“There’s also rail, as in a night rail—an old-fashioned word for nightgown,” said Iva in her sweet, prim voice. “Maybe she mixed up the words—homophones give lots of people trouble—and meant to say ‘wear’ as in w-e-a-r—wear a rail. Which is what I definitelydon’tplan to do on my wedding night,” she added with a mischievous grin and a deeper blush.
The ladies burst out laughing, and even though Callie felt like it might be a little TMI, she couldn’t help joining in. Iva really was the most likable, lovely woman.
And Callie really didn’t want her wedding to be a disaster—or, worse, a tragedy.
“All right, then…she’s leaving, so the wedding is on. Iva should not wear a nightrail on her wedding night, and should beware of rain, and maybe beware of a train or the rail. I think that about covers it,” said Cherry.
“The most important thing is: the wedding ison!” Iva said, then she whirled to Callie. “You got that? So you’d better get cracking, young lady!”
* * *
“I do love my family,but I’ve had my fill of them for a while,” said Jake DeRiccio. “A solid week of holiday stuff and I’m done. Between Pops and my sisters…yep, that’s it. Over andout. Thank God it’s the 27thand all the parties and family obligations are over.”
Ben grinned and nodded. “I feel you, man. And I only have one sister to deal with—plus my mom.”
He loved his family—he really did—but he was also used to living alone and having a relatively quiet, stable life. He was in complete agreement with Jake that more than two days of family-holiday stuff—especially when there were a half-dozen nieces and nephews who were hopped up on candy and cookies and presents and who loved to play “Pile On Uncle Ben” after he’d eaten a very large meal. Or two. One of the girls had even decided his beard needed decorating.
Ben was still shedding glitter two days later.
“Declan’s still in the honeymoon phase with his new woman,” teased Jake. “We had to practically drag him out for Trivia Night—he wanted to stay home and play Trivial Pursuit with his hottie Leslie instead of coming out and helping us retain our championship title here.”
“Well, since the way Leslie and I play trivia is a lot different from Trivia Night here with you bozos, who can blame me?” retorted Declan, looking around the Roost. “But it worked out because Les flew back to Philadelphia to see her mom for a few days. She’ll be back in time for New Year’s Eve.”
“What do you mean, howyouplay Trivia Night?” asked Ben as he sipped a B-Cubed beer.
Declan gave them a sly look as the Trivia Night emcee came by to collect their team’s signup sheet. “We like to play Strip Trivial Pursuit. Every time one of us gets a wedge piece, the other one has to take off an article of clothing.”
“Well, that would only work if you started with no more than six articles of clothing,” Ben pointed out.
“Precisely. No extra layers allowed.” Declan grinned. “Socks count as two.”
“That is brilliant,” Ben replied, grinning. Then his grin faded a little. Not for the first time, he wished he had someone to play Trivial Pursuit with—and not, as Declan said earlier, with these clowns.
That whole missing-out-on-life feeling had really settled in for him over the last week of family holiday stuff. He’d felt his singleness more acutely than he’d ever done before…and the fact that he’d blown his shot with Callie made it worse. Maybe he wouldn’t have been so bummed about it if he hadn’t had that evening with her—that time that reminded him just how much he really liked being around her. How much he wished he’d had the balls to pursue her back in high school and every time he’d seen her since then.
“All right everyone, tonight’s first category isStar Wars,” said the emcee. “There’ll be ten questions in the category, from easy to most difficult.”
Declan, Jake, and Baxter—who’d just slipped into his chair—hooted and cheered. They knew with Ben on their team, there was nothing aboutStar Warshe didn’t know or have an opinion on.
“That’s not fair,” grumbled Maxine Took loudly. She was sitting with her cohorts the Tuesday Ladies at the next table. Along with them was Jake’s widowed father, Ricky. “Cherry’s not here tonight, and we the rest of us don’t know nothing about that Yodi stuff. You-all better send Benny or Baxter over here to help us old farts.”
“Go on, Ben,” said Baxter quickly. “You heard Maxine.”
“Don’t send Ben,” exclaimed Jake. “I don’t know anything aboutStar Wars.”
“Seriously? How can you not know anything aboutStar Warsunless you’re eighty years old and think Yoda is a class Cherry Wilder teaches?” replied Baxter.
“I heard that, Baxter James,” snapped Maxine. “Now one of you cheeky boys needs to come on over here and help us old ladies. It’s be kind to your elders week.”
“Who told them about Trivia Night?” Declan whispered desperately. “I thought the whole town promised to keep it a secret.”
“Ben did,” said Juanita, who had somehow managed to smuggle in her tote bag with the little dog. She beamed at them from behind a pile of nachos with what looked like extra cheese. “He was into the tea shop, meeting with Orbra about her year-end stuff and told us.”
“You told them?” Baxter goggled at Ben. “Why would you do that? Why? Why would you ruin the peacefulness and serenity of Trivia Night that way?”
“You and Ricky could switch teams,” suggested Iva Bergstrom, who Ben thought was the cutest, most darling grandmother-like lady of the group.
Everyone in the Roost was looking at them, and it was clear to Ben that the game wasn’t going to start until Maxine was satisfied.
