Page 73 of The Dating Contract

“I’m glad,” he said. Because seeing her grow roots within his friend group made him feel things. “Worried about losing in Pictionary but if it’s for the greater good, you know?”

“Yep,” Liam replied. “Oh I get it. Ties. Threads, connections are so much easier that way.”

Threads. Threads tying him and Leah closer together, roots of things and ideas. “Very much so,” was what he said to Liam. Is there any big…plan?”

Liam laughed. “I take it you meant something about the birthday-related festivities?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Is there…some kind of schedule?”

“We’re not doing cake because Oliver refused birthday trappings.”

Samuel raised an eyebrow. “Is that usual?”

“For Oliver? Possibly. Attention isn’t his thing, so we’re just hanging out like a normal average everyday group of people having a party. Dinner first, then Pictionary.”

“With Isaac Lieberman casually sitting in the corner?”

“He does that,” Liam said. “But we all have our moments. But also, happy birthday, Oliver.”

“Happy birthday,” he said as Oliver joined him.

Oliver, the birthday boy, grinned. “Thank you. Thanks for coming.”

“Dinner soon,” Liam interjected, taking over the conversation as the host would be expected, “then Pictionary?”

Oliver nodded. “I think we’re going to go down in Pictionary.”

Liam raised an eyebrow. “What do you meanwe?”

And of course that was when Samuel felt both Oliver’s and Liam’s eyes on him. “Uh…”

“You can write…”

“Writing isn’t drawing,” Samuel said “I’m not good at drawing. I’m horrible at it.”

“But you’re reeeeally good at writing…”

“I’m not ambidextrous either,” he admitted.

This was going to be interesting. And he looked forward to every second of it.

*

Leah’s stomach wasabout as full as her heart; the food Liam had served was amazing: pasta, meatballs, barbecue ribs he bought from the restaurant who catered Judith’s Bat Mitzvah, and the inevitable Greenblatt’s Knishes.

“You having a good time?”

She smiled. Samuel had come up to join her as they left the dining room. She’d been sitting and chatting with Jamie and Sarah, strategizing for the game in ways that she hadn’t prepared for and yet was thrilled about.

“I am,” she said. “Thank you.”

“For?”

He raised an eyebrow, but she understood. “This is fun, and I realized I’d said I would go, but I’m glad you said you’d bring me.”

His smile built a warm fire in her stomach. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “Dinner was good?”

She nodded, stepping closer as he put his arms around her. “Yeah. Really good. You ate?”

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