Page 58 of The Deadbeat Next Door

“We’re too old to play truth or dare,” Noah said. “I was too old for it when I was ten.”

May rolled her eyes. “Yes, we all know you matured well before your time. It’s why you’re the pride of the family and the rest of us can never live up to the bar you set.”

“I’ve never played truth or dare,” I said. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me like they were shocked I’d spoken. “I’ve always wanted to try it.”

“Great.” May bounced in her seat and clapped her hands. “I’ll start with you.”

“Go easy on her,” Cody said.

I bumped his elbow with my own. “I can handle whatever you throw at me, May.”

She squealed. “Okay, truth or dare?”

“Truth.” I was brave, but I wasn’t picking dare until I’d seen what sorts of dares they invented.

“Damn it,” Cody said in what I think he meant to be a whisper, but which came out loud enough that everyone could hear. “You never choose truth when it’s May doing the asking.”

“You shut it, idiot maximus,” May said. She narrowed her eyes and looked me up and down.

“What’s your favorite thing about my brother?”

I considered her question, pretty sure I’d gotten off easy. “Other than his willingness to help me out when I needed a fake fiancé?” I asked, giving myself more time. I wanted to be honest, but I was also more than a little annoyed with his family’s negative opinion of him, and I wanted to give them something to think about. “I like the way he’s been there for me, even though he’s got his own priorities and his own plans. He watches out for me and he’s kind to all our neighbors, no matter how nosy they get. He can cheer me up, even when I think I’ll never smile again. And he’s an amazing cook and happy to share the food he makes.” I smiled. “The food is probably my absolute favorite.”

“The way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach,” Jared said with a laugh. May smiled, her eyes twinkling with mischief, and I was sure I’d missed something. I turned to Cody, but he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at his hands, rolling his empty beer bottle between them.

“Okay,” May said. “It’s your turn, Carrie.”

I wasn’t at all prepared, but I looked around the circle and considered my options. Cody was still staring at his hands, so I chose the person I knew second best. “Aubrey,” I said. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Aubrey said, her chin high, her eyes everywhere but on Noah.

“Okay. I dare you to demonstrate a hidden talent that no one here is aware of.”

“Oooh,” May said. “Good one.”

Aubrey leaned back in her seat and considered. “Well,” she said at last. “I have a talent, but I’m not exactly dressed for it.” She gestured to her long, flowing dress. “Play one without me while I change.”

“That won’t work,” May said. “You’re next.”

Aubrey sat back down. “Okay. Cody, truth or dare?”

Cody lifted his head. His eyes were glazed and heavy lidded and it took him several long seconds to focus on Aubrey. “I’m pretty sure I can’t get out of my seat. Truth it is.”

“What’s your favorite thing about Carrie?”

Cody turned to me and his expression softened, a small smile lifting his lips. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, his expression going distant and cold. “Her tits.” He turned back to Aubrey. “She has fantastic tits.”

His words hit me like a slap and everyone got quiet, not that they’d all been chatting, but it got so quiet it almost seemed that everyone had stopped breathing. I should have been relieved that his favorite thing about me was physical. That’s what I wanted - a strictly physical relationship. My reaction made me realize I’d broken my own rule. I straightened my spine and pushed down the hurt. I had to keep it light and physical between us or I had to end it. There were no other options with him. I might believe that he was better than his siblings thought he was, but I knew he wasn’t what I was looking for, wasn’t the right guy to be my future. “I’ve always been quite proud of them,” I said, my smile wide and my tone as light as I could make it. “A good attribute to have when fabricating an engagement.” I was stretching there, but it was the best I could come up with on short notice. Cody looked at me, something like apology in his eyes. “It’s your turn, Cody.”

Cody dared Jared to imitate his favorite animal, a hamster, and then Aubrey was back, in pajamas pants and a sweatshirt. She demonstrated her ability to walk on her hands. This led to most of the siblings testing their own ability to walk on their hands. None of them managed anything as impressive as Aubrey’s feat. The game continued, but it wasn’t as much fun as I’d thought it would be. When Cody dropped an empty beer bottle that shattered on the pavement, I cleaned it up and then I dragged him upstairs to our room.

He spun on me once the door was closed behind us, falling on me in a very un-sexy way and knocking me onto the bed. “I’m sorry,” he said, his words slurring a bit. “It was a shitty thing to say.”

I didn’t meet his eyes, but glared at the ceiling above his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Your boobs aren’t my favorite thing about you. It’s your heart, the way you care about everyone and want to take care of them. I just couldn’t say that in front of them, because they’d read into it and then, when we split up, it would become another fuck-up in a very long list.”

The hurt in my chest eased, even though I knew it was safer to be angry with him. “It’s okay. This is just physical.”

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