Page 75 of Lucky in Love
Nick’s expression screamed, “Please, for the love of God, yes. End this!”
Brody picked up his tiny wheelbarrow and counted out loud, hitting the railroad twice without Alex noticing and dramatically landing on Boardwalk at seven.
“Yes!” Alex threw her hands in the air. “Boardwalk with two hotels.” She studied the card but was too sauced to do the math on what he owed her.
“I already know it’s too much,” Brody said. “I concede. You win.”
“Finally,” Tess said.
“Thank goodness.” Juliet pushed her chair back and stood. “My butt’s numb.”
“I know we say this every time,” Faith said. “But we are never playing Monopoly again.”
“It’s a good thing she won,” Maddie said. “Or she’d make us play until she did.”
“I do hate to lose.” Alex laughed.
Nick leaned over to Brody. “Neverconfess what just happened,” he whispered.
The women topped off their glasses, moved to the couches surrounding the fireplace, and begged Nick to start a fire.
“When’s Holly coming?” Tess asked.
“Week from Sunday,” Alex said. “She and Cole are staying for a week. I can’t wait.”
“How long are you here, Maddie?” Faith asked. “Any overlap?”
“I have to go back Sunday, so no.” Maddie frowned. “Unfortunately, I’ll miss her again.”
“Thas a bummer,” Tess said, then tried again, realizing she’d slurred her words. “I mean,that’sa bummer. Um, how we getting home?”
“I’ll drive you lushes home,” Nick said, approaching from the kitchen with five bottles of water. He handed them out. “Get started on these though.”
With so many people, it was hard to get a word in, but Brody was content to sit back and listen. He was jealous of their tight-knit group. They’d known each other their entire lives, and the casual camaraderie was enviable.
Alex looked beautiful, and Brody couldn’t wait for the night to end so they could talk. So he could tell her he loved her.
Around midnight, Nick rounded up the women and corralled them into his car. Brody and Alex waved goodnight from the threshold of the rec cabin.
“I’m gonna walk you home,” he said, not asking. She wasn’t so drunk she couldn’t find her way, but he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to spend a little more time with her.
“Yeah, all right. I’ll clean up tomorrow.” She grabbed a flashlight and locked up. “Let’s go.”
She gripped his arm for balance as they walked over the back trail to her place. At her door, she flashed him a tipsy, sultry look. “You coming in?”
“I’ll make sure you get to bed,” he said. “But first, there’s something I want to say.”
They entered, and he shut the door. It was dark except for the dull glow of the microwave and oven lights.
“S’up?” she asked, throwing her arms around his neck and relaxing into him.
“Alex, I’m falling for you.”
“Falling in love?” Her brows knit in confusion, and he realized he probably should’ve waited for total sobriety to have this conversation.
“No, falling off a cliff,” he said. “Of course in love, silly. I know it seems soon, but I’m in love with you.”
She tensed as the words danced around mutely for a suspended minute. The silence was far from golden.
