Page 8 of Alice & Meg: Summer Vacation (Fallen Lords MC & Devil’s Knights MC Crossover)

Empty plates littered the three tables we had shoved together at Roselia’s. Salsa smeared on plates, a graveyard of lime wedges, and used napkins crumpled like casualties of battle. Sizzling platters of now-devoured fajitas sat cold, their smoke long gone. Cheese stuck to the bottom of the quesadilla tray like it was trying to hang on for dear life. It looked like a Mariachi band and a hungry army had collided.

I leaned back in my chair and patted my overstuffed stomach with a groan.

“I should not have eaten those two baskets of chips, a quesadilla, and then my full plate of fajitas.”

Lo chuckled beside me, twisting the lime into his beer.

“Yeah, babe. I was pretty impressed when you polished off the second basket of chips.”

I smiled through the pain of overeating, the kind of contentment that only comes after devouring food with people you love.

“After all these years, I still surprise you.”

The table erupted in laughter.

Alice leaned forward.

“So tomorrow is duck boat day. Non-negotiable.”

“And we should do the jet boat too,”

I added quickly.

“We can do the dinner boat and ghost boat Friday.”

“Are we going to get wet on the boats?”

Adley asked. Her face was a perfect mix of curiosity and caution.

I hesitated. I knew the duck boat was safe and dry, but the jet boat? We’d be soaked.

Still, I gave her my best innocent face. “No, no.”

Greta opened her mouth, probably to contradict me, but I shot her a look sharp enough to slice cheddar. She clamped her lips shut.

“You’ll be dry as a bone when you get off,”

she said smoothly.

“Good, then I won’t wear my bathing suit,”

Adley said.

Oh boy.

The waitress arrived with the checks, all clipped neatly in little black booklets. Lo had offered to cover the table, but none of the other guys went for that. Everyone insisted on paying their own way, and bills and cash quickly exchanged hands across the table.

Adley pulled out her card.

“Oh shoot, she didn’t give me a pen to sign. Does anyone have a pen?”

I raised my hand.

“I do. I’ve got a couple.”

I opened my purse, and sitting right on top of my wallet was a little purple turtle.

I blinked.

“What in the world is going on?”

I pulled the turtle out and held it up.

“This is the third little turtle I have found today.”

Cyn pointed her fork at me.

“I found one in my ice bucket last night!”

Alice squinted at me.

“I had one on the back of my toilet this morning.”

I looked around.

“Okay, what the hell is happening? Where are these turtles coming from?”

Greta and Raven burst out laughing.

“You guys are crazy,”

Raven said.

“I haven’t found a single turtle.”

Greta held out her hand.

“Let me see that. It looks adorable.”

I handed her the turtle and dug back into my purse. Lo had a long-standing habit of stealing my pens, so I’d taken up collecting weird and oversized ones that were harder to pocket.

I found what I was looking for and pulled out a massive pen that was black, white, and red, with a grip thick enough to use as a hammer.

I held it up to Adley.

“What is that?”

Raven blurted.

“That thing is huge,”

Alice gasped.

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up.

“Seven point three inches to be exact.”

Adley gawked.

“That thing is bigger than the average American.”

“Nope!”

Slayer suddenly shouted, and his hands slapped over his ears.

“I don’t want to hear that my daughter knows the average American penis size!”

He had shouted it so loud that half the restaurant turned to stare.

“Oh my,”

Wendy giggled. She elbowed him, but Slayer just shook his head.

“I said no,”

he repeated, louder.

“Shut up,”

Wendy hissed.

He dropped his hands.

“I don’t even know the average American’s penis size. My little girl should not either.”

Alice groaned and dropped her face into her hands.

“I hate to break it to you, Slayer, but your little girl is in her thirties.”

She turned to Adley.

“What is the average American’s size?”

Adley cleared her throat and was still holding the ridiculous pen.

“Uh, five point one to five point five inches.”

“Bull fucking shit,”

Lo called from my side.

I patted his shoulder.

“I’ve always known you were way above average, babe.”

“Who’s got the biggest average?”

Hero asked Adley, clearly enjoying the show.

Adley glanced around nervously.

“Uh, well, Congo. Seven point one inches.”

Reva choked on her water, and Hero quickly patted her back.

“Sorry,”

Reva coughed out.

“Adley just told me earlier that was where she wanted to go on vacation.”

“Oh my God!”

Slayer shouted.

Wendy turned to Adley, eyes wide.

“You want to go on vacation there?”

“Wait, what?”

Adley sputtered. “I never—”

Reva burst out laughing.

“I’m joking. She never said that.”

She pointed at Slayer.

“You should see your face right now.”

It was perfect. His mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Everyone broke into laughter, and the chaos of the conversation continued with everyone chiming in about stats and data, most of it nonsense. Adley was trying to sign her receipt with the enormous pen, but it was like watching someone try to write with a turkey leg.

She finally scrawled her name, tilted sideways, and held it up.

“Does that count as a signature?”

Clash peered over.

“Looks like a kindergartner signed it.”

“With their left foot,”

Rigid added.

“It’s the pen,”

Adley grumbled.

“Hey, it worked,”

I said, taking it back and tucking it into my purse like a treasured heirloom.

With all the bills settled and the table littered with receipts, chip crumbs, and bits of cilantro, we pushed back our chairs and headed for the door.

Outside, the air was cooler, the sky darker. We were all dragging a little from the food coma.

“Back to the Flamingo?”

Wrecker asked.

“Please,”

Alice groaned.

“My pants are too tight.”

“I need stretchy pants and a fan,”

Reva muttered.

The walk back to the motel was quiet, filled with full bellies and sleepy smiles. One by one, we peeled off into our rooms, the laughter from dinner still hanging in the air like sweet dessert.

Wednesday night was officially a wrap.

And I still had no idea where those damn turtles were coming from.

But I had a feeling tomorrow would be even weirder.

And wetter.

For Adley, anyway.

Bless her heart.