Free Reluctantly in Love by Niecey Roy

“Just go on a date with him. One. This canoe trip doesn’t count.”
    “If he wasn’t Matt’s best friend, maybe.” The stomach flutters had been very real— and exciting. “It would be weird.”
    Lexie bounded up on the other side of me. “I’m dating your cousin, isn’t that pretty much the same thing?”
    “That’s different. You two were meant for each other. And if the two of you ever break up again, I swear I will never speak to either of you. The two of you were miserable to be around when you weren’t together. Like lovesick puppies.”
    Before Lexie could respond, Gen interrupted. She said, “I’m telling you, Chase is perfect for you.”
    “Perfect guys do not exist. They’re an urban legend,” I said. “I should just leave. I already regret letting you two talk me into this camping trip. Leo wouldn’t even let me bring an air mattress.”
    “You didn’t bring a vehicle,” Gen reminded me with a triumphant lilt to her voice.
    “This was a trap.” I glared at her as I wiped off the sweat running down my temple.
    “No. This is a canoe trip .” Gen yanked her tank top up and over her head, revealing a tie-dyed bikini. “And it’s going to be fun. You’ll see.”
    I nudged Lexie in the side. “Sure thing. As long as the mutant fish don’t get us first.”
    “Mutant fish?” Lexie asked, as if she’d never thought about it before, but was now a little worried.
    “Yes, mutant fish.”
    “There are no mutant fish in the river,” Gen said. She used her tank top to wipe the sweat off her forehead. “We live in Nebraska.”
    “Um, clearly you haven’t seen River Monsters .” I stepped over a thick branch that had fallen from the tree above our heads—the victim of a lightning strike. Half the tree was dead, the other half thick with foliage.
    “Also, I just read on the news that piranhas were found in Lake of the Ozarks. Piranhas .” My insomnia was a pain in my ass lately. After spending hours staring at a computer screen, my mind wouldn’t shut off. I’d lie in bed, my brain fuzzy with thoughts while I watched television shows. Most times I’d wake in the morning to my alarm clock blaring Britney Spears’ Work Bitch near my ear, the TV still on.
    “No way,” Gen said with a snort. “Piranhas live in South America.”
    I threw up my hands. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I just watched the news. Also, in case you didn’t know, piranhas are flesh eating fish. They’ll eat you alive. Have you ever seen the movie Piranha in 3D? Because I did.”
    Lexie grimaced. “Maybe we shouldn’t canoe.”
    “There’s no piranhas here.” Gen’s steps slowed, sounding worried. “We would have heard about it. You know?”
    “Guess we’ll find out,” I told them, giving them my ominous voice. “Hopefully we all make it back alive.” I hummed the Jaws theme song.
    “Who’s the jerk now?” Gen rolled her eyes and then pushed me toward the riverbank and the waiting canoes.
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    My feet were numb. I didn’t want to move. That feeling of climbing apprehension coiled in my gut told me I would regret climbing into that canoe.
    “I never pegged you for a wuss, Roxi.”
    I glared down at Matt, who sat in the rear seat of his and Gen’s canoe. He had ahold of the bank to keep from drifting.
    “I’m not a wuss.”
    He grinned up at me. “ Mm-hmm .”
    “I’m just suspicious of murky water. I’ve seen Jaws , you know.” I wasn’t interested in murky water, and even less interested in what might be in that water.
    “Come on, squirt, I’ll help you in.” Leo offered me his hand.
    “Fine,” I huffed. “But you’re going to feel really bad if I get eaten by a mutant fish.”
    “Nah, I wouldn’t even notice you’re gone,” Leo teased.
    “You’re a horrible cousin,” I told him.
    “You love me.” He laughed.
    “I might not even claim you after this.”
    “Threats,” Leo said, flashing me the boyish smile that had gotten him out of all