Page 3 of So in Love
“I doubt we’ll discover anything that will fill in the blanks of Dorinda’s life,” Crystal said.
So far the team had only found bits of pottery and a brooch, nothing that could tell them anything specific.
Kelsey exhaled.“Probably not.But you’re not giving up.I know you.”Kelsey flashed her a smile.“When are you heading back to the historical society?”
“Day after tomorrow.”Crystal had taken a break from research over the holidays but was eager to get back to it.
Luke Westcott ducked into their circle and dropped a kiss on Kelsey’s cheek.“We’re heading down to play pool for a bit.You good?”
Kelsey nodded as Cameron Westcott also invaded their group to kiss Brooke.Crystal had never felt more like a fifth wheel.
Cam inclined his head toward her.“Hey, Crystal.”
“Hey, Cam.”
He looked around at the group.“Why don’t you come down?Tori and Sean are playing too.”
Brooke snuggled closer to his side.“Sure.”
“Let’s go,” Kelsey said.She looked to Crystal.“You coming?”
Crystal loved pool.“Absolutely.Be warned: I plan to kick your ass.”
“Are you good?”Kelsey asked.“If so, we should do girls against guys.”
“I have three older brothers, and we had a pool table.I’ll leave it at that.”Crystal chuckled before sipping her beer.
Cam glanced around.“Did Sara leave?Please tell me she left.If she joins you, we’re screwed.”
Brooke’s eyes lit.“Nope, she’s still here.Be right back.”She took off, and Cam groaned.
Crystal grinned.“Things are about to get interesting.”
Ten minutes later, they were downstairs.Luke and Kelsey were racking the balls and everyone else was choosing cues from one of three wall-mounted racks.
“Why is everyone taking from this one?”Crystal asked.
Cam gestured toward the racks that no one was touching.“Those are the Archer cues.They’re personalized to each family member.They had to add a second rack after everyone got married.”
“Figures they’d be proprietary,” Crystal said.
Luke chuckled.“You don’t know the half of it.The Archers take their poolveryseriously.”He smirked toward Tori, who grinned.
“It’s true.I can’t deny it,” she said.
Crystal was the last to choose a cue and noticed that one had writing on it.Curious, she took it from the rack and read the Sharpie-penned inscription:sod off you manky pillock.“Someone wrote on this one.”
Everyone turned toward her, and there was a collective groan.
Hackles raised, Crystal blinked at them.“What?”
“You chose The Humiliator,” Sean said, shaking his head.“Bad luck.Especially since Sara isn’t here to help out your team.”It turned out that she and her husband, Dylan, who was Cam and Luke and Jamie’s half-brother, had opted to go home.They had an infant daughter who would be up with the sun.
“What the hell is The Humiliator?”Crystal asked.
“It humiliates the player who wields it,” Tori said with a wince.“Sorry.”
“You should be.What sort of sadist keeps a cue like that lying around?”Crystal glowered at the stick in her hand and frowned.“Why hasn’t this made its way into the fire pit by now?”
