“A cool dude?” Vivianne asked skeptically.
Mike nodded. “Yeah. He’s a professor and smart.”
Vivianne glanced at me, and I winked.
“And who do you like to pick?”
“Me?” I replied. “I usually hope for Colonel Mustard. But Mom made it to where we couldn’t pick ourselves because fights were breaking out.”
Her hand once more hid a laugh. “Fights?”
“Yeah,” David replied. “You should have seen the brawls me and Ladd used to get into trying to get to Colonel Mustard first.”
“I always got stuck with Mrs. White,” my father muttered, glaring at my mom.
Mom shrugged. “Well, Miss Scarlet just seemed like the better fit for me.”
Jason chimed in, “At least you weren’t always stuck having to be Mrs. Peacock. Remember the year David got me a fake fur to wear for when we played the game?”
Vivianne lost the battle and started to laugh—hard. “And Mr. Green?” she asked.
“It was whoever lost the fight for Colonel Mustard,” David replied.
Clearing her throat, Vivianne nodded. “I see. I think it was probably a good idea to go with drawing the characters, Nellie.”
My mother nodded. “I’m honestly surprised it took me so long to come up with that solution. You get to pick first since you’re the guest.”
Vivianne reached into the bowl—and the entire room gasped when she pulled out Miss Scarlet. She instantly dropped that name back into the bowl and withdrew another. She held it up and smiled.
“I got Mr. Green.”
“Marry her, Ladd. Marry her today!” Dad said as my mother turned and shot him a look.
Once everyone had their character—with my mother somehow ending up with Miss Scarlet—the game began. It didn’t take everyone long to figure out that Vivianne was a shrewd competitor who knew how to play the game to her advantage.
She won three times in a row, my mother declared her the best Clue player ever, and Jason stated he’d never play Clue with Vivianne again.
After the last game was over, we made sundaes and sat around the table, talking about the day. Vivianne and I volunteered to clean up the kitchen while David, Mike, and Jason headed to their rooms.
Mom and Dad put a movie on and invited me and Vivianne to watch with them.
“I’m exhausted from the drive and the day. Do you mind if we take a raincheck?” I asked, as I kissed my mother on the cheek.
“Of course not. I hope you both get a good night’s sleep.”
“What are the plans for tomorrow?” Dad asked.
I stole a glance in Vivianne’s direction before I said, “If the weather’s nice, I was hoping to get Vivianne onto a horse, after whatever chores you need done, Dad.”
My parents both smiled.
“Would you like to join us?” I asked.
My mother and father looked at one another, then back at me. “I think that would be a great way to spend our morning. Do you mind, Vivianne?” Mom asked.
“Oh, I don’t mind at all! I would love for you both to join us. Maybe it will help with my nerves.”
“Don’t be nervous. You’ll have the best horse on the ranch, and it’ll be a wonderful way to show you around.”
