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She looked up from the tablet, perplexed. “What?”
Heat climbed up the back of Sully’s neck. Had this been a dumb idea? Yes, probably definitely a bad idea, but no going back now. “It’s an icebreaker,” he explained. “When I started high school, I was insanely shy. I actually looked up online how to make friends.”
She laughed. “Nerd.”
“Guilty. I found this article about ice breakers. They’re these random questions that help, well, break the ice. They help you get to know other people.”
“And did they work?”
“Yeah. After a while, I found my crowd.”
She studied him, then answered. “Hard work. That’s the thing I’m better at than anyone else. I’ll put my head down and outwork anyone. Whatever it takes to hit my goal.”
That didn’t surprise him in the least.
A smile tugged at her lips, and the frown lines disappeared from her forehead. “What about you? What are you best at?”
Sully considered the question. “I think seeing past the surface. Understanding a thing’s true value.”
She nodded. “That’s a useful skill.”
You have no idea,he thought.
Throughout the day, when Sully noticed Alanna’s frown return, he’d call out an ice breaker for her to answer.
What’s the one thing you always pick up at the grocery store?
What sport are you terrible at?
What’s one weird fear you have?
Answers:
Yogurt and wine
Pretty much anything that involves a ball
Sneezing
“You’re afraid of sneezing?” he called down, as he replaced a cracked light switch panel in the upstairs hallway. “How’s that even possible?”
Downstairs, in the living room, Alanna shrugged. “I’m not afraid, but I don’t like sneezing.” She paused before continuing. “It’s… messy. And loud. And in first grade, Mallory Cooper told me that if you keep your eyes open when you sneeze, your eyeballs pop out of their sockets.”
Sully laughed. “Light switch panel is done.”
Alanna put her tablet on the coffee table. “How much is left on the list?”
Sully pulled the paper from his pocket and glanced at the swooping swirls of her writing. “Four things. I’ll probably be able to finish these up in the next two hours.”
She nodded. “What’s your one weird fear?”
Not having the courage to ask you out right now,he thought. Out loud, he said, “Bees.”
“Bees?” She sounded disappointed. “That’s not weird at all. In fact, I’d call that fear dreadfully mundane.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“You allergic?” She tilted her face up to look at him, and the sunlight from the window set her blue eyes aglow.
