Surrounding himself with Barbara’s family and his friends sounded like a great idea.Otherwise, he’d stay here and work on tomorrow’s radio program.And, for the first time in a long while, that was the last thing he wanted to do.
“MRS.DOUBTFIRE!”Ethan yelled.
Theo grinned at the soft groan coming from Barbara.After dinner they’d moved into the living room, throwing themselves into a game of charades.As soon as he saw the rest of Barbara’s family in action he realized where her competitive streak came from.
Diana ran across the room and high-fived her fiancé.“You’resogood!”
Charlie woofed his approval at the energetic game happening around him.
Katie threw her hands in the air.“Not fair.You aren’t supposed to be on the same team as your fiancé.”
Penny, sitting beside her very content fiancé, raised her eyebrows.“Who says?”
“Me,” Katie replied indignantly.“Barbara and Theo haven’t known each other long enough to read each other’s minds but you have.That leaves our team at a huge disadvantage.”
Ethan wrapped his arm around Diana.“Even Wyatt would have guessed the last movie.My fiancée’s dance move with the broom was inspirational.”
Diana kissed him on the cheek.“You say the sweetest things.”
Barbara frowned.“Forget the lovey-dovey stuff.Katie, Theo, and I need three points to get off the bottom of the points chart.”
“Looks like you’ll be buying dessert,” Wyatt said smugly from the depths of one of the overstuffed sofas.
Theo glanced at Barbara.Considering most of the movie titles were only worth two points, Wyatt had a valid point.
“Not if I can help it.”She stuck her hand in the jar of mystery movie titles and pulled out a slip of paper.“It’s worththreepoints.”
Wyatt grinned.“Lucky break, but only the hardest titles have that many.I’m already having visions of a double-scoop, chocolate-dipped ice cream, with roasted nuts on top.”
Katie leaned forward.“Okay, big sis.Forget about Wyatt’s ice cream obsession.Show the disbelievers how talented we are.”
Theo patted Charlie’s head.He had no idea what crazy moves Barbara would use to help them guess the movie title.Her last attempts had been hilarious.BetweenTop GunandStar Trek, he’d seen everything from supersonic planes zooming around the living room to Barbara pretending to be beamed into the USSEnterprise.
Barbara grinned.“This is super easy.”
“Hey,” Diana said.“You aren’t supposed to add any commentary.For all we know, you could be giving away a clue.”
Katie made a scoffing sound.“What about the gorilla noise you made forThe Planet of the Apes?”
“That’s different.It was a subconscious vocal response to beating my chest.”
Mabel laughed.“You’ve been dating Ethan for too long.That sounds like something a psychologist would say.”
Barbara smiled sweetly at her family.“I want to make a deal.If my team guess the name of the movie in less than ten seconds, we can choose an extra dessert.If it takes longer than ten seconds, I’ll buy everyone dessert.”
Ethan frowned suspiciously at Barbara.“You wouldn’t offer to pay unless you knew you could win.”
“Who cares,” Wyatt replied.“No one has guessed any of the movies in that time.We can’t lose.”
“So, it’s a deal?”Barbara waited for everyone to nod before rubbing her hands together.
Theo smiled at Katie.“The pressure’s on.”
“Tell me about it,” she whispered.
After Barbara asked her dad to be the timekeeper, Theo quit watching everyone else and concentrated on his girlfriend.
With a nod to her dad, Barbara held five fingers in the air, then pointed at the ring on her finger.
