And then, Effie did something that she’d never allowed herself to do – and in fact, had never thought she would. She leaned forward and tentatively grazed her lips over Theo’s. Then less tentatively.
Theo lifted a hand to her face, his thumb light against her cheek. The feeling of him was electric, like the magic that coursed through her veins, only at a different frequency. Effie’s wrists warmed, glowing softly green in the dim patio light as she ran her fingers over his arms, his shoulders, then tangled them in his normally tidy hair, which presently was unruly from the events of the night.
Theo leaned into her, his lips warm, firm against hers, the smell of him intoxicating. They bumped teeth slightly, then redirected. A small part of Effie nervously considered all the things she was doing wrong, the awkwardness of connecting with someone new, but she shook that little voice away. The awkwardness was part of the joy of it all. She was done notletting herself enjoy things just because perhaps she wasn’t good at them. In case people might laugh.
‘How about,’ she said, ‘we go back to my place?’
Theo kissed her forehead. ‘I’d like that. But just one thing.’
‘What’s that?’ she said, suspiciously.
Theo burst into a high-wattage grin. ‘Are we walking, or skating?’
Effie gasped. ‘How did you know about that?’
‘You have your skills; I have mine.’
She could hardly argue with that. ‘I can see that. All right. Come on. But if you see Bonnie in the morning, make sureshecooks you breakfast. She owes me.’
Theo held up his hands. ‘I’m not even going to ask.’
Chapter 38
WICKED SMART
Bonnie
‘I don’t see her, Bon,’ said Bobby, having returned from a reconnaissance trip to find Effie and bring her back in time to join Trivia Night.
Bonnie pretended to be unimpressed, but secretly, she had a feeling she knew exactly where Effie had disappeared to. And with whom.
‘Well, we’re just going to have to start Trivia Night without her.’
‘And without me,’ said Tessa. ‘Tea for Two are generously sitting this one out.’
‘Finally, someone else gets a chance at the meat tray,’ said Winston, rubbing his hands together in delight. ‘Gerald, have you scrubbed up on your history?’
Gerald guffawed. ‘Mate, you know my head is full of nonsense. Although I do speak six languages.’
‘I thought you were going to say you played six sports. That’s far more useful in a trivia setting. Languages, schmanguages.’
‘You say that, but I’m useful as a travel buddy.’
Winston thought about this. ‘We should do it, shouldn’t we? The Old Darts World Trip.’
‘I’ll make the T-shirts,’ offered Tessa, passing out another business card.
‘I’m impressed with your business acumen already,’ saidBonnie. ‘If you want to collab, you know where to find me.’ She paused. ‘But I’m going to be very picky about what any future collaborations entail.’
‘I’m glad to hear it,’ said Tessa, eyes bright.
Bonnie clapped her hands.
‘All right, everyone. Trivia is starting. Who’s ready?’
Tessa clenched her fists. ‘Oh, but it’s hard to sit out Trivia Night. It’s not even the meat tray. It’s the sheer joy of wiping the floor with everyone else.’
Alana reached for Tessa’s hand. ‘You could always be on my team.’
