Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
There’s a big-screen TV mounted on the wall, of course, because they are men, but there’s a nice wooden coffee table, a sofa and loveseat, and good lighting. It’s really inviting, actually. The only nod to their boylike behavior is a big stack of board games on the shelf in the corner, which Jessie is immediately drawn to.
Cam follows her over and asks if she’d like to play a game.
“Ooh, Clue! Can we play Clue?”
“Sure, we can play that,” Cam says easily before turning to the rest of us. “Would anyone else like to play?”
Wyatt quickly agrees, and Marissa shrugs and says yes, so I guess we’re playing.
The few times I’ve played Clue, it’s been really boring. It’s not a game I own, and I’m not even sure how Jessie knows about it. Maybe she saw it at a friend’s house.
While Cam sets up the game on the coffee table, he asks Jessie if she’s played, and when he finds out she hasn’t, he tells her how the game works.
I’m surprised how good he is with her, explaining things perfectly for her age, while not simplifying them so much that it would insult her intelligence. He must have younger siblings.
All of us gather around the table, and what follows is surely the most entertaining game of Clue that has ever been played.
Both men do voices throughout the entire game. “I suspect Colonel Mustard in the ballroom with the rope,” Cam says in a comically distinguished British accent.
“I suspect Miss Scarlet in the conservatory with the lead pipe,” Wyatt says in a sultry feminine Southern drawl.
Not only do they do the voices, they make up hilarious motives for the suspected murderers that keep Jessie, Marissa, and me laughing through the entire game.
Cam gives Jessie assistance with keeping track of clues, and after several rounds of questioning, he urges her to make a guess that leads her to win the game.
On our walk home, a big bag of chocolate cookies in hand, Jessie raves about what a good time she had, and my own cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much.
It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.
If only Cam and Wyatt were a bit more mature and serious, with jobs that didn’t have thousands of women lusting after them, they might be the perfect men.
CHAPTER 17
STELLA
“Are you working late?” Marissa asks when she finds me hunched over my laptop one evening.
“What? No. Well, kind of.”
She gives me a curious look after that nonsensical reply, and I explain that I found out I’m eligible for tuition reimbursement benefits from Community Bean, so I’m looking into online courses at the community college so I can finish my degree.
“That’s great!”
“I’ll work on it slowly, just one course at a time.”
“That’s good. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin. And you’ll want to keep some time open in your schedule for dating.”
When I frown at her, she says, “How long are you going to keep pretending you’re not interested in the neighbors?
As I actively ignore the question, Goldfish comes over, sits in front of Marissa, and barks a couple of times.
“See, even Goldfish agrees,” she tells me. To Goldfish, she says, “I’ll take you for a walk soon, buddy. You have to wait.”
“Want me to take him?” I offer. I’ve been sitting too much today, and going out for a walk will be a good way to avoid further questioning about my interest in the neighbors.
“If you want to.”
“Sure. I’ll just make sure Jessie’s still asleep. Be right back, Goldfish.”
I grab a thin sweater and clip the leash onto G’s collar. Marissa’s usually the one to walk him at night. I walk him during the day, when I purposely steer clear of the men’s house, both to avoid running into them, and to avoid seeing their female fans camped outside.
Now that it’s after dark, I consider walking down their street, and it makes me feel like a schoolkid with a crush. So silly. What will I do next, write their names in my notebook?
The neighborhood is usually quiet, and now at night, it’s extra peaceful. No cars, no other people out. There’s an owl somewhere nearby, calling hoo-hoo-hooooo. I should probably come out at night more often, especially since I’ve been avoiding the back yard.
At the corner, I decide to head in the opposite direction from the men’s house. It’s bad enough that I stalk their channel now, even though I tell myself not to. I don’t need to stalk their house, too.
A sound behind me startles me. It takes a second to realize it’s the sound of someone running, which puts me on edge, but when I spot the man’s silhouette, and clock the steady, unhurried pace, I realize it’s just someone out for a jog.
Goldfish starts barking, even though I tell him to shush, and he doesn’t stop until the man is about to pass us.