page 42 of Extreme Romancing in Idaho

I swung around in the stool to see him facing me, and the other guys, save for Myles, rushed toward me.

“If he so much as tries anything, you let me know and I’ll—” Blake started.

Chuck cut in. “I like this guy, but you should give me a go.”

“She’d date a baboon before she tried dating you, Chuck.” Pedro whacked Chuck in the back of the head.

“Incoming.”Remi’s voice cut through the chaos.

“Get back to your lane. I can handle this myself.” I shooed them away.

“That’s why Remi is over there with an earphone feeding you information.” Blake jerked his thumb toward Remi as he walked away from me.

Every other night, I could handle being treated like the town’s little sister. The one you hug and pat on the head but don’t make out with. I didn’t believe for a second Chuck actually meant what he offered. I supposed that was why I’d tried to date Troy. I wanted everyone to see me differently.

I wouldn’t be the little sister anymore. No, tonight I’d be sexy, desirable, and a potential for a long-term relationship.

“Will you keep your friends under control?” I mumbled to Remi.

“They’re more your friends than mine.”

“Why did you bring them?” I asked louder this time.

“Because you said you wanted a diet.”

I spun so my legs slid forward under the table. Daniel held the bottle to me, a question in his eyes. “Yeah. I did.” I took the drink without further explanation, and Daniel sat beside me.

He opened his bottle of water and took a drink. I probably should have ordered water. Sports people didn’t drink soda. Then again, I couldn’t give up Diet Coke for a guy I loved, let alone a pretend hobby.

“Sorry.” He set his bottle on the table and played with the condensation on the side. “I dogged a climb yesterday. It was a bit of a grovel. I had to garden with one hand while I held a chickenhead with the other. I yo-yo’d it for a while, but my melon bucket saved me from the worst hit.”

I blinked … and hoped Remi caught all that.

Sure enough, the translation came in. “He tried to climb a run multiple times, it was rough with dirt and plants. He had to clean it up while he held onto a rock protrusion. He fell a lot, but his helmet saved him from hitting his head.”

Not that it helped much. What in the hell was I supposed to say to that? “Where did you go climbing?”

“Moab. I got back yesterday.”

Sheesh. This man had more adventure in his pinky finger than I had in all of me. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“You haven’t been?” He held an incredulous note in his voice.

Remi chirped in my ear.“Say in April.”

“—In April.”

“It’s too hot in June.”

“It’s hot in June,” I repeated.

“I’ve jumped hundreds of times in Moab. I know the DZO and Rigger personally at the Canyonlands DZ. Have you BASE’d or skydived there?”

“DZ. Drop Zone—it’s where you go to skydive. Rigger checks your rig. Frickin’ SkyGod.”

“Frickin’ SkyGod,” I parroted, only catching the last thing out of Remi’s mouth.

“No—don’t.”

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