Page 76 of Cabin Mate

“Oh dear.” I can hear Diane’s voice faintly, and she stands from her seat. The other women fuss at her to ignore it and sit back down. But much to our relief, she walks through the garden gate and toward the front entrance of the country club. We listen with bated breath until the sound of her heels clacking on the pavement fades completely.

Sophie starts talking into her walkie-talkie, and I can hear what she’s saying through Drew’s end. “Mama bird has left the old hens. I repeat: Mama bird has left the old hens.”

Drew looks back at the rest of us and we grin at him. He pushes the button on his walkie-talkie and speaks in a hushed voice, “All clear. Release the baby bird.”

Sophie smirks, looking toward the garden entrance on the opposite side of the country club. She waves and then caws loudly several times, like an eagle. We all snicker from where we’re still hiding in the bushes.

Brooks glides confidently through the gate and winks at our hiding place, even adding finger guns. He’s wearing nothing but a red speedo.

Yes, I convinced his siblings to change the terms of the bet. They didn’t put up much of a fight, since deep down they knew the nudity idea was bound to get Brooks arrested.

Brooks’s body is oiled up and ready for his fountain swim. His abs glisten in the sunlight and draw my attention to that glorious V shape that disappears beneath the speedo. As he draws nearer to the garden party, the women gasp in offense … but they don’t look away.

He grins at them and waves before leisurely sinking into the water fountain. He allows the water to spray his hair and he shakes it out dramatically. I snicker at the show he’s giving these ladies.

Thank goodness Drew is a doctor. Some of them may need CPR after this.

It only takes a minute for the ladies to relax. They begin giggling and grinning at each other. One of them even throws a few dollar bills in Brooks’s direction. He captures them in his hand and blows her a kiss.

When we hear the clacking of Diane’s heels on the pavement again, I clear my throat three times … the signal. Drew glances back at me and nods once, pressing the button on his walkie-talkie once more. “Mama bird is heading back to the nest. This is not a drill.”

Sophie clears her throat three times, getting Brooks’s attention, then rolls her head from one shoulder to the next. Brooks knows that’s his cue to get the heck out of there. He blows some more kisses to his new fans, and walks quickly toward the other gate, making a clean escape.

We’re all so focused on Brooks, we don’t notice Diane walking toward the bushes. “What are you all doing here?” she asks, her arms crossed and her high-heeled foot tapping on the grass.

David tries to duck down lower. “I already saw you, David!”

Sophie grimaces when she sees her mother’s annoyed stance and quietly tip-toes backward toward the same gate Brooks escaped through. Diane swivels her head. “I already saw you, too!”

Sophie stops abruptly and pouts. She stalks toward our group, giving up any hope of escaping.

“Now. I want an explanation.” She narrows her eyes on Madden and Odette. “And why do you two have that ridiculous camouflage paint all over your faces?”

Madden gulps, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. “We just … wanted to see what a garden party was like.”

“Yeah,” David nods enthusiastically. Er, as enthusiastic as David can be, anyway. “We’ve never been invited. And we were just … fascinated.”

“It was my fault,” Isa comes to his defense. “I’ve never seen a country club before!”

Diane looks at her children with obvious suspicion and disappointment. Drew makes the mistake of shuffling his feet, and a branch cracks beneath his foot. She looks back and sees him for the first time, gasping in shock.

“You too, Drew? You’re the sweet one!”

He looks down at his feet. “I’m sorry, Diane.”

Diane shakes her head and sets her fists on her hips. “I have to get back to the party … but I will get to the bottom of this. And you all better not have done anything that could embarrass me … or the Windell reputation.”

Isa snorts, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh. She’s promptly met with the steely gaze of each Windell sibling.

After giving us all one final glare, Diane strides back to her garden party.

We left the country club faster than a getaway driver leaving a bank robbery, none of us wanting to endure any more questions from Diane Windell. We decided to meet back at Madden and Odette’s penthouse for lunch. Brooks is dressed now, wearing some distressed jeans, a red cotton tee, and, of course, a backward baseball cap.

Once we’re alone in the elevator at Madden’s building, Brooks reaches for me. He still smells like tanning oil and his arms are a little greasy. “Did you enjoy the show?” He winks.

“Not as much as the old lady who threw money at you.”

He throws his head back and laughs, then reaches into his back pocket, pulling out the cash the woman gave him. “It’s all yours, just like everything else I have to give,” he says sweetly as he tucks the money into my jeans pocket.