Page 75 of The Dating Game

The room is loud as parents are let in to pick up their kids, but I turn to Brooke and give her a soft smile, my body alive with tenderness for her.

“Thanks for singing with me,” I tell her.

“I suppose I owed you after you saved me back at Twist and Shout,” she says with a half-laugh.

“Oh, so I did save you?” I quip as I set the guitar on its stand. “Here I thought I made things worse for you.” A flash of sadness crosses her features.

“Oh no,” she murmurs, “you definitely saved me.” Her voice is tinged with regret, and I wonder if she’s thinking about losing her bet with Sydney.

Despite my minutes ago resolve that she’s worth gambling on, fear grabs a foothold in my mind. If she’s still only dating me to win a bet then our time together is dwindling. When Kimberley broke off ourengagement I was upset, but I think a small part of me was relieved too. Like even then, I knew that our marriage would have been more work than fun. Somehow, despite the brevity of our relationship, I instinctively know that if Brooke leaves me in a few weeks, there will be no sense of relief. Only pain.

Maybe I need to tell her I know about the bet. Just clear the air and get things out in the open.

But then I’d have to tell her about my own little game. Operation Dating Game. What will she think about that? Even if she’s changed her mind about me, I could end up losing her.

The realization sickens me.

“Will, are you okay?” Brooke’s concerned voice pulls me from my introspections. I shake my head, attempting to dispel the worry from my mind.

“I’m fine,” I lie. “Just tired.”

“Yeah.” She reaches over and squeezes me gently on the forearm. “It’s been a busy week. Anything I can do to ease your burden?”

The thoughtfulness of the question only serves to redouble my fears. My own games might’ve messed us up. Even so, I’m going to have to tell her. It’s the only way forward for us.

I swallow. “You’ve helped enough just by being here,” I tell her honestly. As she smiles up at me, I push thoughts of bets and games away. I will tell her.

Just not today.

Chapter 28

Brooke

Theweekispassingby in a blur of happiness and bliss and Will. Cliché as it may sound it can’t be overstated: I’ve never felt this way before about anyone. I’m so stupid happy that if Pharrell Williams saw me right now he’d be inspired to write a sequel to his hit “Happy” and title it “Even Happier.” I’m so stupid happy that I could be the face of the fairy tale slogan: happily ever after. I’m so stupid happy I could outdo Jill in her relentless campaign to spin everything negative into a positive.

My happiness is off the charts. But, in the quiet of night, alone with my thoughts, I can admit that it’s a little scary to be this happy.

Because what happens if Will changes his mind about me? What if he realizes what Van said about me so many years ago is still true: I’m just a pretty face. Otherwise entirely average. Nothing exciting or different about me. As Grant put it, I’m boring. Boring Brooke.

After Van and I broke up in high school, my confidence was shaken. Up until that point I’d been secure in who I was, but for the first time in my life I couldn’t seem to access that confidence anymore. That was when I met my debate club boyfriend Felix. He got assigned to be my biology partner and shyly told me I was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen in real life.

A statement that boosted my confidence in a way I very much needed after Van. It’s funny how you can hate the way men only likeyou for your appearance while simultaneously wanting men to find you attractive.

Felix was a sweet guy, cute though perhaps a little bit of a know-it-all, but what I remember most about why I said yes to dating him was that in my gut I knew he would never make me cry. You don’t cry over a man you don’t love, and I knew I was not in danger of falling in love with Felix. He was safe.

And I’ve only dated safe guys ever since. Until now.

Until Will. The most dangerous man I could imagine. At least as far as my heart is concerned. The other day, as we faced Clyde and memories of being attacked by that feral cat surfaced, I knew instinctively that he would protect me. Now I wonder if I can also trust him enough to protect my heart.

So yes, at night I spiral a little, but then I wake up and see Will in the dining hall, and his smile is like a shot of dopamine bringing back the flood of overwhelming happiness.

Did I mention how much I like Will Barrett?

It’s Thursday afternoon and our whole group is at the local food bank. Some people are inside sorting donations and doing some light cleaning and some of us are outside helping pass out bags of groceries to families in need.

The Morrisons are one such family. The seven of them showed up thirty minutes ago to get their weekly bags of groceries. The mom, Deedee Morrison, told me her roofer husband has been out of work since injuring his leg last October. With so many mouths to feed their circumstances got dire quickly, so they started coming here. It’s clear she couldn’t be more grateful for the help.

I immediately recognized some of her younger kids from camp, though none of them are in the volleyball group. Two are in soccer though, and as soon as they saw Will they demanded his attention.Now all of the kids along with Silas, Lee, Xander, and Will are involved in a game of hacky sack that I keep sneaking glances at when I’m supposed to be talking to Deedee.

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