Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
It was not, however, helping us at Pictionary.
My brothers groaned as Mabel’s childhood best friend Ari jumped up and grabbed the marker. The women’s team—Veronica, Kelly, Mabel, Ari, and Adelaide—was crushing the men’s, largely due to the fact that Ari and Mabel obviously spoke some sort of telepathic language.
Owen started the timer. “Go!”
As Ari began to draw, I stole a glance at Kelly, who was seated between Veronica and Mabel on the couch, Adelaide and the dog by her feet. I liked that she’d put my sweatshirt on over her clean clothes after her shower. Now she was laughing at something Veronica had just whispered in her ear. It was like she’d always been around, the way she fit right in with my family. Not that I’d been worried she wouldn’t, but—
“Bunk beds!” Mabel shouted.
“Yes!” Ari jumped up and down excitedly.
“What?” Devlin stared at the dry erase board. “Ari literally drew a bunch of lines and you guessed bunk beds? You guys are cheating!”
“We are not,” said Mabel, pushing her glasses up her nose. She had Devlin’s coloring—the dark hair and blue eyes. “We’re just more talented. You’re lucky there’s no singing and dancing involved.” She gestured toward Veronica and Kelly. “This team is stacked.”
“That’s the game,” my dad said, checking the score sheet. “Women, ten. Men, five.”
My brothers grumbled as Veronica, Kelly, Mabel, Ari, and Adelaide all exchanged high fives.
“I want to be on the women’s team next time,” Owen said.
“Me too,” Devlin chimed in, shoving my shoulder. “Or maybe just whatever team Xander isn’t on. So who’s up for hitting The Broken Spoke?”
“Tonight?” I asked.
“Yeah, why not?”
Because I want to go home and get laid again, that’s why. “It’s kind of late, isn’t it?”
“It’s only nine, Grandpa.”
“It’s Sunday.”
“But it’s a holiday weekend, so it’ll be open late tonight, right?”
“Should be,” said Austin. “Kids are gonna sleep here tonight, so we can go.” He looked at Veronica. “If you want to.”
“Sure!” She looked at Kelly. “What do you think? Too risky for you?”
Kelly looked at me before answering. “Maybe? I don’t know.”
“It’s gonna be packed for sure.” And I honestly didn’t feel like sharing her.
“We can all go in together.” Devlin sounded confident. “Keep her surrounded. It’ll be like she has three bodyguards.”
“Six,” Mabel pointed out. “Ari and I and Veronica can help guard her too.”
“What if you called ahead?” Austin suggested. “Maybe they’d let us reserve that table in the corner.”
“They might have, if I’d done it earlier,” I said. “At this point, I doubt they’d even answer the phone.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Kelly smiled. “I’ll wear a hat and keep my head down.”
“I’ve got a hat I can lend you.” My dad stood up, excited to help out. “Let me find it.”
She came over and sat next to me, put a hand on my leg. “Is it okay? I don’t have to go if you think it’s a bad idea.”
I liked that she trusted me to make the call. “It’s okay. Let’s head over there, and I’ll assess the situation,” I said. “If I go in and get a bad feeling, we’ll go home.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “Home is fun too.”
“I found one!” My dad shuffled over to us, proudly offering a Two Buckleys Home Improvement cap, much like the one I’d loaned her two nights before, only his was navy.
“Thanks.” Kelly flashed him a grin and pulled the cap onto her head.
My father nodded his approval. “Looks good on you.”
“All that red hair might be kind of recognizable,” said Ari. “Maybe a ponytail?”
“Good idea.” Kelly gathered her long hair at the nape of her neck. “Anyone have a ponytail holder?”
“I do.” Veronica stood up and fished in her pocket, pulling out a little round elastic.
Kelly took it from her and wound it around her hair. Then she stood up and looked at us. “Better?”
Ari laughed. “That sweatshirt is gigantic. You could hide two Pixie Harts in there!”
“Is that yours, Xander?” Mabel asked.
“Yeah.” And maybe I imagined the side-eye that accompanied the question, but I didn’t want to draw any additional attention to the answer. “Let’s head out.”
The Broken Spoke was a few miles outside town, more of a local hot spot than a tourist destination. Kelly and I took our own car, Austin and Veronica took another, and Devlin drove Mabel and Ari. We met up in The Broken Spoke’s gravel parking lot, which was packed, as expected. I scanned the rows of cars looking for the beige Honda with the dent in the left rear panel, but didn’t see it.
As we headed for the door as a group, the women sort of flanked Kelly’s sides while Devlin and I led the way and Austin kept an eye on everything from the rear. I’d called ahead, but as expected, I hadn’t gotten an answer. We could hear the loud thump of the drums and wail of guitars as we approached the building, and after paying our cover fees at the door, we moved like a herd into the bar.