Page 29 of Walk on the Wilder Side

“Whatever. He’s my friend.”

“Well, if kicking the crap out of you is what friends do, then sign me up. I’ll slap you around a bit.” Alice grinned.

“Try it, sister. I’ll take you.”

We pushed each other playfully until we got back to the Jeep. One by one, we climbed in, and I gave one last look over the beautiful scenery surrounding us.

Alice slid her sunglasses on her face. “Okay. Time to get back and get some sleep so we can be well rested when we die tomorrow.”

“Oh! My sunglasses! I never got them! Hold on. I’ll be right back.”

“No!” They shouted in unison loud enough that I jumped.

“Last time you went for your sunglasses, you got beat up by a kangaroo. Just freaking drive, Marge!”

“Okay, okay,” I conceded and started the engine. “But just so you know, it was a beautiful moment, and I don’t regret it at all.”

“Well, I’m gonna regret that black eye I’m now going to be staring at on top of your missing tooth.” Alice gave me the side eye. “It’s like you decided to make yourself as horrifying as possible for the duration of our trip.”

“Don’t tease her, Alice. She can’t help the tooth,” Doris defended. “They eye, well, she could have avoided that, I suppose.”

“Whatever, I look cool. Tough.”

“You look like an idiot.” Alice pointed forward. “Now drive us home, and don’t stop to playFight Clubwith a wallaby.”

Chuckling, I gave in and pressed the gas, giving it enough oomph to make the Widows shout obscenities at me as they scrambled for their seat belts.

CHAPTER SIX

Nerves and excitementrapid-fired through every muscle in my body when we stepped into the room with the jump gear. After spending forty-five minutes in a safety lesson and answering enough questions to prove we wouldn’t get ourselves, or our tandem jump guides, killed, it seemed this last step was all that separated us from the big plunge.

“G’day, ladies!” A grinning man sporting tattoos wrapping around his arms and an upper lip covered in a mustache that would have made Magnum PI jealous stepped toward us. “I’m Lucas, one of your tandem guides today. You’ve already met Bryce.” He paused and gestured to Bryce, who we knew would be taking one of us down. “Then this is Brody, and that’s William. You’ll each be assigned to one of us who will join you on the greatest day of your lives! You ready, mates?”

“Whoo!” I cheered, raising my fist in the air.

The other three Widows stood silently, looking like they’d been delivered a death sentence.

---