Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 91065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
I peek through the arched doorway to the living room to see a big dude—not as big as Dex but certainly massive—arranging games on the coffee table. He and Harlow look so comfortable and so at ease, like this is just another Sunday night to them.
Maybe that’s because they live in the Midwest? Aren’t things wholesome there? They do things like game nights and county fairs and fundraisers at the local fire department. Or so I’ve heard.
“Hey, you made it!” Dex’s best friend stands and sets down a black game box, already moving in my direction with his arms out, ready for a hug. “I’m Landon, but my friends call me Andy.”
Dex’s brows raise. “Hey—I call you Landon.”
His buddy laughs and folds me up. Gives me a squeeze. “Exactly.”
“You’re such an asshole,” Dex grumbles unhappily, not at all pleased by his friend’s jokes.
“And this is my better half, Harlow,” Andy announces. “She keeps me honest.”
His girlfriend is not at all what I was picturing, although I couldn’t tell you what that was. Maybe someone blond? Someone glamorous? Who can’t move her face? Sexy?
If I’d done a deep dive of them online, I wouldn’t be as shocked to see that they’re both relatively . . . normal. As I was praying they would be.
“Oh my God—finally!” Harlow hops up from the couch, immediately wrapping me in a hug. She squeezes me too. “It’s so good to finally meet you! I’ve heard so much about you . . . and some doozy stories, too, but only because sometimes men are idiots.”
I’m assuming she means that bullshit with Trent, but I don’t have the mental bandwidth to question it.
“When did you get into town?” I ask.
“This morning. After we landed, we stopped and got smoothies, then went to the hotel to chill.”
“I said you could stay here,” Dex points out.
Andy laughs. “Nah. It feels more like a vacation when I stay at a hotel. We’re at the Four Seasons—are you going to pamper me like they will?”
“I will if you pay me,” Dex volleys back.
We all share a laugh, Harlow dragging me toward the couch, a bottle of wine and glasses on the coffee table already, waiting for the fun to begin.
“We were just debating what to start with—Cards Against Humanity or Scattergories,” she explains. “Or Pictionary? Dex doesn’t have a huge selection.”
Oh God. My worst nightmares, all on the table.
Shit. I can feel my palms begin to sweat.
It’s one thing to have dinner and try to make a good impression over a meal, but game night? There’s a chance I’ll be exposing my deepest, darkest flaws—like how I can become overly competitive when Monopoly is on the table because I hate losing money to other players or the bank. Or how I’m hopeless at Pictionary because I can’t draw to save my life, not even a stick figure.
What if I embarrass myself?
What if we play Cards Against Humanity and I’m forced to look like a pervert because of an embarrassing sentence? If you know anything about that game, it’s literally the worst. I want them to like me, not think I’m a jerk.
Margot, chill.
Channeling Wyatt’s infinite wisdom, I blink back at three very excited, enthusiastic faces. They’re watching me expectantly, and I sit up straighter, putting on my brave face. I teach kids, for crying out loud—they are the toughest crowd I’ve ever met! Harlow and Andy already like me from what they’ve heard about me from Dex; they’ve said as much.
This is supposed to be fun, yeah? Just a casual night in, getting to know Dex’s best friend and his girlfriend, who have been harassing him for an introduction for weeks and flew here specifically to meet me. At least, that’s what we’ve been told.
Hey. No pressure, right?
No big deal.
Except it is a big deal. This is my chance to show them I’m not just some random woman Dex is seeing. I’m someone he’s serious about. And I want them to like me for both our sakes. I know how influential other men are in Dex’s life because his parents aren’t a part of it, so for Andy to give him his stamp of approval means the world to me.
It is what it is.
Harlow hands me a glass of wine. It’s still cold, the glass chilly in my hands, and I quickly take a sip, hoping it will ease my nerves.
She is so nice!
I can tell we’ll get along, hope fluttering in my soul, filling me up. I’m going to need allies once the season is in full swing, won’t I? Being the girlfriend of a famous football player cannot be for the faint of heart, from what I’ve seen through extensive online research.
“So what game should we play?” With the tip of his toe, Andy gives the black Cards Against Humanity box a tiny nudge. Shoves it to the center of the table, a beggar’s expression on his face.