Page 141 of Game Plan

I sighed as I turned the corner of the hallway leading to the staff break room and offered a silent prayer that things would run smoothly for us now that we had overcome all the challenges life had put on our road so far.

Mason and I deserved a breather. A much-needed pause.

Was it possible, or was it wishful thinking?

I decided to silence the voices in my head who told me to be careful. I didn’t need their pessimism right now—or ever. What did they know anyway, right?

37

Newsflash. I won’t be your dirty little secret anymore

“You guys are the best.” Jules hugged us one after the other, joy radiating from her. “I can’t believe how successful Home Alive Driving Buddies has been so far. We’re fully booked every night, and with all the end-of-semester parties happening before the winter break, I’m sure we won’t be able to serve everyone. The university said it has exceeded all expectations.”

“I’m so proud of you.” I hugged her again. “So, tell us exactly how it works so we can get going.”

Cassidy, Donovan, and I were volunteering for HADB tonight, ready to get the lowdown on how this whole thing worked, amongst a bunch of other students about to escort drunk drivers back home for the next four hours.

Jules stepped to the front of the room and started explaining how HADB worked and what we should expect. When she wrapped up her speech, we broke into groups of three.

“You guys are ready?” Jules asked, nearing us as we zipped our jackets and slipped the official HADB T-shirt over them. Winter in Michigan meant we sometimes had to wear our layers of clothes in a different order; otherwise, our shirts wouldn’t be visible.

“Yes.”

“Car number two should arrive within the next minute. Who’s driving?”

“I am.” I waved my hand. “Donovan will drive the customers’ cars. Cassie is in charge of the logistics and of managing our schedule.”

“Awesome. Cassie, you gotta ride with Don at all times. There can never be just one of you in the customers' cars, both for safety and insurance reasons. Intoxicated people can't be trusted to act right.”

My roommate nodded twice. “Noted.”

“I’ll leave you to it. Call me or HQ if you have questions. And mostly, have fun.”

“Absolutely.” Cassidy adjusted her hat. Once Jules left, she turned to face me. “I’m happy to do this, but why can’t this T-shirt be like black instead of bright teal?”

I linked my arm with hers, chuckling. “You’ll survive, Cassie. I swear, you can do this.”

Donovan looped his arm through her free one. “You, girl, rock that shirt. It makes your eyes pop.”

She poked her tongue out at him and shrugged away from his grip before pushing him back with a flat palm against his chest. “Ugh. Black makes my eyes pop, not this too-cheerful color. Maybe you need glasses, Don. Very powerful glasses because clearly, you’re blind. I think it could be a serious disease. One that could be deadly.”

He watched her with amusement flickering across his face. “Ever thought about getting a makeover? You could go platinum blonde and add a few color strands, dress in bright pink and yellow, and wear sneakers or flip-flops. Imagine the party. Your toes would enjoy the freedom and sunshine. Oh, and we’d add hair extensions, coral-pink lipstick, a little blush. I even offer my services to braid your hair. What do you say?”

“Gosh, Don. Keep going and I’ll throw up, and your team will be missing a member. Pink is so not my color, I swear.”

“I maddde out with threee girls tonight,” the first guy we picked up slurred as soon as his ass hit the backseat of his car. “At the sammme time.”

“Good for you,” Cassidy said in a sarcastic tone.

The guy shut the door, cutting his bragging short, and my roommate rolled her eyes before mouthing, This night will be long.

I grinned big. “Nah, it will be interesting. See it as a social experiment for your psychology degree. Lots of people to psychoanalyze. Good stuff for your term paper.”

“When you say it like that.”

I shrugged and smirked in a You know I’m right and you can’t deny it manner.

She sighed. “Okay, fine, you win.”