Free Lag (The Boys of RDA Book 2) by Megan Matthews Page A

called them the wrong objects. Are they not trees? They're tall and have leaves. Everything screams tree. Well, except the fact they walk and talk, but everything else is pure tree.
    “Finn made me watch those. Soooo much walking.” Aspen rolls her eyes and shakes her head at the apparent memory.
    Finn’s body tightens at Aspen’s comments. “You fell asleep during the walking and missed all the good parts.”
    “It still counts.” She lifts one shoulder to him as an answer. “Plus it’s a stupid title.”
    “What?” Trey asks with his head cocked in her direction. “It’s about the ring, Aspen. Did you sleep through that part?”
    “Yeah, that’s the point. There is only one ring. It should be called The Lord of the Ring .”
    “There used to be more rings,” Finn jumps back into the conversation sounding a little frazzled.
    “But in the movies there is only one. ‘One ring to rule them all.’ One. Singular. It makes no sense.”
    Trey is silent as he stares across the seats toward Aspen with his lips parted a fraction.
    Finn leans into Aspen’s side, but we all hear his comment. “Be careful, Aspen. Remember what happened the last time you argued movies with me.”
    She doesn’t reply, but from the shade of red her cheeks turn, I imagine what Finn’s alluded to. I run out of time to decide if I have enough courage to ask when a phone breaks the silence from Finn’s comment.
    “Hey,” Aspen answers the pink gemstone dazzled device from the table.
    “Yeah, I’m leaving right now.”
    She stands, and we all wait in silence for her conversation to finish.
    “Oh, and grab an extra French toast. I’m bringing a friend,” she says before tapping on the screen and putting the phone back in her pocket. "Okay, Simone, let’s go.”
    She leans down and places a quick chaste kiss to Finn’s cheek. “I’ll text you when we’re done, okay?”
    “Sure, babe. Love you,” he replies.
    She turns to face me, but I haven’t moved, not sure where we’re going or why I’d go with her.
    “Where do you think you’re taking Simone?” Trey asks the question I’d been thinking.
    “Sunday is girls’ day on the hill,” she answers as if this is some kind of common knowledge. “I’ll bring her back later.”
    She tugs on my hand, and I stand looking down at Trey.
    He shrugs his shoulders and sighs. “I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. I’ll come pick you up after, okay?”
    Aspen tugs on my hand again. “Um, okay.” And without further complaint or objection from Trey, I allow the crazy brunette to pull me out of the brightly lit comic shop.

CHAPTER TEN
     
    “Thanks, Jake.” Aspen waves to the tall, kind of scary man who drove us across town as she gets out of the black Escalade. I stand on the sidewalk beside her as the car blends into the distance.
    “You have a driver?” I ask the question I’ve held in since following her out of Cosmo’s. Most of my clients in New York had drivers — it was almost expected — but I didn’t get that vibe from her or Finn.
    Aspen turns to our right and walks past a gate with Buena Vista Park on the sign. Her eyes move up the hill. “Well, he’s Finn and Trey’s driver really, but it's easier to use Jake than find a taxi, and Trey normally drives himself.”
    She keeps talking as we start to climb the hill to some unknown destination. “Marissa and Amanda will meet us at our usual spot. We started coming here this summer and it kind of stuck. And the food is to die for.”
    Our walk comes to a stop about halfway up the slope when she turns to me with a serious face. “Marissa and I met in college. She’s going through a bad breakup, so try to stay away from the topic of guys.”
    We start back up again and my feet slip on the morning dew still clinging to the grass. I’m thankful I stuck with the tennis shoes and Trey’s fleece too. Just like the blanket, he’s not getting the fleece back unless he directly asks for it. As we reach