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I’m not sure how hard it’ll be to hold a ball between Brie’s and my head.
Brad comes over to me. “Hey, you did pretty good at Mario, but this is where the men are divided from the boys.”
I smirk. “Is that so?” I might not be confident, but I can fake it as well as the next guy.
“Yep. Winner gets a pretty epic prize. Trust me when I say, you’ll want it.”
“What is the prize this year?” Brie asks, leaning around me to see Brad better. “I’ve been out of the loop.” She looks up to me to explain. “Because I’m single, I’m not on the playdate threads, and they often forget I exist.”
Brad points to our sweaters. “Is that why you were so ungenerous with your sweater money?”
“Apparently,” Brie huffs.
I had almost forgotten about the duck blazed on my chest. Brie looks pretty no matter what she wears.
“So, what’s the prize?” Brie prompts again.
“It’s a surprise, but Bianca and Jett are in charge this year, so you know it’s going to be good.”
Brie clasps my sleeve like this is an important detail I can’t miss. “Jett is a doctor and likes to show his money off.” The show-off part was followed by a frown.
“So, wedon’twant to win?” I wasn’t about to be too intense around their family, and I was perfectly fine holding back.
Brie has my whole arm this time. “No, it means we really want to win. Besides, I’ve never qualified for a prize before since I usually help with the kids, but thanks to you, this is my year.”
I love when she gets passionate. “In that case . . .”
“Sorry, Brie,” Brad says, sliding his thumbs into the loops of his jeans. “If you were on our team, you might have had a chance. As it is, you’ll be up against Katie and me at the end.”
His wife, a thin blonde with an athletic build, slugs his arm. “Behave.”
I set my hand on Brie’s, which is still holding my arm. “Don’t worry, we’ll bring our A game.”
Brie was wrong to warn me about her party. I was all over this. Amongst our team, it’s decided Brie and I will be last. Barb and Devon go first and do pretty well. Bear and Rachelle are mismatched size wise and struggle. Brie and I aren’t exactly the same size either, not nearly as close as Brad and Katie are. I dwarf Brie in height, and we have a serious disadvantage because of it. Thankfully, Brie has natural grace, and I put in enough hours of exercise to add some athleticism. Not to mention, the other team isn’t faring much better than us at this point, and it’ll be a close match for our teams as a whole.
Teamwork is crucial. I sneak my hand into Brie’s. It fits as well as I remember, maybe even better. “Ready?”
She looks up, surprised by my touch. I tighten my hold on her soft skin and pull her closer to my side—because if we are going to win her Christmas prize, we have to be in sync, and the other team can’t know our game plan. “We won’t actually be able to be shoulder-to-shoulder since I’m taller. Keep your hip next to me and push the ball against my arm. The key will be to stay very, very close. Start slow so we can match each other’s pace. Our goal won’t be speed but to not drop the ball.”
“And on the other end when we have to hold the ball with our faces?” Right now, the couples were bent over almost in squats with their heads together and walking sideways in wide steps resembling football players in training.
“We’ll do a bear hug-walk back. The ball might slide, but we’ll keep it tight.” Her cheeks take on a healthy pink tone. I wasn’t trying to take advantage of the situation, but I imagined I would enjoy every minute. Especially since holding her hand like this is sending a wave of adrenaline through me.
Bear and Rachelle finally make it back with the ball, and Brie and I quickly fall onto our hands and knees. She isn’t close enough. I motion to her hip and she scoots closer until her side is pressed against mine.
“There ya go,” I whisper. I shove the ball between my arm and her shoulder. “Nice and slow.”
We inch forward while Brad and Katie cruise forward, putting several feet in front of us. Brie starts to speed up. “Steady, Briezy.”
I don’t know where my high school nickname for her comes from, but it does the trick.
Near the end of the room, Brad and Katie lose their ball. Katie screams and Brad lets out a not-so-family-friendly expletive. They dart back to the starting line. At this point, we are halfway, and our ball is doing great. We make it to the end of the room right before our opponents. This time, we have to be faster. I grab Brie by the waist and pull her body flush with mine. I get distracted for a moment, lost in her bright blue eyes.
Not now, Rock.
I place the ball between our heads, wishing as I lean in that it wasn’t in my way. We start our sashay across the room, and I feel like we’re dancing.
Brad and Katie are right behind us, but they aren’t doing the bear hug method. Our speed is awesome, but I can’t tell if we are faster or slower than the others. I’m starting to doubt because I see something flash in my periphery. Then I hear screaming behind us. Did they win or drop the ball?
