Rowan: Do tell.
Isla: Let me have one guess at another trait of yours for my list. If I win, you’ll award me this round.
Rowan: And if you don’t?
Isla: You can have bragging rights, of course.
I can’t seem to stop texting her, so I type out a reply. Besides, I like bragging rights.
Rowan: Have at it.
I can picture her on that fancy bed, lounging in matching PJs and fuzzy socks, with a face mask and her hair pulled back in a neat headband. In my imagination, she rubs her palms as sheprepares to zing me.
Isla: One more thing I know about you. All your boxer briefs are black.
My jaw falls open. Holy shit. She is good. Too good. She fucking nailed me. It’s one thing for me to observe her, to pick up on the things she collects, the way she organizes the world—but this? This means she’s been paying attention enough to make a scarily well-educated guess.
That should be unsettling, but it makes me want to push back harder. Except…hold on. Did she really win?
With a wicked smile, I hop out of bed, hoof it downstairs, and grab the bag with the candy cane boxers my teammates gave me. I snap a pic of them and send her proof that I win this round.
Rowan: Close, sweetheart. They are all black. Except, what do you say about this new pair I got today?
And seconds later, she replies.
Isla: Those are boxers. I said boxer briefs.
I stop on my way back upstairs. Stare at the design. Shake my head. And concede victory.
Rowan: I know when to back down. You won this battle, Isla.
Isla: Pumps fist! Also, you’d look cute in those candy cane boxers. And I’ll add that to my list of things I know about you: Isn’t afraid to wear festive underwear.
Rowan: Who said I’ll wear them?
Isla: Oh, you will. You will.
This woman. She’s fucking unstoppable. And…why didn’t I think ofthatword as a synonym for persistent?
Back in bed, I click over to the word-a-day app and enterpersistentto check other options. Tenacious is one, and irrepressible is another. I add both words to my intel about Isla—but this one I’ll keep in my Notes app, just for me. A dossier on the opposition. If more than a decade in the pros has taught me anything, it’s to study my opponent. To learn their weaknesses, but also their strengths.
I know a lot more about Isla, thanks to our exchange tonight. I learned some things about myself too. I can be a tenacious motherfucker. Which brings me back to the ace that’s been up my sleeve since I ran into Wilder and Fable. Does Isla even know about the upcoming games in Evergreen Falls, or what it might mean for her matchmaking mission? Doubtful.
Well, there’s nothing like a sneak attack.
I hit her name and do something I bet she’s not expecting.
I call her.
It barely rings. She picks up instantly…on video. And holy fuck. I was right. Her face is covered in green goop. A white fluffy robe is cinched tight around her waist. She’s reaching for a wineglass on the counter, her face turned away from the phone.
“The black dress. My answer is still the black?—”
She turns back to me, and her lips part, her eyes pop,Oh shitis written all over her face. “I thought…I thought you were Mabel!”
“I’m not, but thanks for the fashion tip,” I say dryly. “Should I wear a face mask too?”
A second later, the phone is showing me a view of…the hallway. She’s clearly moving through it. “What can I do for you?”
