“Mild camping?” I asked around my mouthful.
“I can only take so many column toilets that campgrounds have.” Excitement lit her eyes even more. “You know what I’d really like to do? Get a cabin at a state park.” She stuck her index finger in the air. “Running water. More of a bed—though still not comfortable.” She ticked another finger up, frowned, and added a third. “And I’m right there by a river. Or Lake Metigoshe. I could look for quartz there too. What about you?”
This was it. She might think what I enjoyed was useless or weird, and she’d make comments. I could lie. Or I could be honest. I could trust Clover to be decent even if she thought I was an odd duck. “I like to game. It’s my zen, and I’ve met a lot of cool guys.”
“You sure they’re guys and not twelve-year-old boys?”
I chuckled, less on guard than before. There was no condemnation in her question. “I met them first, and then we started playing together.”
She turned toward me more, seemingly interested. “Is that how it works? You actually know them?”
A soft warmth started in my chest. “Not always, but for what I do, it does. I’d rather play with people I know.”
“What do you play?” she asked without the censure I’d get from my old social circle, and I relaxed even more.
“Super Mario and League of Legends, usually.” I shouldn’t continue. I’d never reveal this to anyone associated with my brother, but the words crowded on my tongue as natural as ever. “I have Pokémon cards. I play those too.”
“Like the kids’ card game?”
Damn. The spark around my heart extinguished.
“Oh my God.” She waved her hands in a clearing motion. “No, sorry. Obviously not just a kids’ card game if you’re playing it. I just didn’t know that guys like you still played, though it makes sense. The game would grow with the kids who played it.”
There was a tendril of comforting heat again. She only wanted to learn about what I enjoyed. Could it be that easy? “It’s really popular, and it’s fun to gather in person.”
“Where do you meet?”
“Game shops.” Since she wasn’t guffawing, I offered more information. “I looked up places after I first moved. Bismarck and Minot are the closest.”
“When are you going to go?”
“I should stay here.” I gathered another handful of popcorn.
“Why?”
“I’m here to help you.”
She stared at me for a moment. “That’s sweet but not necessary. Why don’t I just go with you?”
My brows crept to my hairline. That was the last offer I expected a woman to make. I was prepared to put my hobby on hold until I was no longer married. First, I had wanted to hide it, but now the clock was ticking fast. We didn’t have much longer. “You’d do that?”
“Sounds fun. And if I’m bored, I can find something else to do. We’re not tied at the hip.”
I’d like to be connected somewhere else. More than that, I had to see if she was as genuine as she seemed. Seeing the tournament in real time, the range of ages, and how serious we were about our card game might change her mind about me. I hoped not. “Okay.”
“Can’t wait.” She rewarded me with a wide smile. Like the sun shone just for me.
“Then that means I’ll go with you rockhounding.”
Her smile vanished, replaced by worry. “Really? It doesn’t sound excruciatingly boring to you?”
Did she have the same insecurities? We were both worried about being the outsider in the relationship because of our interests and hobbies. “Clover, as a kid, I gamed and ran around outside with no supervision. You’re offering for me to act like a kid again.”
Her giggle was light. “We’re returning to our childhood, then?” She let out a sigh. “I don’t know if I’m up for camping, but we could go to Medora for a day trip. It’s less than a two-hour drive.”
“It’s a plan. One weekend of each after the pumpkin harvest.”
Her smile turned soft, almost shy. “It’s a plan.”
