Page 24 of The Wedding Fake
“We had the idea to do a Newlywed Game!” Juliet exclaimed.
My stomach dropped in the same moment Claire’s eyes went wide in horror. “Aren’t newlywed games for…newlyweds?” she asked meekly.
Her mother shrugged. “Well, Ethan and Nora are about to be married and you and Hudson have been dating, so we thought it’d be perfect. Come on. We’ll go inside and I’ll ask you both the questions. Then we can play after dinner.” She widened her eyes meaningfully, and she seemed to be looking at only Claire when she said, “But no cheating.”
I watched helplessly as Claire walked inside. She was stiff and anxious looking, like an inmate walking to death row, and I couldn’t think of anything I could say or do to help. I sent a silent prayer for easy questions.
“You excited?” Grant asked, and though the question had been posed to both myself and Ethan, Grant’s eyes bored into mine. If the fucker was looking for fear, he wasn’t going to find it here. Pasting a shit-eating grin on my face that made him twitch, I ignored the question and turned to Ethan instead.
“Is Nora easygoing? Because this shit breaks up marriages, doesn’t it?” I asked.
Ethan waved a hand dismissively with a chuckle. “Nora’s a loose cannon, but this isn’t the crap she cares about. We’ll probably know nothing about each other.” He laughed once more, and I took solace in the knowledge that, if nothing else, Ethan wasn’t expecting to do well, either.
Claire came back about fifteen minutes later—fifteen minutes of forced chit chat with the Dupree brothers, during which time I never let Grant see even an iota of discomfort. Ethan had proven easier to talk to than Grant, but neither would be my first choice for a friend. “How’d it go?” I asked her, careful to ask something that wouldn’t be misconstrued as cheating. I knew without a shadow of a doubt if Claire's family thought we were cheating they’d double down on the push for her to date Grant instead of me.
“It was fine,” she said, smiling as she laced our fingers together and gave me a reassuring squeeze. I couldn’t imagine what had transpired to make her confident, but Claire was smart as hell, and I was willing to trust her.
“Let’s eat,” Charles suggested, nodding toward the table where burgers were now piled high. I followed Claire to our seats, our hands still entwined, and she gave me one more squeeze before she let go. I wasn’t sure exactly what those squeezes were supposed to mean, but each gave me a little bolt of pleasure.
I would not, under normal circumstances, cheat at a game. Occasionally Sammie had tried to cheat when we’d been kids, but Lawrence had no patience for it, and I looked up to Lawrence like a god when we were kids. Fortunately, I’d been graced with enough basic memory and athleticism to hold my own, and I usually didn’t care much about losing.
But today was different. The game tonight wasn’t about me, it was about Claire, and I was sure if Claire and I lost in dramatic fashion, her family would feel justified in the insane level of meddling they were engaged in. The idea pissed me off.
We weren’t going to get the chance to cheat, though, not only because Claire’s family appeared to be watching her every move at the table, but because Claire herself seemed wholly unperturbed. “This is delicious, Mom,” she said, eating some sort of broccoli salad.
“It’s all very good,” I agreed, sneaking another peek at my date from the corners of my eyes. She seemed genuinely engrossed in her broccoli salad and perfectly content. “Thank you all so much for having me up here.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Charles said, and I choked back a laugh. I was willing to bet Charles was out of the loop and was, indeed, happy I was dating his daughter.
Dinner continued awkwardly like that, and on any regular date I would’ve been excited for the meal to come to a close, but this was no ordinary meal. Things were only going to get worse when the eating ended. “Leave the leftovers,” Juliet said, waving a hand when Tessa and Claire began picking up dishes. “Let’s do the game first, while we still have light.”
Juliet dragged four of the chairs away from the table, set up in a row on one of the raised deck platforms. I thought I might vomit. Claire and I had spent hours over the past couple weeks talking, but those hours weren’t going to be able to compete with a couple who’d been together for years.
Still, Claire sat down in the chair, the faintest smile tilting her lips. I stole a kiss as I walked to my own seat, afraid she’d be so disappointed after this trouncing it may be my last. “No cheating,” Grant called out from the crowd in front of us, his voice holding just enough humor to make hitting the man unacceptable. Still wanted to, though.
It was another minute before Nora and Ethan were settled, then Juliet spoke. “I think everyone knows the rules. We asked the women to answer seven questions about themselves. The answers are on these cards.” Juliet paused to hand them out. “Keep them hidden,” she warned. “Now we will ask the men the same questions. Teams win a point for a matching answer.”
“What do we get if we win?” Nora asked.
“Bragging rights,” Juliet answered quickly.
And what do we get if we lose? I didn’t want to consider the answer.
“Before we begin, does anyone want to make this more interesting?” Grant asked. The men understood his meaning, but the women scowled at him in confusion. “I mean betting,” he clarified. “Anyone want to bet on a team?”
Tessa grimaced. “Who’s going to bet against Nora and Ethan?” she murmured.
“I will,” Grant said. “Anyone want to bet me?” My jaw ticked. Obviously Grant was making the gesture to impress Claire, the slimy little prick.
“I’ll take some action on that,” Charles said.
“Okay. Five good, Charles?” Grant asked. The older man nodded. “Anyone else? Tess?”
“Okay, I’ll bet five,” Tessa replied.
“Tessa!” Claire exclaimed.
“Claire,” she pleaded, gesturing between the two couples as if the math spoke for itself.