Page 19 of The Love Wager

Jack:It sounds like you want to marry your best friend.

Hallie:I literally do.

Jack:Good luck. That’s a tall order.

Hallie:No taller than your “you complete me” dream lady.

Jack:Somehow, mine seems more possible.

Hallie:Agree to disagree.

Jack:Care to make a wager?

Hallie set down the now-empty bowl of popcorn and reached for the throw on the couch’s arm.On what?

Jack:Who finds it first.

Hallie:Doesn’t that seem rather cavalier, to make a wager on something we’ve both agreed is important to us?

Jack:I don’t think so, because it’s not like a bet is going to make me behave differently to win. I still want the same thing. I just win a prize if I find it first.

Hallie:Ooh—I DO like prizes.

Jack:Right? I already hate this app and blind dates and I really don’t feel like continuing. But if there’s a fun incentive, and I’m in it with someone else, it might not feel like an endless, depressing chore.

Well, Hallie absolutely understood that. She was already tired of dating, and she’d only been on one date so far.Hallie:It has to be something really good, then.

Jack:Duh.

Hallie started thinking about what she wanted that he might be able to provide for her.Well, what services can you offer?

Jack:(Ahem—elevator) What exactly do you mean?

Hallie rolled her eyes but laughed. He had a way of teasing her about the hotel night that was funny but didn’t feel like he was trying to get her back into bed.

Hallie:Example: I’m a tax accountant. I can do your taxes if I lose. And my sister is engaged to a guy who owns a Toyota dealership, so if you’re looking for a new Corolla, I can get you the friends and family price. What can you do for me?

Jack:Please shoot me in the face if I’m ever looking for a Corolla, and taxes are for suckers. Regarding what I can provide, I’m a landscape architect, so I can design a backyard oasis that will make you never want to leave the house.

Hallie:Sounds wonderful, but I live in an apartment.

Jack:I have a Parisian honeymoon that I’ve already paid for.

Hallie could see by the bubbles that he was still typing, but she didn’t care.

Hallie:That’s it. I want it. I get Paris if I win.

Man, she hadn’t been on a vacation since she lived at home and her family went on a trip to Milwaukee. Nothing in the world sounded better to her than traveling abroad.

Jack:Okay, um, I wasn’t done (did you not see the text bubbles, Piper?). I was saying that I have a Parisian honeymoon that I bought for Vanessa, but now that I’m not going, I will give you my airline points.

Hallie:After thinking the win would get me a trip to Paris, airline points sounds like winning a coupon. Keep thinking.

Jack:I have a LOT of points. More than enough for you to fly wherever you want for free.

Hallie:Still feels like a loss, but I will take it. Them. I will take your points.

Jack:So what can you give me? We don’t have a deal until you give me something good.

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