Page 71 of Objection to Love

With a triumphant look at him, Em spoke to her sister, “Beginner’s luck I guess. I think the last time I bowled was in middle school. Well, except for the game right before this.”

“So she’s really not an undercover bowling champion?” Garrett asked April doubtfully.

“Not that I know of.” April glanced at the screen again. “Who knew you had such a hidden talent, Em?”

“Yeah, it’s going to be useful in life, I’m sure.”

They all laughed as they filed into their half circle of benches.

Jackson didn’t sit when his wife did. “I think I’m going to order a pizza. Any requests?”

They decided on an extra-large pepperoni, and Jackson left to order it.

“So how did you guys end up bowling tonight?”

Garrett looked at Em at the same time she looked at him. Her eyes were sparkling with hidden entertainment. “Poor planning,” Em said at the same time Garrett said, “Nude portraits.”

April stared at both of them for a few seconds. “I’m sorry, what?”

Em’s lips twisted to the side in the telltale sign she was trying to hold in a grin or laugh. “I planned a bad date to an art exhibit, not realizing that one of the major exhibits was an entire room of nude paintings. We decided to cut our losses, and Garrett saw this place across the street.”

“Well, that certainly sounds… eventful,” April said.

“Yes. I’d say Em’s not really winning in the date planning department just now.”

“Excuse me, but you broke your face on our first date, and I broke—nearly broke—my ankle on the second. I don’t think my date is as bad as all those.”

Garrett cocked his head at her with a pretend look of curiosity. “And here I thought those first twoweren’tdates.”

Em’s cheeks went red, and she knocked into him with her shoulder. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah,” he said. “You mean you wanted to date me all along.”

She actually punched his arm this time. Lightly—kinda. “That is not what I meant.”

“Actually,” April cut in, “I think it was.”

“April!”

Em’s sister held up her hands. “Okay, okay,Iwanted her to.”

Garrett grinned. He liked April.

Jackson walked back with the pizza then, and Em went to bowl her last round—in which she got another strike. Again. Garrett didn’t even want to look at his score at the end of the game, so he just pulled Em over to the console. “Here, clear our game before I have to see just how dismally I performed. At least you can enjoy how well you did.”

“Do I still get to make fun of you?”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

With a little cheer, Em sat and started inputting a new game.

“So,” Jackson said from his spot, “why don’t we make this interesting?”

“What do you have in mind?” Em asked.

Garrett turned around just in time to see April shimmy her shoulders. “A bet.”

“I don’t like the sound of this,” Em said. “Your bets hardly ever turn out well.”

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