Page 3 of Massive Size Mountain Man
“But you don’t even know what ‘this’ is!”
Courtney takes a deep breath before looking straight into my eyes.
“So tell me.”
I smile brightly, like we’re discussing the latest celebrity gossip.
“Well, basically Sweet Lies started a service where members can buy gifts for one another as a show of friendship. So that’s what I’m doing.”
Courtney stares at me.
“Buy what gifts? What do you mean?”
I smile helplessly.
“Well, basically members can pick out a girl that they think their friend will enjoy. Then, they make the arrangements, and I show up at the recipient’s door. See? A gift! Kind of like Candygrams.”
Courtney stares at me.
“Girl, you know this is nothing like Candygrams. Candygram deliveries are about delivering sweets. Here, the gift is you.”
“Exactly!” I say brightly. “It’s a genius idea, and I’m excited.”
Court pauses again, thinking. Then my pretty blonde friend fixes me with another look.
“You’ve already been gifted, haven’t you, Av? You’re already on assignment.”
Damn, my buddy can read me like an open book, and I nod.
“I’ve already been selected for gifting, yes. Evidently, there’s a member who wants to me to pay a visit to his friend in the woods because this guy has a vacation cabin up there. But it’s cool. I figure I’ll hang out a little, flirt, show him some sexy times.”
Courtney stares at me.
“Avalon, you must be kidding. You’re going to a remote cabin in the woods to meet some single guy? And you know what the men do up there: they hunt. That cabin is probably filled to the brim with guns and ammunition because Minnesota men are avid outdoorsman. You can’t tell me you’re going up to that cabin alone to meet a strange man.”
“No, no, it’s not that bad, because you see, the gift recipient is also a Sweet Lies client. So he’s been vetted up the wazoo, and Sweet Lies already knows everything about him. Don’t worry, I’m not in any danger.”
Courtney shoots me another skeptical look.
“That’s better, but still, this sounds crazy shady, girlfriend. I don’t like it…”
“No, it’s fine!” I insist. “Besides, there’s an extra layer of insurance to all this: the gift recipient has his five year old daughter with him at the cabin. My arrival isn’t even a surprise because I’m supposed to be the babysitter for the little girl, so how crazy can it get? Shenanigans in front of his daughter? I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Courtney shakes her head.
“I don’t know, Av. I mean, a lot of cults keep their kids close, and that doesn’t stop them from committing atrocities.”
I fix her with a look.
“Which cults?”
Courtney shrugs helplessly.
“I can’t name any right now, but I could look it up for you. Just let me ask ChatGPT?—”
“No, no, it’s fine,” I say quickly. “I believe you. But honestly, I don’t think this guy is going to murder me in front of his innocent five-year-old daughter, and I don’t think I’m in danger because Sweet Lies is keeping tabs on the whole thing. Besides, maybe he won’t be interested in me at all, and really will want me to babysit his kid.”
Courtney looks skeptical.
