Wedding Survivor (48 page)

"Where?" Jack asked.

"No place you need to know. I'll be back in a few days."

"But… but what about Nepal?" Cooper asked again, as he was the only One of the guys to have missed Eli's falling head over heels in love with Marnie Banks.

"What about it? Have a great time," Eli said. "Look, I gotta go. And by the way… don't bother calling. When I hang up, I'm tossing the phone out the window."

Michael laughed and looked at Jack. "Toss it! We'll see you when you get back." He clicked off the phone and stuck out his hand, palm up. "You owe me a grand, Jacko. I was right—the man is in love."

"In
love
?" Cooper let out a loud guffaw. "What in the hell have you been smoking, Raney? That's Eli you're talking about."

"Exactly," Michael said with a grin. "And just as I predicted, he was the first of the mighty to fall."

Jack groaned and reached for his wallet. "I'll have to write you a check," he groused.

"You're both nuts," Cooper said, and plopped down in the cowhide chair.

"You couldn't see a hand if it was right in front of your face, Coop," Jack said.

"What are you talking about?" Cooper asked. "I think I know McCain just a little bit better than you two clowns, and there is no way that man is in
love
with anyone, and besides, who the hell would it be? The only women he's had any contact with are Olivia Dagwood and Marnie Banks…"

His voice trailed off and his eyes widened slightly as the truth sank in. "Nah," he said after a moment.

"Yeah," said Jack.

"No way!" Cooper insisted, shaking his head, and the three of them began to argue about Eli McCain's capacity for falling in love. And then their capacity. And the three Thrillseekers left behind made another little wager about who might be the next of the mighty to fall.