Page 24 of Dating and Dragons

“So, uh, do you work here a lot?”

“Only a few days a week—usually Thursdays and Sundays and then I pick up extra shifts when they need me. My parents need help at home, but they also like me to have a job. Dad thinks I spend too much time holed up alone.”

“Should I ask what you’re doing alone in your room all night, or do I not want to know?”

His laugh echoes loudly in the small space. “Actually, it’s a little shed I converted into a space for myself, not my bedroom. And I’m usually working on D&D campaigns or reading.”

“So you say.” I take a small bite. “Why are you working on campaigns? Do you DM for a different group?”

“No, but I like thinking up new character builds and storylines.”

“That sounds intimidating. I don’t know how Sloane does it.”

“I have some notebooks with ideas, but they need work. It’s all pretty generic right now.”

“Notebooks? Plural? Why haven’t I heard about this at the game?”

He shrugs. “I don’t really talk about it.”

“But…you’re talking about it now.”

“Yes.” He messes with a napkin lying on the table. “You seem to have that effect on me.”

Just then Grandma comes back to our table, startling me. “What did I miss?” she asks. “Everything good?”

“Yep.”

Grandma points her finger between the two of us. “So, you two are friends now?”

“We play in a D&D game together,” I say quickly before she can get other ideas.

“That always did sound fun. I’m sorry I never got involved with it. When I was younger, everyone was going on about itbeing witchcraft or the devil’s work, but I knew that was nonsense. Are you having a good time playing?”

Logan and I look at each other and then away. “Mmm-hmm,” I say. “It’s been fun.”

Logan plays with the napkin on the table.

“I see. Soundsveryfun.” Her sarcasm is thicker than this ice cream, and I swear she’s smarter than most of the people I know. Her body might be starting to fail her, but her mind definitely is not.

“What else do you do to keep busy when you aren’t playing games with my granddaughter or serving fabulous ice cream?”

“Uh…I mean, homework, unfortunately. And I help out with my parents’ farm and Dad’s business when he needsme.”

“He owns a business in town? What’s his name?”

“Chuck Weber. He’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades. Handyman, trash removal, plus—”

“Chuck?Oh, you don’t need to tell me about him!” she replies. “He’s been out to my house more times than I can count to try to keep the pipes and wires from disintegrating. You’re Chuck’s son?”

“I am,” he replies, and rubs the back of his neck. Grandma isn’t trying to modulate her voice, so the whole parlor can probably hear this exchange.

“Well, isn’t that the wildest thing.” She shakes her head in amazement. “And you don’t do any other extracurriculars? Sports, band, something like that?”

He shrugs sheepishly. “No, D&D is about it.”

“You and Quinn have that in common, then. Her parents can’t get her to do much else.”

Logan and I glance at each other and there’s a spark of recognition. Maybe we have more in common than I realized. And this could be another explanation for why he seemed so protective about the game and unsure about accepting me as a new player. Maybe this really wasn’t about the dating rule at all—maybe he just wanted to make sure his favorite activity went smoothly.

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