“He hates it,” she beams. “And I love watching him huff and puff.” This woman is a menace, I can already tell. And I don’t know if I should be scared or elated that she seems to enjoy riling up my father. She stops short of the table in the corner where Dad is sitting and playing against an old man, fully focused.
“Edward, imagine my surprise when I find a younger looking you wandering around like a lost puppy.” Her words are laced with sarcasm but Dad smiles without looking up. Cheryl steps back to wrap her arm around me and pats my cheek. “Poor boy.”
“Cheryl.” Dad greets her as he finishes laying the tiles down for a word and writes his score down. “About time you got here, Oliver.” He doesn’teven look up at me as he greets me. He says something to the man sitting across from him before standing up. Everything about my dad seems normal but I am still confused about what I am doing here. “Should we pair him up with Ethel?” I follow his line of sight to a frail woman in a wheelchair across the room.
“Absolutely not. That would be a massacre. Don’t be rude.” She scoffs at my father and I chuckle. I don’t know who this woman is, but she might be one of my new favorite people. “Let us pair him with Pru. She’ll just talk to him about how handsome he is and try to pair him up with her granddaughter. Easily distracted.” She peers up at me through her full lashes. “It would be an easy win, darling.” She grins.
“I need him to get better, not just take easy wins.” Dad argues. I have to do a double take at the serious tone in his voice.
“Better to ease him into the tournament.” She glances at her watch that is diamond encrusted. Who is this woman? “We start in ten minutes. Go and get him settled then.” She tries to shoo Dad away but places her hand on my arm, “I’ll get him some punch and a snack. Oliver I hope you like cherry lemon squares. It’s my best recipe.” I watch Cheryl walk away towards maybe what is the kitchen. She’s wearing a muted gold dress and her hair is a faint blonde. She walks like her feet aren’t even touching the ground, more like floating. Looking over at where my dad is still standing, I raise an eyebrow.
“Cheryl owns a third of the historic district and several art galleries. Her family has been in real estate for generations. Don’t let her scare you. She’s an angel. Just has a sharp tongue.” Dad motions around the whole room. “She comes in once a month and transforms this whole building into something else just to give the residents something to look forward to.” He pushes me to start walking. “I come to get better so I can beat Avery.” Sneaky bastard.
“She doesn’t know, does she?” I don’t even have to ask because I know she doesn’t. AJ would lose her mind if she knew Dad came to a secretScrabble club to practice to beat her. They take their Scrabble games way too seriously for the rest of us to even dare play with them.
His face drops with momentary fear of the tiny girl he’s practically raised. “Don’t you dare tell her either.” He threatens. But I wouldn’t dare. Knowing this is much too fun to ruin.
“Why am I here?” We are almost across the room and I can feel the shift in the air as the preparation for the matches start. Who knew that old people would be so pressed over a board game?
“I need reinforcements. Melinda wants to do a tournament for Thanksgiving this year. Since Rory and Avery are together, she wants to do a gym family meal together. And I think she wants to do something nice for Avery. She has no idea how vicious our girl gets over her favorite game. And I hate losing. Eli doesn’t care enough to bring competition to the table. Maxwell would rat us out. Mia is loyal to Avery. And Rory has to train.” He points to me, “you’re my soldier.” I’m trying my best to not die laughing at the way my dad is acting right now, but it’s a losing battle.
A chuckle escapes my throat. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“Help me beat her.” His words are half request and half demand. And I have to admit, watching AJ lose her shit over having to work harder to beat us both will be hilarious.
“Sure Dad. I’ll play this tournament if you really think that will help set her back so you can beat her.” He is ridiculous, but he’s my dad. And I will never forget everything he gave up for us. If doing something like this makes him happy, I’ll gladly do it.
He squeezes my shoulder, smiling proudly, before making his way back to his match. I sit down across from Pru and her face lights up when she notices me. “Look at you!” She nearly knocks her cup of coffee over as she throws her hand out gesturing to where I am sitting. “I have a granddaughter. Probably your type.”Probably not.
My mind immediately went to a vicious, wild blonde that I am desperate to get on the back of my bike again. Something about riding around with her quieted the messy chaos in both our brains and I am craving that feeling again. I crave a lot when it comes to her. But she is working hard to keep her distance and I’m letting her until I figure out why.
“Hi, Pru. My name is Oliver.” I reach over and subtly move her cup out of the zone for her to knock it over.
“That’s a good name. A strong name.” She nods tightly. “Alison is my sweet granddaughter's name. Do you like that name?” Cheryl was right. I almost feel bad beating this woman in a simple board game. I glance back over to where Dad is sitting and he gives me a nod that is clearly meant to tell me to win.
“Here you go, darling.” Cheryl appears near our table and places a plate of dessert, a small glass of punch, and a bottle of water down next to me. She bends down and kisses my cheek. “Don’t feel bad about winning. The rest of these old vampires are more than willing to beat you.” She whispers before standing back up fully and smiling softly at Pru. “Can I get you anything?” Pru shakes her head and Cheryl starts making a round about the room checking on every one. My pocket vibrates. When I pull my phone out, I don’t even try to stop the smirk from lifting my lips.
Mia
My date kind of makes me think of you.
Oliver
Weird because I was just thinking about you.
Mia
It’s a Wednesday. Don’t flirt with me.
Oliver
What does Wednesday have to do with it?
“It’s rude to always be on your phone. Alison does that too. You’ll definitely get along.” Pru plays her first word and guilt runs through me. I don’t want to be rude, but I also have no control over checking my phone again. So I move my phone down to my lap to be less obvious.
Mia
Why were you thinking about me?
