What can I do better next time?
Micah calls from the table that it’s time to start, shaking me from my thoughts of Finn, and I abandon my phone to join the game of Clue.
***
“Knew it,” I whoop in victory, slamming the cards down and smiling as I look around the table of losers. “Colonel Mustard, you tricky bastard.”
Lena tosses her cards and crosses her arms. “Emil, look at her paper. What is she writing down?”
I snatch up my secret weapon before anyone can see the notes. “You’ll never know,” I yell, running to the trash and tearing the paper into tiny pieces.
A soft knock rattles against the door, and once the last bit of evidence floats safely into the trash can, I walk to answer it. I expect it to be the pizza guy, but when I open the door, Finn, Avery, and Eloise stand atop our Come Back With Tacos doormat.
“We didn’t know about the taco rule.” Finn winces.
“That’s okay. Friends are the exception.” Embarrassment colors my cheeks at how massive my smile is, but I can’t seem to contain it. I crouch to hug Ave and El. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Is it still okay that we came?” Finn’s brows pull together as I stand, and I want to smooth my fingers over the crease to relax them.
“Absolutely. Come in!” I cheer, bringing the girls into the living room.
Finn runs his fingers through his hair and clears his throat. “Sorry we’re late. I wanted to stop and get some snacks and drinks.” He sets a canvas bag on the counter and starts pulling things out of it. Goldfish, a bottle of wine, fruit snacks, oranges, vanilla wafers, and granola bars. He places them in a neat line and shrugs. “I let Ave and El pick out most of it.”
“It’s perfect.” I pat his arm before I can stop myself. My brain seems to be stuck on a record scratch after this morning, where all it does is repeat, “Touch him, touch him, touch him.”
Micah walks into the kitchen, shakes Finn’s hand, and helps get bowls for the snacks, while I take Finn to make introductions.The girls are already sitting on the ground with Lena, diving into the Legos.
Emil stands and pats Finn on the shoulder. “Nice to meet you. Good thing you showed up. We’re about to start Catan, and Micah always destroys us. We need a new competitor.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Finn chuckles, pulling pieces out of the box to help us set up.
Micah places a few bowls of snacks on the coffee table before he sits beside Diego to teach him how to play.
Pepper’s nails click on the wood floors as she shuffles down the hallway, finally up from her nap in my bed.
“Finn?” I lean closer from the seat next to him. “How are the girls with dogs? Pepper’s an old lady, and she’s great with kids, but if they don’t like dogs, I can put her up.”
His lips tip up as he looks my way. “They love dogs. They’ve been begging for one for months. I’ll have to double-check my car before we leave to make sure they didn’t sneak her in there.”
“Honestly, she would love that.”
I call her over, and she sits right between us, immediately dropping her muzzle into Finn’s lap.
The little traitor.
He cups her face. “Pepper. It’s very nice to meet you.” He smooths a hand over her back. “Such a soft pup.” Her tail thumps against the ground while she looks up at him with complete adoration, a perfect depiction of the heart-eyes emoji. He kisses the top of her head. “What a good girl,” he coos at her.
I bite the inside of my cheek.
Am I jealous of my dog right now? Have I stooped that low?
Damn it.
Standing, I pat her side and nudge her toward the living room. “Let’s go meet the girls.”
Avery’s and Eloise’s eyes light up when they see her. She sniffstheir faces and makes herself comfortable between them, rolling over and arching her back for belly rubs.
Once the pizza arrives, we eat around our game of Catan. The laughter and banter at the table have distracted me from realizing that Finn is a few points ahead of everyone else, but then he sets his final piece down with a sturdy thud and announces he’s won.
