Page 59 of No Headlines Please

Eager to move on, I asked, "But how about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I won't ask if you play, because you obviously do." I laughed. "I mean, you wouldn't have the games otherwise. But it does make me curious."

And now, he looked almost uncomfortable. "About what?"

I wasn't quite sure how to put this. "I just mean…you don't seem the board game type."

"There's a type?"

It was a valid question. The members of my own family were wildly different. Mom was stylish. Dad was bookish. Tessa was perfect. And I was…well, nothing like any of them. But we all enjoyed games.

Before I could come up with a decent reply, Maddox asked, "So, what type am I?"

I gave him a long, careful look, taking in his expensive watch, tailored slacks, and crisp button-down shirt. "Maybe…the type to buy property you can't throw?"

His mouth twitched. "So real property."

"Right…with actual money."

"So not the fake stuff?"

"Exactly."

He gave a slow nod. "Interesting."

"Is it?"

Instead of answering, Maddox turned and nodded toward the cabinet. "Go ahead."

I wasn't following. "And do what?"

"Pick one. We'll play it."

My pulse quickened. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. Unless you don't want to."

"I do, actually." Honestly, it sounded like a blast. Plus, I knew from experience that you could learn a lot about somebody by watching how they played a game – especially if they lost. I glanced toward the cabinet. "So…which one's your favorite?"

He didn't even look. "None of them."

"Oh, come on," I laughed. "That's no kind of answer."

"That doesn't mean it's not true."

I narrowed my eyes. "You do realize it would be easy for me to find out."

"Oh, yeah? How?"

I gave the cabinet another glance. "I could pull them all out and see which one looks the most worn."

He gave a slow nod. "Devious."

I grinned. "I know, right?"

He flicked his chin toward the cabinet. "Go ahead. But that's not gonna tell you anything."