Page 59 of Merry Mayhem
She giggles.
The sound is so surprising, I look down at her. I want to kiss her. That thought hits me like someone smacked me across the face.
“Get your game face on, girl,” I say with a little growl.
She shakes her head. “This is just for fun. It’s not life or death. Take it down a notch.”
I turn to face her. “I’m either on or off. I give myallto everything I do.”
Her cheeks get a little pink, and I feel a surge of satisfaction for taking her mind exactly in the direction I intended.
I willdefinitelygive my all to any activity she agrees to with me behind closed doors. She wants multiple orgasms in a variety of positions? I’ll deliver. She wants me to cook her dinner? It will be the best thing she’s ever eaten. She wants a movie marathon? I’ll movie-marathon the hell out of her.
She swallows hard. “I thought we agreed that it was more important that Sam and Ashley not win than that we win.”
I glance to my left, where all the rest of the contestants are lined up waiting. “Right. True.”
“So here’s what I’m thinking,” she tells me. “Jesse, Brad, Beckett, Sutton, and Max and Mitchell will be fine. Physically, they’ll be able to do all the tasks, and they’ve all been observers or participants before. They’re also all from here, so if there’s any Rebel trivia?—”
“There might be Rebel trivia?” I ask.
She nods. “There has been before. Or things like matching holiday recipes with who submitted them.”
My eyes widened. “I don’t know anyone in this town. I can’t do that!”
“That’s what I’m saying!” Thea exclaims with a grin.
“So what’s your plan?”
“Muriel and Patty have lived in this town all their lives. They are a part of nearly every planning committee in this town, and they know every single person.”
I’m nodding. Got it. Muriel and Patty are going to crush any trivia or matching games.
“Ashley is not even from here, and Sam definitely leaned on Violet for that stuff. But Sam and Ashley have a physical advantage over Muriel and Patty.”
“So Muriel and Pattyshouldwin this one, but they’ll struggle with the physical stuff.”
“Right. The thing about this relay is that it’s got multiple levels. If someone’snotgood at trivia, they might be really good at the physical stuff.”
“The perfect team would have both…” Her meaning dawns. “You’re going to ditch me?”
She shrugs. “It’s for the greater good.”
I clutch my chest. “I’m devastated.”
She grins. “No, you’re not.”
I’m not. This is actually fun. Those ladies will need a little help and, hell, so will I. Not that Thea won’t know the trivia answers, but I can’t try to beat two old ladies. I just can’t. I’d end up carrying one on my back and one in my arms across the finish line anyway.
I lean in. “Is this for the rest of Merry Mayhem or just for this event?”
“Well, there’s a scavenger hunt and an obstacle course planned in the next few days,” Thea says. “No way can Muriel or Patty do a rock wall.”
Yes, I remember how Nora slipped with that little detail, too. “And I’m guessing these ladies will absolutely know the best houses for scavenger hunt items.”
“For sure,” Thea agrees.
She probably will, too, but maybe Sam and Ashley won’t.
