Yay! See you both there!Essie’s smile turned into a grin. She hurried to get ready herself, more than pleased she’d made the effort to reach out. This would be fun and a great way to get to know these women better.
When she arrived at the community center, a quick look around told her she was the first of them to get there. She registered the team and since she couldn’t think of anything else, went with the team name of Queen Bees. Why not, she figured. It was what they’d started calling themselves since Paige had given the book club that name.
Essie had never been very popular in school because she’d been so focused on academics, so it felt pretty special to be part of the cool girls club now. Although it was completely possible that she was the only one who thought they were cool.
A lot of people might think a book club was boring. Those people hadn’t met the women in this one.
“Essie!”
She turned and saw Maude waving at her. Essie waved back, then saw Blaise coming in a few people behind her the younger woman.
Maude gave Essie a hug. “This should be fun, huh?”
“Yes!”
“Hi, ladies,” Blaise called as she drew closer. She hugged Maude, then Essie. “Testing our brains tonight, I see. I hope I can help. I don’t know how good I’m going to be at trivia.”
Essie shrugged. “Me either, but I’m sure we won’t be the worst.”
“Quite a crowd.” Maude was looking around. “You guys want to find a table while I get drinks? What do you all want?”
“I’ll have a glass of white wine,” Blaise said.
“Club soda with lemon,” Essie answered.
“Be right back. I’ll find you, don’t worry.” Maude went off to get drinks, leaving Blaise and Essie to find a table.
They got a spot near the wall, giving them a good view of everyone else. The tables were set up for four people, so they left the chair with its back to the stage empty.
Essie slung her purse straps over the back of one chair and had a look around. “Hey, there’s a snack table. I’ll go grab us a basket.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for Maude, in case she can’t find us,” Blaise said.
Essie worked her way through the gathering crowd and stood in line. Once she got to the front, she grabbed a complimentary basket of popcorn and another one of pretzels.
Maude was at the table with drinks when Essie returned. She set the baskets down and saw that Blaise was now holding a sheet of numbered paper and a pencil.
Blaise was putting their team name on the top. “I got our scoresheet. Queen Bees, right?”
“Right,” Essie answered as she took her seat.
The lights dimmed and a man stepped onto the stage carrying a microphone. He was in black pants, black bowtie, and a purple brocade jacket. “Welcome to Trivia Night at the North Hall, folks. I’m your emcee for the evening, Dan Rigsby. If youhaven’t gotten a scorecard yet, raise your hand and we’ll get one to you. Also, if you need a drink or some snacks, you’ve only got a minute to grab those before we get started.”
Maude cast a shrewd gaze around at the nearest tables. “I like our chances. What’s the prize for winning?”
“Breakfast coupons for The Bee’s Knees,” Essie answered.
“That would be all right,” Blaise said. “I’ve never eaten there.”
“It’s not bad,” Essie said. “Frank and I go once in a while.”
“All right, ladies and gentlemen,” Dan said. “Make sure your team name is on the top of your scoresheet and let’s get started. Remember, don’t shout out your answers or other tables might steal them. Also, no phones allowed. If we see you Googling for an answer, you will be disqualified. Everyone ready?”
The crowd replied that they were.
“Here we go,” Dan said. “Question number one: What is the capital of Australia?”
“Oh, I know this,” Blaise said softly. “I did a photo shoot there once. Canberra.”
