Page 70 of I Heart Mason Cartwright
“He usually wins, just to warn you,” Willow grumbles.
Zach looks at me, smirk on his face. “It’s because I can open my throat. Wide.”
If I’d taken a sip, I would have choked on it. As it is, I choke on nothing.
Willow laughs. Zach counts down. We drink.
P-Tink sits between us, tail swishing on the floor behind her, waiting to devour any burp that may escape. Sure enough, Zach finishes first. But what surprises me is that Willow finishes second.
I lose.
A beer drinking contest.
That never happens.
Zach burps three times in succession. The dog jumps after all three. Willow burps next, loud and long. P-Tink jumps at the start of it. Then yelps as it continues. Which leaves me. Except I can’t get it to come. I can feel the air bubbles in my chest, wanting to break free. The three of them look at me, waiting.
“I can’t get it to come,” I say.
“Try bouncing in your seat a little bit,” Willow says. So, I do.
Nothing.
“Here,” Zach says sitting on the arm of my chair to pat me on the back.
Nothing.
“Well, how are we going to do best two out of three if McHunkster over here can’t burp?” Zach asks.
McHunkster?
That makes me laugh. Which in turn makes me burp. Long and loud. Right as AshLynn comes into the room.
“God, you guys are disgusting. Don’t you have anything better to do?”
We look at each other, then P-Tink, then back at AshLynn and all say at the same time, “Nope.”
