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“I’m not, I swear.” Merry reached between them and took her hand, squeezing it. “I can’t wait to see what you have planned.”
Nathaniel parked the bus at the edge of the parking lot and stood up, announcing, “All right, we’ve arrived at the rustic watering hole, Brews and Chews. Your prizes will be arriving shortly.”
“Prizes?” Sally said, hopping up from the seat, with Tara right behind her, watching out the window.
The bachelor party walked across the parking lot, with Sam in the front talking animatedly to Clark who was grinning from ear to ear.
“Uh, Hol, we’re not crashing the bachelor party, are we?” Merry asked.
“Nope, this was all planned. We’re doing a combined activity for both.”
Nathaniel opened the doors and the guys climbed inside, Clark making a beeline for Merry and giving her a kiss.
“Don’t sit yet, gentlemen,” Holly said, rising to her feet. “We have to pick partners first.”
“What do you mean, partners?” Sally asked.
“I’m so glad you asked.” Holly pulled a small pouch from her purse with a grin. “Inside this bag are scraps of paper with the names of everyone in the bachelor party written on them. You pull a name and that person will be your activity partner for the night. There will be no complaining or repicks or I will leave you here to find a ride home. Am I clear?”
“Yes,” the group said collectively and Holly held it out to Merry.
“Bride first, and you get to pick a bonus team member since we have an odd number of people.”
“She picks me, obviously,” Ryan said.
“He’s not wrong.” Merry stuck her hand inside and rummaged about before pulling out a slip of paper and unfolding it. “Pike.”
“Hey now, shouldn’t bride and groom automatically be together?” Clark protested.
“Clark, don’t make me kick you out of your own bachelor party,” Holly threatened, snapping her fingers at her sister. “Go retrieve your buddies and have a seat.”
Merry got up from her seat and kissed Clark before moving past him to grab Pike by his arm and hauling him to the back by Ryan.
“Who’s next?” Holly asked, shaking the bag.
One by one the women stepped forward, drawing a name from the bag. Holly found herself sneaking glances at Declan, who sat next to Clark in a green hoodie and a gray ball cap on his head. Declan gave her a small smile, and even though it wasn’t fair, she quietly wished she’d rigged this so they would for sure be partners.
Delilah pulled Anthony’s name and Holly recognized the forced smile. She’d once told Holly Anthony’s quieter countenance made her nervous because she hated lulls in a conversation, but hopefully spending a few hours together would bridge that awkwardness between them. Noel and Clark high-fived when they paired up, and Tara and Nick argued over who was in charge as Holly held the purse out to Sally, two names inside. Sally stared at Sam as she stuck her hand into the bag and withdrew a name.
“Declan,” she read aloud, her tone heavy with disappointment. Holly shared her frustration as she waved at a grinning Sam as he strode across the bus to give her a bear hug, picking Holly up off her feet.
“I guess that means it’s you and me.”
“I guess so.”
“Wow, don’t knock me over with your enthusiasm, Holly,” Sam said, frowning.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Were you hoping for someone else?” he asked.
Holly’s gaze strayed to Declan, whose hat brim shadowed his deep green eyes. Sally flopped between him and Tara, obviously displeased with her partner choice. If she hadn’t made such a big deal about not switching partners, Holly would have put a smile on Sally’s face, but she couldn’t do that to Sam. He deserved to have fun tonight too and not stress over accidentally giving Sally mixed signals. She’d see Declan at the house, and they’d have fun later on when she got him alone.
“No, I wasn’t hoping for anyone else. We’re going to kick ass.” Holly slipped her arm through Sam’s and waved it to the crowded bus. “Should we tell them what’s going down?”
“Yeah, what are we doing tonight,” Tara asked.
“We’re going to play a game of trivia first on the drive to the main event and make a stop along the way. And I just want to add that I’m on the hook for the cleaning deposit, so have a good time but be adults. Drink in moderation.”
