Page 141 of Spurred On

It was awkward and strange to sit there side by side, watching the others chat and joke. But it was nice too.

Especially when he turned to her and said, oh-so-softly, “I’ve missed you.”

Her heart swelled. “I’ve missed you too.”

Hardly a declaration of unending love, but it was a start.

A pity Porsche shattered this fragile sortie by leaping to her feet and announcing the next game.

“Okay people.” She hollered over the din. “We’re going to play Extreme Truth or Dare.”

Sidney stilled. She shot a look at Cody—the panic in his eyes matched hers.

“Shit,” she whispered.

“Here’s how it goes. I will draw two names from this bag.” She waggled a velvet bag. “And that couple will have ten minutes in the next room to exchange their deepest darkest secrets. Then, when they return, we will quiz them and see how many answers they get right. The couple that wins gets a steak dinner. On me.”

“Wait a sec,” Rafe said. “How is that fair? Some of the couples here are married. They already know each other’s secrets.”

“Not necessarily,” Crystal said with a wicked glance at Ford.

“What?” Ford frowned. “What don’t I know about you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Um, yes?”

“I’m not drawing couples’ names,” Porsche said, waving at her brother to be quiet. “I’m drawing individuals. For example,” she reached into her bag and pulled out a slip of paper. “First up is Penny . . .” Everyone oohed. “And Hanna!”

With groans, Penny and Hanna stood, and Porsche handed them a stack of cards.

“What are these?” Penny asked.

“Your prompts.”

Penny flipped through the pile and rolled her eyes. “Oh, lord.”

“Go for it, honey.” Mark slapped her bottom. “I have a hankering for a steak dinner.”

While Hanna and Penny were gone, the party resumed. Claire put on music and some couples danced and others chatted in little pods.

As for Sidney and Cody, they sat next to each other on one of the sofas off to the side of the action and watched. Though they didn’t speak, she was preternaturally aware of his every move, every breath.

She was glad she hadn’t had much to drink, because she needed to keep her wits about her. The last thing she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms or kiss him or any of the other myriad urges whipping through her.

It seemed to take forever for Penny and Hanna to come back, but when they did, the quizzing began. It was hilarious. Hanna tried valiantly to answer questions about Penny, but Penny didn’t even try. She just made up all her answers.

For example, apparently Hanna had her first crush on Bozo the Clown, which was comical because Hanna was deathly afraid of clowns. Her expression to that alone was priceless.

The next couple Porsche targeted was her groom and Brandon Wilder. As the two Brandons made their way into the other room, Rafe, Logan and Ben snickered. The reason became clear when the two men emerged, because apparently they hadn’t shared any secrets at all. They’d just done shots the whole time and could barely stand up.

Porsche frowned at them both and stood, stomping her tiny foot. “People! People!” she bellowed like a third-grade teacher railing at an unruly class. “You have to follow the rules.”

“We’re just having fun, hon,” Brandon said, snuffling her ear.

“That rhymed,” the other Brandon said.

Porsche glared at both of them. “Sit down,” she said in the voice and they both did. But neither seemed remorseful in the least. “Moving on . . .” Porsche picked up her evil bag and fished around for a while. When she pulled out a slip of paper, Sidney knew her name was on it—probably because Porsche’s gaze snapped to her.