You Say It First
Page 47

For a second she allowed herself the fantasy that Nick would stay in Happily Inc and that he would wake up and realize she was the one. Doubtful, but still nice to imagine.
He spotted her and smiled, waving her over. She and Natalie hugged before Nick greeted her with a kiss. Mathias held out his arm.
“After that, you and I should at least fist-bump.”
She laughed and pressed her fist against his.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” Natalie said. “Mathias and I are already committed to playing with Atsuko and one of her friends.”
“That’s okay,” Pallas told her. “Nick and I will find someone else.”
“Maybe your board game boyfriend will show up,” Natalie teased, before glancing at Nick. “You haven’t met Jasper yet, have you?”
“The resident serial killer,” Mathias grumbled. “All the women go crazy over him, even though it’s just a matter of time until they start to go missing.”
Pallas patted his arm. “Did you lose one of your bridesmaid conquests to Jasper? Are we feeling bitter about the competition?”
“He might have had to go an entire weekend without getting any,” Natalie teased. “I have no idea how he survived the pain.”
“Okay, then,” Mathias said. “I’m going to go back to our table and pretend this never happened.”
He walked away. Natalie laughed and trailed after him. Nick led Pallas to their table.
“I thought Jasper was that writer I like.”
“He is.” She took the seat he held out for her. “I’ll admit, I haven’t read many of his books. They’re a little dark for me. But they’re very popular.”
“For good reason.” Nick sat next to her and leaned close. “Board game boyfriend, huh? So I have competition?”
Oh, if only he really were jealous, she thought humorously. “Jasper and I frequently play games together.”
Nick raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m not sure I do. What kind of games?”
“Board games.”
Carol joined them. “I am partnerless. Is that okay?”
“You can take the heat off Pallas,” Nick said. “Apparently she has a board game boyfriend and with me here tonight, things could get awkward.”
“Jasper.” Carol grinned. “I hope he shows up. He’s just so interesting. It’s the bad boy thing.”
As if on cue, the door to The Boardroom opened and Jasper Dembenski walked in. Pallas smiled as the room went quiet. Everyone turned to look at the new arrival.
She wasn’t sure what it was about him that was so intriguing. He was tall—nearly six-four—with dark hair and green eyes. Most times he sported a three-day beard, which she would guess was a whole lot more about not wanting to shave than a fashion statement. Either way, it looked good on his strong features.
Jasper wasn’t conventionally handsome—he was too dangerous looking for that. Instead he was intriguing—and sexy. He wore jeans and boots most of the time. And a leather motorcycle jacket, because yes, the man rode a Harley. Even as he paused just inside the door, Pallas would swear she could hear the opening chords to “Bad to the Bone.”
Jasper took off his sunglasses and glanced around the room. His eyes were a deep green, with impossibly long lashes. His gaze was as hard as his muscled body. He caught sight of her and nodded, then started toward their table. All around them women glanced at him, then away, as if he were the sun and staring too long in his direction could be painful...and dangerous.
“Here he comes,” Carol said happily. “Yay us. Jasper always brings me luck.”
“What kind?” Pallas asked teasingly.
“Not that kind. While he’s nice to look at, he’s so not my type. Too dangerous, too quiet, too everything. I like nice, seminormal guys.”
Jasper stopped behind Pallas’s chair and put his hands on her shoulders. “Ladies. May I?”
“Of course,” Pallas told him. “Jasper, this is Nick. Nick, Jasper.”
Nick rose and the two men shook hands. Jasper glanced between them, then gave Pallas a slow, I’m-so-sexy smile.
“So that’s how it is. When did you two get together?”
She stared at him. “It’s been eight seconds. How on earth did you figure it out so quickly?”
One shoulder rose and lowered. She took that to mean some version of I’m a writer. It’s my job and nature to observe people and pick up clues about them and their lives. Thank you for asking, Pallas. I’ve always enjoyed your unique wit and charm.
Which might or might not be what he was thinking.
“What’s on tap for tonight?” Jasper asked, sitting next to Pallas and across from Carol.
Pallas glanced at the sheet on the table. “We’re having a Monopoly tournament,” she said as she read, then she started to laugh.
“What?” Nick asked.
“It’s Monopoly Junior. I want to be the cat.”
Nick frowned. “I don’t understand. We’re playing Monopoly Junior?”
“I’m not a dog person,” Carol said. “I suppose you guys want to be either the ship or the car, right?”
“I’ll be the dog,” Jasper told her.
“Really? Thanks.”
Nick still looked confused.
“The tournaments always have a twist,” Pallas told him. “We’ll be playing Monopoly Junior tonight. I hope I can buy the ice-cream parlor. It’s my favorite.”
“I want the zoo.” Carol smiled.
“You are all weird,” Nick muttered. “I want to be the car.”
“Of course you do,” Pallas teased.
Carol reached for the ship. “My favorite piece. We are so going places.”
By the first break, nearly a quarter of the people were eliminated. At their table Carol had run out of money. Under the regular rules, the game would be over, but in a tournament, the rest of the table kept playing until it was time for the break.
“We get fifteen minutes to eat and collect more adult beverages,” Pallas told Nick as they rose.
“Carol is out permanently?” he asked.
“Yes. She’s done for the night. Someone will join our table and we’ll all start from the beginning again. With each round, the group playing gets smaller and smaller until there are just three or four left. They’ll play for the night’s championship.” She leaned against him. “Admit it, you’re having fun.”
“I am.” He nodded at the crowd at the bar. “I’ll brave that. What do you want?”
“Hot tea.”
“You’re such a lightweight.”
“I have to drive home and work in the morning.”
He kissed her. “I’ll be right back.”
Pallas stretched and looked around. She knew nearly everyone in the room—a not uncommon occurrence. What must it be like for people who grew up in big cities or moved around a lot? Would it be interesting to not know everyone around, or lonely?
Drew walked over. “Hey, you. How’s it going?”
She eyed him cautiously. “What? If you’re going to talk about Silver, I’m not participating. She’s my friend and I’m on her side.”
“I’m your cousin. Family first.”
“She’s my girlfriend, and no.”