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“Is that how it is,” he asks with a raised brow.
“Honesty, remember? I’m not fucking around. Tonight, you lose,” I say, pointing my finger at him.
“Bring it on, Cole.”
“Oh, it’s already been broughten,” I snark back.
“Fuck, girl. No more drinks for you.” Kit laughs before handing me yet another drink.
“How many have you had,” Damian asks.
“A few,” I say, shrugging. “I’m good though. For real, grab your balls.”
They both wander off, while Kit and I set up the names on the screen.
Big Guy for Zan, Richie Rich for Damian, Willard for me, and somehow, we go from Kit to Kitty Kat and then finally landing on Pussy for my best friend. Thankfully, this bowling alley is twenty-one and up, so I don’t expect much backlash for that last one.
“Richie Rich? Seriously?”
“Best I could do, Mr. Money Bags,” I tell him.
“You’ll pay for that,” he says darkly, waking up my lower regions.
“I sure fucking hope so.”
They all bowl before me, each of them taking out some pins. Kit and Zan both grab spares, but Damian leaves two pins behind. I stride to the end of the lane and roll a strike. It’s the beginning of a streak for me. After six frames, I’m ahead by more points than any of them can hope to overcome. By the end of it all, I win by nearly a hundred points.
“Holy fuck,” Zan says. “I knew you held back, but damn, Willa.”
“Too many summers in North Dakota with nothing to do but either watch hockey camp or go bowling next door. I chose bowling more often than not.”
“I’ll take a loss every time if you wear this outfit,” Damian says.
“You’ll take a loss every time no matter what I wear, Mr. March.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says, holding up his palms as if surrendering. “You coming with us?”
I nod and we walk Kit outside and get her in a ride share before we jump into Damian’s sleek sedan. He and Zander go on about my bowling skills during the ride, but I’m mostly quiet and contemplative. I have the tendency to be nonconfrontational with those in my personal life. With people I love and admire. Strangers are different. But I’ve never liked to make waves with family or friends. I’m like my mom that way, whereas my dad and Isla are hotheads. You can set my sister off at the drop of a dime and for the dumbest reason. While I slowly simmer and hardly ever boil over.
“You’ve been quiet,” Zander says when we step out of the car.
“I’ve been thinking about a conversation we need to have.”
He swallows hard, so I know he knows what I’m getting at. Nodding, he follows a few steps behind me into the house.
“Sit down and have it out,” Damian orders us both.
“Will you let me explain?”
“I’m not stopping you,” I tell Zander.
“Not once since we started this have I thought about being seen with you for the benefit of my career. Not a single time. When Audrey mentioned it at the gala, I was annoyed that she was probably making assumptions based off what I had said in our initial meeting. But that isn’t why I invited you to go with me.”
“Then why not be up front with me about it that night? Or even explain afterward?”
“I thought if you never knew, you’d never feel like I was using you.”
“But you knew Isla would tell me,” I argue.
