Page 31 of Elsie's Strong Shelter

Dean reached across the table and rested his hand on top of hers. “I can’t promise you that tomorrow all this will be over, but it will be soon and you’ll have many more game nights to enjoy.”

“I appreciate that, appreciate this.” She flicked her free hand toward the offerings he’d placed on the table. “But I doubt it will be enough to take my mind off of everything that’s going on right now.”

He tilted his head to the side, brow furrowed and a hint of hesitation in his eyes. “What if we add something else to the mix?”

“Like what?”

“Ever play twenty questions?”

Now that piqued her interest. “My sister and I played it all the time when we were kids.”

“Good, then I don’t have to explain the rules.” He removed his hand from hers and tossed down a card. “Just like with UNO, you can go first.”

She studied her cards, planning her next move, but the numbers and colors blurred together. She had other things on her mind now. If she only had twenty chances to really get to know Dean Kingston, she sure as hell would make them count.

Dean had facedhis share of danger in the line of duty, but nothing sent the fist of fear slamming into his gut like exposing his vulnerabilities. Especially in front of a woman he cared about. But he’d handed Elsie a lit match and there was no turning back.

Elsie studied the cards fanned out in her hands.

She couldn’t fool him. Nothing on her cards could take that much of her concentration.

He picked a kernel of buttery popcorn from the bowl and tossed it into his mouth. “You’re making me nervous.”

She grinned. “I won’t be too hard on you. I’ll even be fair. We can alternate questions, that way you’re not the only one on the chopping block.”

“I like that idea. So what’s your first question?”

She placed a wild card on top of the growing discard pile. “I’ll start with an easy one. Do you have family who still live in Water’s Edge?”

A small bit of tension leaked from his system. She may have tossed him a softball to start with, but he could hope they stayed this easy to answer. “My parents live in the house where I grew up, right in town. My baby brother and his wife are across the street from them. What about you? Are you from Pine Valley?”

Taking a sip of her tea, she nodded. “My parents are still there, but my sister moved out of town. Not too far though, so I see her pretty often.”

“And you’re close with your parents?”

She hooked a brow. “That’s question number two.”

He nodded. If he could steer the conversation a little, he might avoid divulging too much. “I’m aware.”

“Very close,” she said. “But that’s not my next question for you. Why’d you move home?”

He threw down another card, debating how much to say. A year had passed since he’d packed his belongings and drove away from the life he’d built with Gina. A life he’d worked damn hard for and would have given anything to keep. Admitting out loud how difficult that time had been, and even acknowledging the part he’d played in the demise of his marriage, soured his stomach. “I had nothing left for me back in California.”

“And your ex-wife stayed?”

Sighing, he tossed his cards on the table and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Yep.”

She winced. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used a game to pry into your personal business. Your story is yours to tell, how and when you see fit.”

Leaning back against the hard chair, he took a sip of his drink. The whisky burned all the way down his throat. “No apologies necessary. This was my idea, remember. Hell, maybe I wanted an excuse to talk about this shit and figured it’d be easier this way.”

She tossed a reverse card on the pile. “Looks like the question asking just switched back. Fire at will.”

“I don’t think that’s how the game works,” he said, unable to hide his grin.

She shrugged. “I make my own rules.”

“Good to know. All right then. What do I want to know about Elsie Sweet?” He rubbed his palms together for dramatic effect. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend? You’re smart, beautiful, funny as hell. I don’t understand why someone hasn’t swooped in and stolen your heart.”

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