Page 41 of Any Port in a Storm

“You clearly hate him.”

Something fiery flashed across his face then, but he shook his head. “I don’t hate him.”

“Well, can you try to be a little more…welcoming?”

Nick had blinked. Hard. Then, he nodded. “If it’s important to you, I’ll make it happen.”

And it’s been better, especially lately. If for no other reason than Nick and Alyssa are typically “too busy” to hang out with Sam and me nearly every time we invite them.

To Grace, I just shrug. “They’re big boys. I trust that they can play nice.”

She laughs. “I hope you’re right.”

As it turns out, of the six of us, Nick and Sam are not at all who we need to be worried about.

“Come on, Laurel. You’ve got this.” Nick’s eyes are intent on my face. We’re two wedges away from clinching yet another Trivial Pursuit victory, the first in a long string of board games Grace has lined up for the Halloween party.

“Tom Hanks?” I guess, scratching at the black lace on the neck of my outfit. Sam and I went as Morticia and Gomez Addams, a couple’s costume I wasn’t thrilled with, but that seemed to excite him immensely.

And what are relationships, really, but sacrificing for someone you care about?

Sam looks kind of goofy in his Gomez suit, but the fact that he so badly wanted to do this quintessentially lovey thing with me was more than enough to make up for it.

“Damn it,” Grace swears, throwing her card onto the table. “This is why I hate playing Trivial Pursuit against you two.”

Nick, who’s dressed as Oscar Wilde, grins cockily. “Because we always win?”

“Because you’re the two nerdiest people alive,” she replies saucily, “and that makes you uniquely qualified to succeed at a game about nothing.”

I grab the next card off the pile. “I’d argue it’s a game about everything.”

Nick pats my head. “See? This is why I need Laurel on my team. She knows what’s up.”

“I hate you,” Grace mumbles. “What’s the question?”

I throw her my sweetest smile. “What was the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II?”

“I don’t know. Operation Trench?”

Nick chokes on his drink.

“It is not Operation Trench. Alyssa, it’s your turn to roll.”

Alyssa, who rounds out our team versus Grace, Roger, and Sam, looks up from her phone, an uncharacteristic scowl obscuring her porcelain features. “I actually need the bathroom.” She gathers the skirt of her Belle costume and scurries away before anyone can reply.

Grace and I exchange a look. Even though we’ve spent plenty of time around Alyssa, she’s always kept us both at a distance. I like her, but I don’t think I know her well enough to follow her and ask if she’s okay.

“Want to roll for your team, then?” I pass the dice to Sam, who’s squeezed between me and the arm of the couch.

“Thanks, babe.” Sam puts his arm around my shoulders.

I feel Nick stiffen beside me.

Alyssa doesn’t come back for twenty minutes, and by then, Nick and I have handily won Trivial Pursuit without her. “I’m going to go check on her,” he tells me, squeezing my shoulder and hopping off the couch.

“I’ll refill the snacks,” I tell Sam.

When I come back with a fresh tray of cheese and a new bag of chips, Roger and Grace have started a shockingly rowdy game of Taboo that involves doing a shot every time you earn five points.