Page 74 of The Plus Ones

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“Really?” Roxy is skeptical. “Really?Youare afraid of ghosts?”

“Well, technically I’ve been afraid of being haunted by a demon ever since I sawParanormal Activity.”

“No point for Roxy and Keaton! Gentlemen! Give your dry erase boards to your ladies, please!”

I get up to hand the dry erase board, eraser, and pen to Roxy. As she takes them in her hands, she slowly leans in, and I wait for her to kiss my cheek, but she says, “Boo!” and then sits back in her chair, grinning.

You don’t scare me, Roxy Carter.

“Gentlemen!” the manager says. “Let’s see how well you know your women! Easy questions first again. Tell us her favorite singer or band!” He plays that ridiculous Herb Alpert song again, but it doesn’t bother me.

I don’t need another second to come up with the answer.

Roxy finishes writing, pops the cap back on the pen, and arches an eyebrow at me, grinning.

I am surprised to learn that Bernie’s favorite singer is Patti Smith, but Matt knew.

Chase reluctantly admits that his wife’s favorite band is The Chainsmokers, and this is basically the biggest conflict in their relationship.

Roxy turns her attention to me. She’s clutching the sides of the dry erase board, and I can tell she’s just waiting to say, “Hah! Wrong!”

Sorry, baby.

“Roxy’s favorite singer is Bruce Springsteen.”

Roxy’s face falls, and she looks down to check to make sure I couldn’t see what she had written. I couldn’t. I know she loves the Boss. I know she loves him because her dad loves him. It’s unexpected and it used to be one of my favorite things about her, until I suddenly developed about twenty favorite things. The thing about people who love Bruce Springsteen is they never shut up about it once someone gets them talking about him. She just never realized I was listening.

She flips the dry erase board around, and the resort manager also appears shocked that I got it right.

“One point for Keaton and Roxy!”

Roxy keeps her eyes on me while she erases the wordsBruce freakin’ Springsteen!from the board. I hold her gaze for as long as she can handle it.

“Now. Gentlemen. For another easy point. Tell us her favorite alcoholic drink!”

Literally everyone in the room knows that Bernie’s favorite beverage is red wine because she’s had a glass of it in her hand every night we’ve been here and she’s sipping from one right now.

Chase is proud to declare that his wife now has the same favorite drink as him.

I rub my chin with my fingers and pause to add a little dramatic flair, and then I say, “She probably wrote Blue Moon beer because that’s her favorite to drink when she’s just hanging out. But when she really wants to have fun, she needs something with tequila in it. Around the holidays she’s up for hot chocolate with literally any kind of alcohol in it, any time of day. The only red wine she’ll drink is Malbec. Champagne goes straight to her head and her heart, so she’ll only drink it at weddings. But she drinks a lot of it. Did I leave anything out, babe?”

She shakes her head as she turns the board around. It saysBlue Moon.Hesitantly apologetic ice blue eyes meet mine, but her little smile is giving me life.

“Another point for Mr. Keaton and Ms. Roxy! And now…men…A hypothetical question… If your woman can marry a superhero, which one would she choose?”

Matt predicts his wife would answer Harry Potter, even though he isn’t technically a superhero—but he is wrong. Bernie wants to marry Loki. “Loki’s not a superhero either,” he says, rolling his eyes.

“Well, I’m going to marry him anyway.” She shrugs.

“No point for Mr. Matt and Mrs. Bernadette. Oh, too bad! To you, Mr. McKay!”

Chase narrows his eyes at his wife and says, “She wants to marry Loki too, even though he is not a superhero.”

Aimee holds her board up in front of her face and says, “But I love him almost as much as I love you!”

“A point for Mr. and Mrs. McKay, and two points for Mr. Loki! Mr. Keaton, what say you?”

I shrug. “I’m going with Loki, even though he is definitely not a superhero.”