Danika tried to picture Jackie singing in flag shorts. She’d hate it if she were any good.
“And you all?” Abby turned toward the table.
“I think we were here, right?” Bill said.
“We were in Spain,” Holly said.
“The Costa del Sol,” Frank sang, opening his arms like a conductor.
“Yes, we were here,” Danika replied. It was silent for a second. “We picked up the new boat.” She ignored Holly and Frank, trying to sound casual, to entertain this little question-and-answer session. She turned her attention toward the lake and everyone followed, taking in the falling, softening sun. Danika drew her eyes back to Bill across the length of the table.
“A new boat, this house, and no Fourth of July party?” Joshua Mike said. “I feel like you two need to make better use of this place. I’ve been to a lot of cabins, and this takes the cake.”
He held his glass to Danika until she was forced to face him—to reluctantly lift her glass in return.
“I mean, you could have a band, a full catering crew, everything,” he continued.
Danika sliced a tomato, growing more irritated. “It is a good space for entertaining, but we like the escape. Being alone.” For a second, she hoped that somehow Augie could hear, too.
“Oh, come on. You don’t find it a littleselfishnot to invite people up? What’s the point of having a place like this if you’re not going to show it off?”
“You’re here now, aren’t you?” Danika snapped.
Bill cleared his throat as the air above them thinned.
“Maybe you have to be a VIP,” Holly bragged. “We’ve been here before.”
“It goes back to the same old question. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?” Jackie looked proud as she cut in. “Because, I’m an extrovert. So is Joshy. So, we’d like to have a party. But I can see that if you’re an introvert, you’d want the cabin to yourself. Danika, you must be an introvert? What’s everyone else?”
The table went silent. Danika drained her wine, reaching for a refill. While she had been drinking white, the red was closest. Most of the time, the way people described themselves was far from the truth. Danika’s mother used to tell people she was “laid-back.” Danika poured a heavy glass.
“Oh! You know what this reminds me of, the whole like, ‘Would you rather host a party or spend the holiday alone?’ question...” Jackie grabbed the table, excited, and looked to Abby. “It reminds me of that game. That ‘Would You Rather’ game, the one we used to play in the car, you remember?”
“I remember,” Abby said coyly. “We should totally play.”
Jackie shrieked, shimmying her bony shoulders. “Oh my god, yes, we have to.”
“What’s the game?” Mallory said, uneasy.
Danika kept drinking.
“So, okay.” Jackie focused. “It’s like we take turns asking questions, and they have to be either-or questions, so like, would you rather do this or that.” She bobbed her head. “It’s like the ‘Who Would You Rather Fuck’ game, you know, the one everyone used to play in high school? It’s basically the same.”
“Should we go around the table?” Abby added, amused.
“Definitely.”
Danika eyed Holly, who stuck out her tongue.
Everyone shifted uncomfortably.
“Sure,” Bill finally said, rattling the last of his drink. Danika tried to catch his attention again but couldn’t. He was staring down into the centerpieces now, a shadow of Queen Anne’s lace falling over his face.
Jackie nudged Joshua Mike. “Yay, okay. So, would you rather die tomorrow or live forever? You’re up first.”
“Live, easy. Well, as long as I have enough money to do it right. Otherwise, fuck it.”
Bill was next. He hesitated. “Sure, live forever. Why not.”
