“Third hint,” he says, his voice a bit lower than before. “Is it a band, trio, duo, or solo artist?”
I look away from him to finish my hair and then turn around to face him. “It’s a very famous trio. They’ve even had movies and TV shows based around them.”
He considers that while I dig through my bag to find shoes. Monika clearly packed the nude heels to go with this dress, because the only other ones are a pair of white Converse and some tall boots, but I grab the sneakers and socks anyway and decide that what Monika doesn’t know won’t hurt her.
“Is the trio made up of men or women?” he asks next.
I hesitate. Can you consider fictional chipmunks men?
“Ah, a mix,” he says, misreading my pause. “That’s super helpful, actually. Narrows it down quite a bit.”
“No, no, no. Sorry. This trio is all male.”
He narrows his eyes in my direction as I pull on my shoes. “Then why did you hesitate? Are you trying to throw me off?”
“No, it’s just—” I start but wonder if saying it’s complicated would make it too obvious. “Let me try again.” I angle my body so that I face him straight on. “Males, yes. Three males.”
There’s a brief pause, and then we both break out in laughter. “You’re definitely messing with me.”
My jaw drops in mock horror. “No, I’m not! Maybe you just don’t know good music as much as you—”
“Fourth hint,” he interrupts with a grin.
“Fifth,” I correct. “Do you regret turning down my offer of ten hints now?”
He licks his bottom lip and shakes his head playfully at me, and my stomach does that involuntary somersault thing again. “Let’s get you downstairs. I need some time to decipher the terrible hints you’ve given me before I use my last one.”
I bend down to tie both of my laces and then follow him to the door that he is holding open for me to walk through.
“What do I get when I win?” I ask as we walk side by side down the hall towards the stairs.
“You don’t need to worry about that, because I’m going to win,” he says, and I shake my head at the return of that annoying confidence.
The staircase is wide, but we occasionally brush shoulders as we descend. Each time causes my breath to catch in my chest.
When we make it to the bottom, I say, “It’s only fair that we establish something. The satisfaction of you losing will be pretty sweet, but real games have prizes.”
He pauses in the middle of the foyer before we make it to where Ollie and the women wait in the dining room. I stop beside him just as he lowers his voice a bit and says, “I’ll give you whatever you want if you win. Just name it.”
Based on the size of this house and the car that he picked me up in, I could probably name something outrageous, and he wouldn’t blink an eye. There’s something about the way he said it, though, that makes me wonder if he is suggesting a different kind of prize. One that is not tangible. Or maybe he meant exactly what he said, and my hormonal teenage brain that takes over anytime he comes near me needs to be pulled out of the gutter.
“I’ll think about it and get back to you.”
A broad smile spreads across his face as if he somehow heard my internal monologue. “I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.”
Chapter twenty-one
CITRUS BOMBS OF DEATH
“Imean,seriously,whatwas he thinking?”
I nod in agreement as Leah continues her hushed rant while Judith narrows her eyes at us from across the table. Apparently, before coming up to my guest room, Cameron agreed to let her be part of our wine tasting, even after she almost started a fire and had that huge blowout with Delaney. If I had known, I would have challenged him on it, but by the time I walked into the formal dining room and registered what was happening, Cameron had already stepped into the kitchen to help Ollie with the final preparations.
“If Judith makes one comment about what I’m drinking, or not drinking for that matter—”
“She won’t,” I say, and sneak a glance at Cameron as he pushes up his sleeves to put the finishing touch on one of our tasting plates. Leah looks unconvinced, so I continue. “I’ll be drinking all of the non-alcoholic drinks with you, so you won’t be singled out, remember?” Leah wrings her hands under the table, and Ireach over to put one of mine on top of hers. “I’ve got you. I promise.”
She meets my eyes and lets out a breath. “Thank you.”
