“Great. See you in the restaurant.”
Alicia laughed as Drew left the gym. “He’s kind of a force of nature, isn’t he?”
Garrett grabbed the towel and swiped it over his face. “You have no idea.”
They finished up their workout then went up to their rooms to shower.
Drew was waiting for them in the restaurant, along with Trevor and Gray.
“Where are the other guys?” Garrett asked as he held out a chair for Alicia. The waiter was right there to pour coffee for them.
“Lincoln, Hull, and Ted got up early to hit the golf course,” Gray said.
Alicia looked outside. The sun was out, but it couldn’t be more than forty degrees outside. “Die-hard golfers?” she asked.
“You’d have to be to play when it’s this cold,” Trevor said. “I won’t drag my clubs out until it hits at least seventy.”
“Wimp,” Gray said.
“I don’t see your ass out there making it a foursome,” Trevor shot back.
“I had some business to do this morning. Couldn’t make it.”
“You lie. You just didn’t want your balls to freeze in the cold.” Drew gave Gray a smug look. “You might need to use them on—who was that pit bunny I saw when you were giving those interviews?”
Gray lifted his chin but smiled. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Whatever. Whoever you’re currently having sex with, you don’t want your equipment to malfunction.”
Gray took a sip of coffee. “I have no pit bunny, despite what Drew thinks. I’m too busy working. Unlike Garrett here, who brings his work and play with him.”
Garrett rolled his eyes. “I already explained who Alicia is. Believe me, she’s all work. Not play.”
“It’s true,” Drew said. “She had him bound up and crying like a girl in the gym this morning. She definitely had him by the balls, but not in the fun way.”
Alicia slanted a smile at Drew, who winked at her.
“I wasn’t crying. I was rehabbing. And if Alicia had me by the balls, trust me, I’d know it. And it would be for fun.”
Alicia rolled her eyes. “Is it always like this with you guys?”
“Yes,” Gray said. “Ever since college. It’s like a sport.”
“And I win,” Garrett said. “Every time.”
“In your dreams, Scott,” Drew said. “How many times did you have to buy the beer?” Drew asked.
“Not very often. Because I won.”
Trevor leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I never had to buy the beer. I just let these clowns argue it out until they declare someone the loser. Then I reaped the benefits.”
“I heard that,” Garrett said.
Alicia laughed, then sat back and listened while they bickered back and forth. It was like being in college again, partying at the frat houses. Lots of one-upmanship, who won what argument, who was the best at this or that. But it was clear that Garrett was relaxed and enjoying himself. She was glad. He needed that release of tension. This weekend would be very good for his state of mind, which was so integral to his recovery.
“I don’t know what you morons have planned for the day, but I’m going to get Alicia out of here for a while. We’re going into the city so she can have some fun that doesn’t include soaking up all this testosterone.”
Alicia turned to him. “What?”
“You’d take her away from all of this?” Drew asked, pointing to himself.
“Yes. Especially you.”
“Have fun,” Gray said. “But be back for poker tonight.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” He pushed back his chair and held hers out while she stood.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Treating you to a day of fun.”
She stopped in the hall. “Why?”
“Because this is boring for you.”
“No, it’s not. And even if it is, I’m not your girlfriend, Garrett. I’m not here to be entertained by you. I’m here to work on your therapy. If I’m bored, I can always go up to the room and work on my treatment plan notes or read or watch TV.”
“Oooh, sounds fun.”
“Stop that.”
“No, you stop. I feel bad enough for dragging you here this weekend. At least let me make it a little fun for you by taking you out and showing you around the city.”
She inhaled then sighed. “Wouldn’t you rather hang out with your friends? Isn’t that the primary reason you’re here?”
“I’ll see plenty of them. And believe me, a little of those guys goes a long way. Besides, we won’t be gone that long. I’ll take you to Bricktown then to the outlet mall.”
That got her attention. “There’s an outlet mall?”
“There is. Unless you prefer the regular mall. There’s a really nice one.”
“Oh, no. I love outlet mall shopping.”
He pressed the button for the elevator. “Outlet mall it is, then.”
Alicia went upstairs, slipped into her boots and a sweater, then grabbed her bag and met Garrett in the hall. She was ridiculously excited to be going out exploring; she’d never been to Oklahoma City before. Okay, she’d never been in Oklahoma at all, so everything here was a new adventure.
“You’re kind of . . . bubbly and wiggly,” Garrett said as the valet brought his car.
“I know. It’s ridiculous, really,” she said as she slid into the seat.
“Tell me.”
“I love travel. It’s one of the highlights of being with the team. I’m so looking forward to hitting the road. When I was growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money, so while I had friends who would come back after summer vacation and talk about all these fantastic trips they took, about the only thing we got to do was go camping. Locally.”
He laughed.
“It’s not funny.”
“Oh, I know it’s not. It’s just the face you made was like tasting rotten food.”
She pointed at him. “It was exactly like that. Imagine how I felt when my best friend came home, tanned and beautiful, from spending time with her grandparents in Florida. Me? I had mosquito bites from traveling a few hours up the road to a sucky campsite.”