Page 167 of Biggest Player
“Hey.” Dex kisses me full on the mouth at the same time he’s pulling me into his arms. “Ready for game night?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I force a smile.
He chuckles, kissing my forehead. “Don’t worry, it’s just for fun. Landon and Harlow are pumped to meet you.”
The knot in my stomach turns, and I put a hand there to quell it as he ushers me into the foyer.
As I walk inside, the sound of laughter and chatter greets my ears, the kind of good-natured laughter that calms me a bit.
I peek through the arched doorway to the living room to see a big dude—not as big as Dex but certainly massive—arranging games on the coffee table. He and Harlow look so comfortable and so at ease, like this is just another Sunday night to them.
Maybe that’s because they live in the Midwest? Aren’t things wholesome there? They do things like game nights and county fairs and fundraisers at the local fire department. Or so I’ve heard.
“Hey, you made it!” Dex’s best friend stands and sets down a black game box, already moving in my direction with his arms out, ready for a hug. “I’m Landon, but my friends call me Andy.”
Dex’s brows raise. “Hey—Icall you Landon.”
His buddy laughs and folds me up. Gives me a squeeze. “Exactly.”
“You’re such an asshole,” Dex grumbles unhappily, not at all pleased by his friend’s jokes.
“And this is my better half, Harlow,” Andy announces. “She keeps me honest.”
His girlfriend is not at all what I was picturing, although I couldn’t tell you what that was. Maybe someone blond? Someone glamorous? Who can’t move her face? Sexy?
If I’d done a deep dive of them online, I wouldn’t be as shocked to see that they’re both relatively ... normal. As I was praying they would be.
“Oh my God—finally!” Harlow hops up from the couch, immediately wrapping me in a hug. She squeezes me too. “It’s so good to finally meet you! I’ve heard so much about you ... and some doozy stories, too, but only because sometimes men are idiots.”
I’m assuming she means that bullshit with Trent, but I don’t have the mental bandwidth to question it.
“When did you get into town?” I ask.
“This morning. After we landed, we stopped and got smoothies, then went to the hotel to chill.”
“I said you could stay here,” Dex points out.
Andy laughs. “Nah. It feels more like a vacation when I stay at a hotel. We’re at the Four Seasons—are you going to pamper me like they will?”
“I will if you pay me,” Dex volleys back.
We all share a laugh, Harlow dragging me toward the couch, a bottle of wine and glasses on the coffee table already, waiting for the fun to begin.
“We were just debating what to start with—Cards Against Humanity or Scattergories,” she explains. “Or Pictionary? Dex doesn’t have a huge selection.”
Oh God. My worst nightmares, all on the table.
Shit. I can feel my palms begin to sweat.
It’s one thing to have dinner and try to make a good impression over a meal, but game night? There’s a chance I’ll be exposing my deepest, darkest flaws—like how I can become overly competitive when Monopoly is on the table because I hate losing money to other players or the bank. Or how I’m hopeless at Pictionary because I can’t draw to save my life, not even a stick figure.
What if I embarrass myself?
What if we play Cards Against Humanity and I’m forced to look like a pervert because of an embarrassing sentence? If you know anything about that game, it’s literally the worst. I want them to like me, not think I’m a jerk.
Margot, chill.
Channeling Wyatt’s infinite wisdom, I blink back at three very excited, enthusiastic faces. They’re watching me expectantly, and I sit up straighter, putting on my brave face. I teach kids, for crying out loud—they are the toughest crowd I’ve ever met! Harlow and Andy already like me from what they’ve heard about me from Dex; they’ve said as much.
