Page 47 of Dance with Me on New Year's Eve

“You didn’t even blink when I just gave you the Draw TwoandDraw Four together.”

“Well, I don’t know. I guess I got used to drawing cards?” I covered my mouth to hide the yawn I knew was coming. “I’m a little tired. Just a tiny bit. Anyway, let’s play. I’ll get you back on my next turn, Lila.”

“You’ll have to reverse first!” she said with a grin.

Jeff’s expression was still serious as he studied me. “You seem more than a little tired. You’re not sick, are you?”

“No, no, I’ve just been busy, lots of late nights recently. And someone’s been making me come to the office early several days a week for meetings.” I looked at him pointedly.

He didn’t respond but merely laid a Skip card down, causing Lila to groan.

I found myself smiling, oddly finding the afternoon somewhat enjoyable despite spending it with my nemesis.

Maybenemesiswas too strong a word.

After we finished playing several more games, we decided to head back—even the eight-year-old was getting tired of eating only sweets and wanted a real meal. On the trek back to Jeff’s car, I became clumsy with exhaustion. After a few near-falls, he started calling out, “Watch your step,” whenever there was anything, even a thin branch, in the path in front of us. Ibristled but stayed quiet, as it was hard enough to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

Once we arrived at his house, Lila leaped at my chest and put her surprisingly strong little arms around me. “Thanks for coming, Roxy! I hope we can hang out again soon.”

I just smiled at her. I liked the girl. Quite a lot, actually, but I wasn’t about to make any promises to spend more time with her and the man who couldn’t stand me. And vice versa, of course. I still didn’t like him and never would.

As Lila walked off, I heard his abrupt voice as I grabbed my bag out of the SUV. “Roxanne, get some rest this weekend.”

“Can’t. You wanted me to review those three reports by Monday,” I grumbled.

“Take a few extra days,” he said quietly.

My jaw dropped, and my eyes bounced back and forth between him and the floor of the garage. “Well, that’s … unexpectedly nice of you.”

His eyes betrayed nothing as he stared at me for a moment. Finally, his brisk tone returned as he replied, “We need to be rested to be able to perform well at work.”

I narrowed my gaze. “Not so nice then. Got it, sir.” I saluted him, knowing it was childish but unable to stop myself as I turned on my heel to head home.

He had a point. I knew it. But would it kill him to be nicer about it?

I shook my head, deciding a nap would be just the thing. As I entered my apartment, I looked around at the clutter piling up. I should tidy up tonight.

I grimaced at the pile of laundry nearly spilling out of a basket as I entered my bedroom. After a long day outdoors, the last thing I wanted to do was clean—or even think about cleaning. Would Danny be online tonight? I hoped so. Sometimes he was around on weekends, sometimes not.

But my brows furrowed as I realized something quite odd: I hadn’t thought about Danny or our project today even once, until now.

Chapter 11

Itwirled my fountain pen in my hand as I pondered how to answer Danny’s question.How was your day?was an innocent question that most people asked to be polite, and I’d answered it awkwardly on more than one occasion. Oh, I’d learned years ago that people asking this question often didn’t care but rather were just performing a social nicety—they only expected you to sayI’m good, how are you?But that didn’t stop me from agonizing over how to respond. Because I wasn’t alwaysgood, and it felt weird to claim I was.

But this was Danny. I’d told him lots of things I’d never tell anyone else. And he hadn’t appeared to think worse of me afterward. I groaned and set the pen down, abandoning my intention to stick to the plan and share my notes on the game design book we’d both spent the last week reading. In what little free time I had, reading the book had been a nice distraction from thinking about the strangely not terrible—but definitely unsettling—hiking experience earlier this month.

SawyerRox4:I’m fine

CastGamer55:Fine can mean a lot of different things, Mindy.

SawyerRox4:You’re right.

CastGamer55:I guess that’s all I’m going to get tonight, eh?

SawyerRox4:lol, for now anyway

SawyerRox4:It’s just a bunch of work stuff, everything piling up, my irritable colleague being irritable, no timefor sleep or self-care …

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