“Wait, Alison I thought you said they would be into this?”
Alison shrugged.
“I thought they would. Heather, you said you were switching partners tonight.”
Finally breaking out of my dazed look, I shook my head to clear my thoughts and answered Alison. “I was talking about charades!”
“Dear Lord,” Grant softly spoke.
Ari walked up to Grant and poked him on the chest. “Oh, I think you need to be including the holy ghost, and a few hail Mary’s in on this one, dude. Did you really think you were going to screw a pregnant woman?”
“Well I mean, if you were going to be down with it, I was.”
Snarling her lip, Ari reached up and slapped Grant across the face. “You sick bastard!”
I was starting to feel dizzy. Not to mention sick to my stomach again.
Josh gently pulled Ari back and guided her next to me. He drew in a breath and exhaled. “Grant, Alison, this group is not into that. And honestly, if Jeff or Gunner find out what you had planned, well, honestly I’d be afraid right now, Grant.”
“Very afraid,” Ari added.
Grant reached for Alison’s hand. “I think we’re going to head on back down and continue on by ourselves.”
With a nod, Josh replied, “I think that’s the smart thing to do.”
Alison stopped in front of me and gave me weak smile. “I’m so sorry, Heather. I really liked you. I was so looking forward to our time together, and I’m sorry if I misread things.”
I stood there in a state of utter shock. Ari leaned forward, pointed to my stunned expression, and said, “I think this should pretty much tell you your swinger radar is way off, folks.”
Alison frowned, then turned and headed down the trail with Grant.
“Breathe, Heather,” Josh whispered into my ear. I leaned over, placed my hands on my knees and forced air in and out.
“Holy shit. How did that happen? What just happened?”
Ari giggled. “Wow. That’s one to store away in the ole memory box upstairs.”
Josh laughed as Gunner, Ellie, and Jeff all came around the corner. Ellie looked around and asked, “Where did Grant and Alison go?”
Gus ran up to me and whined as he pawed me. “I’m okay, boy. I think.”
Josh and Ari looked at me. “They um … decided we really weren’t the type of friends they wanted to hang out with.”
Ellie’s head pulled back in shock. “Wow. They didn’t even really know us to make that assessment.”
Ari chuckled. “They knew enough to know we weren’t the type of friends they normally hang with.”
A sense of guilt rushed through my body. “Ells, I’m so sorry for what I said earlier. I really do want to be here, and I’m sorry I invited a strange couple into our group. This was our weekend. I don’t want to spend it with anyone else but y’all.”
I watched as tears filled her eyes. “No, I’m sorry. I acted like a child.”
“No, I did.”
“No, it was me who—”
Ari walked up and stood between us. “Oh, for the love of God! Both of you acted like dicks. Now, can we get on with this hike before I birth this child I’m carrying? The last hour is one I’d like to try and forget please.”
Ellie and I both smiled then wrapped Ari up in a sandwich hug.