I take my stance one more time before I draw in a deep breath.
“You okay, beautiful?” Walker asks.
“Just getting ready,” I say as I take one step.
Two.
Three.
Four.
I release the ball from my grasp and smile. The instant it touches down against the alley, I know it’s a strike. I turn aroundbefore ball hits the pins and hold my arms out just as I hear the pins clatter to the ground.
Walker grins as I saunter over to the ball return feed.
I grab my ball and get into position again. I close my eyes and draw in another deep breath. The world threatens to tilt on me, but I can’t let that happen. I’m so close to winning, I just need one more strike.
I take one step, then two. Three, and I feel powerful. Strong. Ready to win this so that I can display my pastries in one of the busiest places in Honeysuckle Grove.
But my instincts are revving in overdrive, and I overstep.
The first thing I feel is my foot slip. The alleys are much smoother than the wood grain for the wind up, and it wobbles me. The ball releases, but it’s not dead center, and my heart drops when I see only two pins go down.
“Fuck,” I whisper to myself.
Getting a spare means I tie with Walker again. I don’t know if I’ve got another round of bowling in me. Not when my body is screaming for an orgasm and my skin is begging for a shower. I feel the sweat of my pre-heat kicking up again. I wipe my hands on my jeans. For the first time, I don’t look over at the guys.
I just grab my ball and do my best.
It’s not enough, though.
Only three more pins go down when my vision wavers, and that’s a wrap.
Walker’s beat me by only five points.
I expect there to be cheering. Applause. I expect the guys to pat Walker on the back for a job well done. But instead, I’m met with silence. It’s enough to turn me around and I see three sets of worry-filled eyes watching me closely.
“You okay, Sunshine?” Knox asks.
I do my best to put on a cheerful smile as I hold up my fingers. “Ugh, I was this close!”
Eli stands and comes over to me. “Are you feeling okay? You’re sweating a bit.”
Walker stands. “It’s not a win if you’re compromised. We can redo the frame if?—”
“Please, don’t,” I say as I wipe at my forehead. “You won, fair and square. I’m not a sore loser like that. Just tired.”
Eli tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Come on, let’s get you out of those shoes and into some fresh air.”
Things are quiet as we put our balls up and get back into our shoes. Emerging from the bowling alley and into the night helps a little. I close my eyes and tilt my face toward the moonlight, trying to focus on how wonderful the night has been and not on how my ARS rears its head during the worst of moments.
“You know,” Knox says as he walks up to my right, “me coming in third place still feels like a win in spirit.”
My head falls back with laughter. “You are so insane, you know that?”
Eli comes and stands to my left. “I owe Amber a slice of cake tomorrow. She told me I’d come in dead last.”
“Awww,” I say as I nudge him. “I’m sure she meant it with love.”
