The crowd erupts in hoots and hollers as they shuffle around the bar.
“This is where I leave you,” I say, patting Ryan’s chest. “Best of luck. You’re going to need it.”
He catches my hand and holds it in place over his heart. Leaning close, he whispers into my ear, “I told you. I’ve already won.”
Smirking, he turns, and I watch him walk away and sit beside Logan.
“Stop staring at the man’s ass and come sit down,” Hannah says, leading me to our seats.
“Busted, but in my defense, he has an exceptional ass, especially in those blue jeans.” I snicker.
The chair scrapes across the worn hardwood floor as I pull it out and sit down facing Ryan. He’s leaning back with his arms crossed over his solid chest, already watching me.
“You have it so bad for each other,” Claire says slowly, enunciating every word. “I would never have believed it if you had told me a few months ago.”
“I think it’s soooooo cute,” Megan slurs slightly as she leans over the table towards me. Her cheeks are flushed red, making her freckles pop. Glassy and red-rimmed eyes blink back at me. It’s hard to tell if it’s from the alcohol or her recent tears. Normally she has her red hair pulled up into a ponytail, but tonight it’s down, curls loose and wild. Beautiful, but absolutely wild.
Sliding across the table, I place my hand over hers. “Hey, Meg. How are you?”
“I’m great!” she says loudly, holding up a strawberry daiquiri. “These are delicious. You should get one. Hey, Carson…” Sitting up taller, she searches the room. When she spots him at the next table, she shouts, “Beck wants a daiquiri too.”
Tilting his head, he narrows his eyes, questioning. Shaking my head, I turn back to my group.
“We need to pick a name for our team,” I announce, reaching for a piece of paper.
“No, I already did it.” Meg holds up a piece of card stock.Beavers Behaving Badly.
Hannah, Claire, and I burst out laughing. “What? I think it’s a great name,” Meg grumbles defensively, crossing her arms.
Hannah is the quickest to regain her composure. “It is a great name, Meg. Thank you for choosing it.”
“Carson said I could pick their team’s name too,” she says, perking up and proudly pointing to their table.
Ryan rolls his lips inwards as he shows us.Poutine Posse. Good Lord, someone take away her drink.
“Looks like the men will have a number advantage tonight,” Claire says as Dillon pulls over an empty chair, spins it backwards, and sits down.
“I knew you couldn’t stay away.” Carson beams, sitting down beside him. “I’m winning you over, aren’t I?”
“If I had known you were going to be here, I wouldn’t have come,” Dillon mutters, shuffling his chair away from him.
“Now you’re just trying to hurt my feelings,” Carson scoffs.
Dillon sighs loudly and raises a hand to wave at our table.
“Hiii, Dillon,” Meg calls to him, wiggling her fingers. Furrowing his forehead, he slowly raises his hand once more in return.
“Oh my God, he’s soooo cute,” she whisper-yells at us with wide eyes, visibly melting into her chair.
Before any of us can react, the sound of the microphone crackles, and the host’s voice booms over the speakers. “Good evening, Emerley.” The crowd cheers back. “Tonight’s trivia questions are all about Canadian pop culture. It works like this. I will ask a question; you will quietly consult with your team members and then record your answer on a piece of paper that has been provided for you. We will do three rounds, five questions each. At the end of each round, I will ask you to hand in your responses. Are you ready?”
Once more the crowd cheers, clapping their hands and stomping their feet. Ryan winks when I glance over and find his eyes already on me.
“You’re going to lose,” I mouth, sliding a pen and paper towards me.
Doing the same, he shakes his head and says, “Never.”
“First question.” Everyone in the bar quiets down and listens.
