Alice was nice, a dentist, and extremely smart, but a bit soft and jumpy. Her head had sunk between her shoulders when he’d snapped at Gareth to stop working and concentrate on the quiz. It was only necessary. The man wouldn’t have responded to any other love language. Cian and Connor were workaholics, sure, but Gareth was practically a machine, forced to get oiled once a week at the Sunny Umbrella. He’d graduated second in his class. Only one other classmate had graduated from Harvard with better grades – a woman – which still annoyed him to this day. Man, the words Gareth used for his nemesis would probably scare Alice.
Rachel wouldn’t have flinched. Rachel was giving Matt the middle finger, laughing, snatching the piece of paper with her group’s answers from his hand, and writing something on it herself. She seemed more relaxed than yesterday. Wearing ballet flats, jeans, and one of those summer blouses that always made him look twice because at first glance, they seemed see-through, but…
“Stop staring, Connor, or put some sunglasses on to make it less obvious,” Cian murmured beside him while the others discussed how many keys a classical piano had.
“What?” He tore his gaze away from Rachel.
His friend grinned knowingly. “She’s cute.”
“My date? Yes.”
“Rachel.”
He snorted. “No.” Dragons and hand grenades weren’t cute, and she reminded him of both. She could breathe fire, for one thing. And though she might look innocent, if you pressed the wrong button, she’d explode. So, no,cutewas the wrong word.
“Ah, so you’re staring because she’s ugly?”
“I’m not staring.”
“Yeah, right. Gawking is the more appropriate description.”
Connor pressed his lips together. “I’m here with Alice, O’Leary.”
“And she’s nice and friendly, so it'll never work out between you in the long run.”
No, it wouldn’t. “Focus on the quiz,” he growled.
“Same to you. We’re currently in second place, and we have a title to defend.”
They did. But today the competition was harder than expected. Alice was smart and a great addition to the team, but either Rachel was a damn brainiac, or it was her date. Connor suspected the first.
When they were tied after round four of the Bedtime Game Night and Tara announced the “Superspeed Duel” to crown the day's winner, Maddie immediately suggested her sister as their candidate.
“You can do it!” she shouted, even as Rachel scratched her cheek uncomfortably.
“Yeah, you’re super smart!” Hailey joined in.
“Go,Perfect Rachel!” Matt sang.
“Um…have fun?” her date said, his face bright red.
Connor snorted. He himself had solid people skills, and he could see that Dream Man Number One was obviously completely overwhelmed by Rachel. And what did that mean:Perfect Rachel?
“Connor should play for us,” Cian announced innocently as Rachel joined Tara at the podium from which she had been announcing questions all evening.
“Absolutely,” Izzie jumped in with a grin. “Anyone mind?”
Gareth and Alice shook their heads, and Connor certainly wasn’t going to back down. He stood, gave Cian an annoyed look, and strolled over to the podium as well.
“Oh, what a wonderful pairing,” Tara chirped happily. “All right: For those who’ve never been here before, the rules for the Superspeed Duel are simple. I’ll ask seven questions, and the one who correctly answers the most questions the fastest wins. If you think you know the answer, hit your buzzer. Rachel, yours will sound like an eagle owl, the wisest of all owls. Connor.” She grinned. “You have the monkey’s screech for obvious reasons.”
Oh, when you had such good friends, you didn’t need enemies. “Love you too, Tara,” he said darkly.
“I know, I’m wonderful.” She winked at him. “Are you ready?”
Connor nodded, and his gaze shifted to Rachel, who narrowed her eyes at him. In the dim light, they were the color of moss…which evidently burned easily because small flames seemed to be erupting from them.
He smiled. He had a feeling this was about to get personal, and he loved a good challenge.
