Page 140 of The Vacation Mix-Up
“Hey!” She pokes her finger into my chest. “Says who?”
“You, remember?”
Staring past me, or perhaps through me—who knows—she shakes her head. “That doesn’t matter.”
It does. Because I also vaguely recall her saying she doesn’twant to make a fool of herself. But then, she also said she doesn’t want to behertonight, so I guess she’ll forgive me tomorrow for allowing this to happen.
“Where’s Ben?” she blurts. “He’ll come with me.”
Riles marches off, finding Ben when he hollers from the other side of the room, a small crowd gathered around him, applauding.
I grip my hair and follow after her.
“Did you win?” she asks, her hand resting on his shoulder.
Eyeballing her twiddling fingers, I have the overwhelming urge to remove them and thread them with mine, keeping her close.
“Yeah, love. Look at my stack.” He waggles his eyebrows.
“We’re going to the karaoke bar. Want to come?”
“No can do. I’m on a roll.” He holds his fist over his shoulder. “Kiss my bones.”
Kiss his what?
I step forward, ready to crush his hand, when he twists his wrist and opens his fingers, presenting a pair of dice. Riles stares at them, confused, and then shrugs and gives them a peck.
Tossing them onto the table, Ben hollers, “Seven, seven, fucking is heaven,” his posse cheering him on.
The dice bounce off the sides, tumbling until they slow to a stop. I crane my neck, then rub my beard.
Ouch!
Ben slams his palms onto the edge of the table. “Motherfucker!”
Riles nudges him. “Peanut butter!”
He frowns at her.
She frowns back. “What just happened?”
“Your kiss sucked, love. That’s what happened.”
“My kiss does not suck!”
“It did.”
She gives him a shove. “You suck.”
He spins his chair around, face stretched with animation. “Are you drunk?”
“No!”She swipes her hand at him. “I’ve only had a couple of cocktails.”
I count the empty glass in her hand and hold up five fingers at Ben.
“Karaoke bar, huh?” The corners of his mouth lift higher. “Count me in. This could be fun.” He turns back to the dealer and snaps his fingers. “Cash me out.”
“Hold this for me,”Riles says as we enter the dimly lit bar. “I need to pee.”
