Page 79 of Love Among Vines

Gemma was gaining on her. Jade whirled back around. Her arms were burning, but the end was in sight. Her heart waslighter than it had been in months. Years, maybe. Who knew that crawling across the lake with an assortment of zoo animals was exactly what she needed?

As they approached the dock, human-like figures appeared. She squinted but couldn’t quite make them out. Apparently they would be ruining someone’s late-night fishing expedition.

“There they are,” someone called from the dock. The sound carried across the expanse.

Shit. Were they about to get kidnapped? Her arms were too sore to fend off attackers. A swift kick would have to suffice.

Flashlight beams clicked on and illuminated the space between Jade and the dock.

“Yeah, get her,” an unfamiliar voice said in the darkness.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

RETT

“And in firstplace we have Jade straddling a unicorn,” Tom’s Australian accent announced.

“Tom?” Cindy called out.

Rett shook his head. It had been a couple years since the last ABB event. Normally the men would have participated too, but apparently they hadn’t been invited.

“Followed directly by the feisty Gemma, charging into battle astride a large pink flamingo. They’re neck and neck, ladies and gents,” Tom continued.

Jade was only feet from the dock, but Gemma was right behind her. With a final push, the unicorn bumped into the dock to a chorus of cheers.

“That’s my girl,” Rett said. He reached down and plucked Jade from the raft. She swayed on her feet and he put an arm around her to steady her.

“Damn it!” Gemma called from behind her. “I was so close.”

“Second time today you were close,” Damian said from the end of the dock.

“What the hell are you doing here, Jones?” There was vitriol in Gemma’s voice.

The sniping at each other was starting early, apparently.

Tom cleared his throat. “Damian joined poker night. Don’t worry, I took a lot of his money.”

“You were amazing,” Rett said to Jade. He swooped down and gave her a kiss. “Here.” He handed over a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. “Thought you might be cold.”

There was a strange sense of pride in his chest. She had looked so confident, so capable gliding over the surface of the lake. Now they just needed to channel that energy to the rest of her life.

“Thank you. I thought you guys were here to murder us.” Jade took the pants and climbed into them. She rolled the waistband three times, but the legs were still too long.

Rett chuckled.

“Here.” Damian had dropped down onto one knee and reached toward Gemma. She slapped his hand away and paddled toward the shore. He laughed.

“Come on,” he said, rising to his feet. “You can’t take it personally. It’s just work.”

“Maybe to you,” Gemma said. “But that’s my client’s life. His livelihood. And you think you’re immune to all the rules.”

“I can’t help that someone presented me with evidence in the middle of court.”

“And I can’t help my foot smashing into your balls the second I get out of this goddamn flamingo.”

“They hooked up once,” Rett whispered in Jade’s ear. “It didn’t end well.”

“How did you guys know we were down here?” she asked.

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