Lake sighed, content to remain in the background while Cas and Patty carried the conversation.
"Wouldn’t it be better to buy tents that fit pairs?" He found himself joining the conversation after a short while.
"Pairs?" Caspian’s brows furrowed, treating this with as much severity as he treated his engagement party.
"Who do you have on your invite list?" Lake sat up, peering at the tents on the screen.
"My mate and I, you, Davian, Jael... Patty agreed to come along."
"So three tents, it’s a perfect fit." Lake chimed in.
Caspian’s eyes went wide, it was a perfect fit. And even if they found more people to join in, they would just have to make sure that they came in pairs.
Patty on the other hand wasn’t handling the change in plans well. "Pairs? That means I’ll be pairing with J-Jael?" She asked with a green expression.
Caspian scrolled down the screen, "The tent is spacious, it’s just a safe place to put down your sleeping bag, it’s not like you’ll have to share a sleeping bag."
Patty went from nervous green to bright red and back to green again. "I don’t like the sound of that," She mumbled, more to herself, "Singular tents are more economical and they put fewer restrictions," She debated seriously.
Caspian was thoughtful again, he was swayed by her argument. It would be inconvenient to have a single person in a duo tent when they could just buy a single-person tent.
Lake gave Patty a knowing look which the accountant stoically avoided. "Restrictions or not, Asher isn’t going to let you sleep in a tent alone." He said bluntly, choosing not to add the fact that the same would be happening to him.
Caspian’s expression changed again, it was like a tug of war with him being pulled from side to side by Lake and Patty.
Lake’s phone rang then and he immediately shot to his feet, "Sorry, I have to take this."
He walked out of the kitchen study, behind him Patty was clinging to Caspian’s arm.
"Can we invite more people then? I don’t want to share a tent with J-Jael. He’s scary..."
"Hey, I just got to the airport," Davian’s familiar voice filled Lake’s phone as soon as he picked and without realizing it, he was biting back tears again.
"Be safe," Lake murmured a response, his voice almost a whisper.
An electronic voiceover could be heard in the background, the ambient noise suddenly increasing.
"Is your flight about to leave?" He leaned against the wall in the hallway.
"No, I can’t stay a while," Davian said gently, and it sounded like the Alpha was walking to a quieter area. "How’s Caspian doing?"
"Asher didn’t tell him I was coming over," Lake plunged into his narration, "He wanted me to surprise Caspian."
Davian’s smile was audible in his voice. "Will you play along?"
"I’ve got little to lose..."
The voiceover came again, cutting off Lake’s words. "You have to leave," He said in a shaky voice.
Davian went quiet for a spell, "I could come back, I’ll pick you up from Asher’s and we’ll spend the rest of the day in bed."
Lake harshly wiped the annoying tears that spilled out his eyes, laughing softly. "Don’t tempt me with a good time. Call me when you get off your flight." He murmured, hanging up without giving Davian a chance to respond.
It would be detrimental to him because it didn’t matter what Davian said, he would have caved in and asked the Alpha to drive right back from the airport.
He stood out in the hallway for a bit to regulate his breathing and completely get rid of any trace that he had been crying, he wasn’t about to worry his friend.
By the time he got back to the study, there was already a large pitcher of fruit punch filled with cut-up fruits and a bowl of chips and dip.
"Lake, good thing you’re back," Caspian was immediately gravitating to his side as soon as he returned.
Patty served him a glass of fruit punch, a hopeful look in her eyes.
"Do you know anyone else that might want to tag along on the camping trip?"
Lake gulped down the refreshing drink, snagging a fresh strawberry as he did. He chewed thoughtfully, his friend list wasn’t exactly long. "I could ask Rosie, she might be up for it."
Patty had puppy dog eyes on, "Please do." She really didn’t want to share a tent with Jael, it was bad enough that the other would be a part of the camping trip.
Lake reached for his phone again, going over anyone else he could reach out to. He knew that Clint would accept in a heartbeat but he also knew that the Alpha and Davian didn’t get along well, he didn’t want to put a damper on the atmosphere.
Rosie was in a car driving over to Mafia King Nikolai’s turf when her phone rang. She planned to ignore it but was surprised when the caller ID said it was her boss.
"Good morning, Lake," She greeted with a smile.
"Morning, Rosie," Lake replied, a little bit hesitant. "You’re allowed to turn me down but what do you think about going camping with us, as well as Mafia King Asher and his mate."
Rosie was stunned silent, of all the things she expected to be asked that morning. "A camping trip?" She repeated slowly, hoping she misheard.
"There’s a stretch of woods beside Asher’s home, we won’t be going far from civilization." Lake tried to explain in a way that wouldn’t chase his secretary off.
"Sure," Rosie agreed dryly, "It sounds like it would be fun."
"You know you can turn me down, right?" Lake said nervously, he didn’t want Rosie agreeing just because he asked.
"I do," Rosie was quick to answer, "But it’s not often I get an offer of an all-expense-paid camping trip."
Lake sighed quietly, "Remind me to add a bonus to your pay check."
"Gladly," Rosie said, her grin spreading from ear to ear.