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“This is it, ladies and gents.” Tess paces back and forth like she is a war general trying to muster her troops for battle. “The last event in the Wedding Games. We are tied 1-1 and this will decide who wins and who is dancing the hula. The object of this game is to see who knows their partner better. Each couple will sit with their backs facing one another and when Mama Athena asks a question, you will jot down your answer. Whichever team scores the most points, wins. Understood?”
Everyone nods. It’s clear by Tess’s body language that she will not be taking questions.
“Now, because Leah and Isaac are not a couple, they will not be permitted to participate,” Tess continues. “Four rounds. Three questions each round. One winner. Let’s do this.”
First up is the bride and groom. While they are being asked questions, the rest of the family members take seats scattered around the pool area. I look around for an empty seat, but they are all taken. Theo clasps my wrist and gently leads me to sit on his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist.
His chest is against my back, and I can feel the beating of his heart and it makes my own heart race. Maybe we should have excused ourselves and gone back to our room.
Theo leans closer to me and whispers, “Tess told me what Leah said to you.”
My heart stops. My eyes dart to where Tess is sitting but she is too engrossed in the game to notice me look her way.
I squirm a bit but his hands around my waist steady me. “What?” is all I manage to whisper back.
“I’m sorry she was rude to you, Cate,” he continues, amongst the cheers and boos of the first round. “I should have told you about Leah before we came to Hawaii.”
“Your mother and sister told me about her.”
His breath sharpens. “Caleb asked me to take her out a few times. She was driving Sarah crazy, and Caleb wanted to give Sarah a break.”
“I know,” I nod my head and clap when Sarah scores three out of three questions to Caleb’s two out of three. “Your sister told me that as well.”
“Did she also tell you that Leah started telling everyone we knew that we were in a relationship, and we were talking about getting married?”
His question makes me choke on my own spit. I shake my head in response.
“When I found out, I went to Caleb and Sarah’s house where she was staying to straighten things out.” One of his hands rubs up and down my arm. “I told her we weren’t dating and that I had only taken her out as a favor to Caleb and Sarah. As you can imagine, she didn’t take it well. Leah told me one way or another, we’d end up together. And then she stormed out of Caleb and Sarah’s house.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I didn’t know.”
“I don’t want you believing a word she says. I am not interested in her. Never was.” Theo’s grip around my waist tightens and I lean into his body.
I want to believe him. He’s not given me reason to question him, but I still have jealousy brewing in the pit of my stomach over the image of him and Leah on a date together. I scan the patio, but Leah is no where to be seen. I wish she could see me sitting in Theo’s lap. Maybe then she would back off.
“And last but not least, our newest couple, Theo and Cate.” Athena motions for us to take our places. I have to look over at the whiteboard to see who is in the lead. Team Bride: Sarah got 3 points, Ruth got 2 points, and Tess got 2 points. Team Groom: Caleb scored 2 points, Drew got 2 points, and Liam scored 3 points. Liam scoring higher than her must have pissed Tess off.
It’s a tied game. I need to get all three of these questions right, but that’s not going to be easy. I’m not sure what kind of questions Athena is going to be asking. I take a deep breath, take the cap off my marker, and get ready to scribble down my answers.
“First question,” Athena reads from her index cards. “Cate, darling, how does Theo take his coffee?”
Easy.Praise as Eve says.
I quickly jot downTheo drinksblack coffee.
“Alright, show us your answers.”
Theo and I flip our boards around and they match. A point for Team Bride.
“Theo,” Athena moves on to Theo’s first question. “What is Cate’s favorite food?”
I write my answer down. I am nervous. I can feel his back against mine, and his arm is moving rapidly. These are questions couples should know about one another. If we don’t get most of them right, then everyone is going to wonder why.
Oh. My. God. What if they figure out I’m a fraud?
My stomach is in knots. I would rather be dared to jump into the pool naked than play this game.
“Alright,” Athena’s sing-song voice rings. “Show us your answers.”
