Luke opened the door, ushering us all in as introductions were made. Sofia joined him, taking the tray in one hand and my arm in the other.
“Let me put this down so you can introduce me,” she said with a wink. Once in the kitchen, I said, “Sof, you know Niko. This is Mike Walker. We knew Mike back in college.”
“Niko, good to see you again. You have no idea how happy I am you were able to come,” she said to Niko, who looked like a trapped animal. When Luke cleared his throat, she added, “Oh, and you, too, Mike. Any friend of Leyla’s is a friend of ours. Welcome. Please make yourself at home.”
Miles and Vicky arrived in a flurry of conversation as more food was brought into the kitchen, where we made more introductions.
Vicky and Sofia couldn’t have been more obvious in their attention to Niko. I made a face at them with wild eyes to make them stop. Of course, they just giggled.
“So, Niko, how do you like working at Earth Organix?” Vicky asked, helping Sofia put out small plates for everyone around thelarge kitchen island. Miles and Luke were working on everyone’s drink orders.
“It’s great. It’s the kind of company I’ve always wanted to work for. What Luke and Leyla have created is really special,” he answered, making me smile.
Luke leaned back from the counter. “We really were lucky to get you on board. I think it’s a greatmatch.”
They were all going to die when this was over.
Mike took a sparkling water from Miles and said, “Niko has told me the same thing multiple times, right buddy? It’s a perfect match.”
Mike smiled widely as he playfully shoved Niko’s shoulder, whose response was to take a step away from him with an annoyed expression.
Sofia looked over the group, glee pouring from her. “This is going to be so much fun.”
Thirty minutes later, we’d all gotten more acquainted, taken seats in the living room, and decided to play Heads Up.
“We can just play for fun instead of dividing into teams since we’re uneven,” Vicky said, getting the tablet ready with the game.
“No way. I came to win. Last game night, I got decimated,” Luke announced. “I don’t mind having uneven teams.”
“Fine with me. Girls against guys?” Sofia asked, pulling her plate onto her lap.
“Done,” Luke said. “A kiss before I dominate you, amore.” That seemed to give Vicky and Miles permission to start kissing and whispering, too.
“Come on, guys. Stop all that now,” I said, pretending to gag. That made Niko laugh, and I could see him relax a bit. “So, just to be sure we all know the game, each team has a member hold up a word on the tablet they can’t see, and the whole team givesclues to help them figure out what the word is.” Everyone gave a thumbs-up, so we got started.
When the girls and I were together on the sofa, and the guys had spread out on the other side of the room in chairs, we got started.
“Mike, you go first,” Luke said, handing him the tablet.
“Gotta warn you, girls. I’m very competitive. I plan on dropping in on your waves with my gnarly clues,” Mike said, his eyes sparkling, his smile so wide his teeth showed.
My brows furrowed, matching everyone else’s, as we all turned to look at him in confusion. Niko groaned loudly. Luke snorted out a laugh but tried to cover it up with a cough.
“Here we go,” Mike said enthusiastically, unaffected by our reaction.
He tilted the tablet over his head after starting the timer.
The guys started yelling out clues in rapid succession, Mike getting most of them before the timer went off. That caused a ruckus as they high-fived and cheered like they’d won the Olympics.
When it was our turn, Vicky held the tablet, and Sofia and I yelled out clues. At one point, Miles accidentally yelled one out that Vicky guessed correctly, which started a war.
“You can’t give them clues, dude,” Mike said, spilling the remnants of his plate as he stood.
“It was a mistake,” Miles claimed, winking at his wife.
“So not cool,” Luke grumbled.
This went on round after round, everyone laughing and making fools of themselves as they tried to win. I watched Niko, who seemed to be having a good time, guessing correctly every time it was his turn. The guys dubbed him their champion of the night at one point, and his smile made my heart flip. I wondered if it had been a while since he’d been in a group like this, since he only ever mentioned Mike.
