Page 16 of The Awful Truth

“Really?” Miguel asked. “Like knives and fire sticks?”

Ted nodded. “Actually, I’m pretty sure she could juggle knives.”

“No. Well, maybe if someone had a gun to my head,” she answered. “Just…little juggling balls. When I was a kid, I thought I might want to join the circus.”

“The circus?!” Winslow asked.

Antonia felt warmth spread through her at the memory. “Well, as a ten-year-old girl from a small town, the circus seemed very glamorous.”

They all laughed, then Miguel said, “Any chance you’ll show us?”

“Do you have a gun?”

He chuckled. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Okay, Charlotte, you do Ted,” Antonia said.

Charlotte’s cheeks turned pink, and she stumbled to get her words out for a second. “Umm…I’d say a quirk of Ted’s would be…” She stared at him and made a clicking sound with her tongue. “He’s extremely afraid of spiders.”

Ted shuddered dramatically, then added, “It’s all those eyes.”

Everyone laughed, then Antonia said, “She’s right. He’s terrified of them. In fact, if there’s a spider in our house, he yells for me to come kill it.”

“Okay,” Ted said, pursing his lips for half a second. “But to be fair to me, back home in Idaho, we didn’t have spiders that jump. Toni grew up in the Pacific Northwest, so she’s used to it.”

Winslow screwed up his face in disgust. “That would do me in as well. In fact, just the thought of it is making my skin crawl. Let’s move on. Who’s next?”

“No one has done Charlotte,” Ted answered.

Antonia held up her hand. She drew a deep breath, then spoke loudly, aiming her words in Oliver’s general direction. “Charlotte here is not only flexible in her personality, but she can also touch her toes to the back of her head in more than one way.”

Charlotte blushed. Winslow’s eyes popped open. Ted’s cheeks turned slightly red. Miguel began begging her to show them. Oliver looked over from behind the bar and smirked. Antonia nodded at him. “That’s right. Two different ways! She can raise her feet in front of her face and over her head or do a back bend and touch her eyebrows with her toes.”

Charlotte shook her head as if everyone could do it. “Only because I was a gymnast growing up.”

Miguel smiled at her. “Don’t be modest, girl. If I could do that, I’d be shouting it from the rooftops.” He turned to Oliver. “Okay, young man, you’re up, but you have to do yourself since no one else here knows your secrets.”

Oliver folded his arms and looked up, as if thinking about it. Then he looked at Charlotte and said, “I fall in love too quickly.” His gaze shifted to Miguel. “Occupational hazard maybe, since I’m moving around all the time.” Shrugging, he added, “Never works out, but it’s fun while it lasts.”

Miguel’s smile faded. “Well, that’s not funny or embarrassing. It’s a little sad.”

Oliver shook his head. “I’m fine. Believe me. I’ve got it pretty good.”

“I don’t think you do,” Miguel answered. “Love is the whole point of all of this.”

“Not for everyone,” Winslow said with a firm nod. “Some men are here for adventure. I suspect that’s the case for Oliver here.”

Giving him a grateful smile, Oliver said, “Exactly.”

Winslow glanced around the table. “So, we’ve got a juggler, a gagger, an arachnophobe, a sub-par singer, a gymnast, and a hopeless romantic.”

Antonia nudged Charlotte on the arm and leaned in. “Oliver seems very into you.”

Charlotte’s cheeks turned pink and she glanced across the deck to the young man. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Oh yes, he is. He keeps looking over at you,” Antonia said, throwing her a conspiratorial smile. “I think you should go for it.”

“Go for what?” Ted asked, his expression serious.