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“Ha! I was right!” she said, moving closer and patting me on the side of the arm. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. And what do you have to lose, anyway? You’re going to beat me at darts anyway, aren’t you, Mr. Confident?”
It was good to see she had completely forgotten about the episode with my mother. Grace looked a lot more relaxed.
“Very well—I accept your terms,” I said. “And if I win?”
She shrugged. “You tell me.”
I nodded, thinking about it, my gaze popping over to the portrait of my sister. “If I win, I will paint you.”
Grace blinked, then glanced down at her body. “You mean like body paint?”
I chuckled. “Your portrait. You’ll have to pose without moving for hours.”
She hesitated. “Why would you want to paint me?”
I shrugged. “Why not? You’re not scared, are you?”
Grace scoffed. “Dream on.”
I pointed to the dartboard. “Okay then . . . ladies first. We can keep it simple and play Around the World. Start by throwing at the number one, then move on to two after a successful hit, then three, and so on until you reach twenty, then the bull’s eye.”
“Very well,” she said, stepping up to the line and taking aim as she squinted.
To my surprise, her first dart landed squarely on number one.
She glanced at me with a triumphant smile.
“Beginner’s luck,” I said.
At least that was what I thought.
Then her second dart hit number two.
“Why do I get the feeling I’ve been set up?” I asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, throwing her third dart, which hit number three. “Can you believe that? Must be my lucky day.” She stepped aside to give me room.
“All right, here goes nothing,” I said, faking nervousness as I took my position. I threw my first dart, hitting the number one perfectly.
My second dart hit the number two right in the middle.
“You played me!” Grace exclaimed with mock indignation, her eyes dancing with delight. “You played me, pretending to be horrible!”
“Ha! Says the woman who nailed her first three shots!” I retorted. “Seems like I’ve underestimated you.”
“You got that right,” she said, laughing along with me.
We continued our game, growing more competitive and playful as we drank our beers. At one point, the dog fell asleep, sprawled out on the hard floor.
“That can’t be comfortable,” I said, picking him up and setting him on the leather chair. “Much better.”
“You like dogs a lot,” Grace said, smiling.
I nodded. “Very much. And so does my mother, you’ll see. Now, where were we?”
Grace stepped up to the line and hit her next three shots.
“I see how this is going to be,” I said.
