Why Not Tonight (Happily Inc. #3)(29)

Posters on easels announced the night’s game was Latice. There was also a plug for an upcoming outdoor charity challenge for teams of three to five participants.

Ronan looked around, trying to find someone he knew well enough to sit with. There was plenty of conversation and laughter—both designed to remind him how he was officially an outsider. He spotted Nick and Mathias sitting with their wives at a table for four and realized coming here had been a mistake. He didn’t know anyone well enough to just join them and—

His brother Mathias spotted him. The other man’s expression of surprise was nearly comical, until Ronan figured out he was trapped. Rather than retreating, he found himself responding to the wave and walking over.

“What are you doing here?” Mathias asked as Ronan stopped by their table. “You hate this kind of stuff.”

Carol slapped his arm. Mathias looked at her. “What? He does. Crowds, conversation. Everything he avoids.”

True now, Ronan thought, although it hadn’t always been. Years ago, he’d been exactly like everyone else.

Before he could figure out what to say, he heard someone call his name. The second he recognized the voice, he relaxed and knew everything was going to be okay.

Natalie paused by his side. “You came! I wasn’t sure if you would.”

“Did you invite me?” If she had, he didn’t remember.

She laughed. “No, but I thought about it, which is practically the same thing. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because you’re here and we’re playing Latice.”

“Is this like the paper airplanes?” he asked, knowing if it was, he would have to prepare to get his ass kicked.

She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned against him. “You can be on my team.”

“We’re not playing teams,” Pallas said with a chuckle. “Good luck, Ronan. Natalie’s a killer player. She always ends up with the wind tiles and totally knows how to score sunstones so she gets extra turns.”

Natalie beamed at him. “She’s right. I do have excellent Latice karma.”

He knew he had to say something, but all he could think was how much he wanted to kiss her. More than kiss her. He wanted to pull her close and touch her all over. He wanted to take her somewhere quiet and private and prove that he hadn’t been kidding before when he’d turned down her invitation because she’d been his guest.

He forced himself to remember where he was and sucked in a breath. “All right, Natalie. I’ll take you on. But first I think I’ll buy you a drink. You might be less deadly when you’re tipsy.”

“I don’t think it works that way, but sure.”

Natalie led him to a table that had two seats open. As they sat down, he thought he recognized the other couple. The woman ran some business in town and the guy was...

“Jasper Dembenski,” the man said, holding out his hand. “You’re one of the Mitchell brothers, right?”

“Ronan.” He almost said “Mathias’s twin” but caught himself in time. He wasn’t, they weren’t, and he still hadn’t figured out how to accept the truth.

The man’s name was familiar. Before Ronan could place it, the woman he was with spoke.

“I’m Wynn Beauchene.”

She was beautiful with high cheekbones, black curly hair and brown eyes. For a second Ronan wished he sketched more, or painted. Wynn would make an excellent subject.

He sat down. Natalie took the last seat and grinned at Wynn.

“It’s Latice night.”

Jasper glanced at her. “What does that mean?”

“Wait and see,” Wynn told him with a smug smile.

“I’m in trouble, aren’t I?” He glanced at Ronan. “Wynn loves it when I get beaten by a woman.”

“I confess, I do. Maybe it’s wrong, but I’m willing to live with the flaw.”

The games were passed out. Wynn and Natalie put the tiles face down and swirled them around until they were all mixed up.

“I believe I’m the youngest person at the table,” Natalie said with a grin as she started taking tiles.

Wynn groaned. “I’d forgotten that part. Yes, Natalie, you get to start.”

Natalie leaned close and lowered her voice. “Wynn gets crabby when she loses.”

“You know I can hear you,” Wynn said. “And that’s not true.”

“It’s a little true,” Jasper told her.

Wynn laughed. “All right. Maybe. I’ll try to be on my best behavior.”

One of the servers got on the loudspeakers and went over the rules. Ronan only half paid attention. He was more interested in how Natalie had shifted her chair a little closer to his.

Their server appeared with a beer for him and a glass of white wine for Natalie. A bell rang and play started.

The premise was deceptively simple—match tiles either by color or image. There was a strategic element Natalie had nailed. He knew that wind tiles allowed you to move a piece, and sunstones...well, he wasn’t sure what they did, but within fifteen minutes, Natalie had an ongoing collection and seemed to play three turns for every one of his.

She won the first game. “We’ll play two more rounds,” she said, “with the winners advancing to the finals.”

“Uh-huh. So I’ll be going home early.”