Page 18 of Why Not Now?

“Your sister causing you grief again?” he asks her.

I take a minute to scan the games. All are ones he and I used to play often when we were in high school.

“Yes. She’s given up on travel writing. For now, at least. Apparently, you can’t get people to pay for your trips if you don’t have a following. Who knew?” Adalie shakes her head. “So she’s decided to focus on Vancouver instead, since her sister can get her into such awesome parties.” She pitches her voice high for the last half of the sentence in what I’m sure is supposed to be an imitation of how Calista speaks. “She wants me to get her into one of our parties so she can show off that she can get into high-profile places.”

“Your parties?” I ask.

“Blue Vista hosts ticketed events sometimes,” Derek tells me. “We do a few in the summer for Pride. We’ve hosted one for Halloween two years in a row now, and we have a New Year’s Eve party coming up.”

“But,” Spencer cuts in, “the New Year’s one is exclusive this year. Super small. It’s been sold out for about a month already.”

“That’s what she wants the tickets to,” Adalie says. “And she doesn’t want to pay the cover charge. She says since I’m her sister, I should be able to get her in for free.”

Lis grimaces. “I guess I kind of did that, didn’t I?”

Adalie laughs. “Calista has no idea Daze and Sophie didn’t have to pay for their tickets. Don’t worry about that.”

Derek shrugs. “I didn’t exactly charge my sisters for their tickets, either.”

“Listen,” Vic says, and Adalie focuses on her. “If you want your sister to come to the party, you can give her a ticket. If you don’t, tell her I’m a bitch who won’t give out anymore. I said we’re at capacity. I’m happy to be the bad guy for you.”

Adalie smiles, her shoulders relaxing in relief. “Thanks, Vic. You’re the best.”

Lis shoves a small box toward Derek and says, “This one. I’ve never played it.”

I see she’s chosen Fluxx, a card game that starts simple with the rules of draw one card and play one card. As the game progresses, people change the rules, and the goal to win, until someone lucks out.

As he clears the other games from the table, Adalie says, “We should tell Ava the rules.”

“I know how to play Fluxx,” I say.

“Not the game,” Spencer says. “The night. We have rules for game night.”

Lis nods gravely and I start to feel nervous again.

“First,” Adalie starts. “No shop talk.”

“We all work together,” Derek explains, opening the box and taking out the Fluxx cards, shuffling them. “So it’s easy to start talking about Blue Vista. If we do, the rule is we have to take a drink.” He nods at the beers everyone has in front of them except for Lis, who has her glass of wine. “However, we’ve made an amendment because Lis likes to talk about recipes she’s tried lately since she just loves cooking. And I propose we make another one for Ava. If she wants to ask questions about the business, she can, since she’s new. If any ofuswant to ask about her photography, we can, since she loves it about as much as Lis loves cooking.”

It warms me that he remembers how much I love photography. I could talk about it all day.

“Amendment passed,” Lis says, knocking her knuckle against the table like a gavel.

“Second,” Adalie says. “No questions are off limits. But beware: whatever you ask can be asked back to you.”

This rule makes me pause. What might they ask me? How truthful do I have to be?

Derek deals, setting the rule card in the middle of the table.

“Is that it?” I ask.

“Well, there’s one more,” Vic says, turning toward Lis and Spencer. “But it’s strictly for those two.”

Lis places her hands under her chin and flutters her eyelashes. “Who me?”

“What is it?” I ask.

Vic, Derek, and Adalie talk at the same time. “No making out.”

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