Page 54 of Fire and Ice
DeAndra gave a wicked grin. “Exploding Kittens.”
“Or Trivial Pursuit Generations,” Anneka said.
Chelsea looked thoughtful. “Villainous is a six-player game.”
“Let’s start with Jenga.” Joe pulled the game out of the bag.
DeAndra rolled her eyes and looked at Grady. “The twins always vote for the same thing.”
To make it easier to play games, Joe removed one of the two table extensions and set it aside.
Everyone scooted their chairs around the smaller table. DeAndra looked at Brad. “It was your idea, so you get to build the tower and go first.”
“I’ve got this.” He stood and began stacking the wood blocks, three facing North-South and the next layer East-West, alternating each layer. When he finished, he used one hand to push a block out of the center of the structure and put it on top of the tower.
Grady sat to the left of Brad and went second. He pushed out a block two layers below Brad’s and placed it on top.
They continued around the table, the structure getting weaker as they went. It seemed like they all held their breath at each turn when collapse looked inevitable.
Grady successfully removed a block and added it to the top. Chelsea was next. She looked entirely focused on what she was doing and removed a block, and the structure remained intact.
As she slowly lowered the block to place it on top, Grady leaned close and whispered, “I hope you brought a sexy negligee.”
Red swept over her face, and she faltered, her hand too close to the top. The tower collapsed with a crash on the table, the blocks scattering across its surface, some tumbling onto the floor.
“You brat.” She lightly pushed at his shoulder, causing him to laugh. “That was your fault.”
“Looks like I won.” He’d been the last to pull out a block and place it on top successfully. “And you lost.”
DeAndra leaned forward. “I saw him whisper to you. What did he say?”
“Yeah, what sweet nothing did he tell you?” Anneka grinned.
Brad chuckled. “I don’t remember your face ever turning so red.”
“As red as a beet,” Joe said.
“Or a hot pepper,” DeAndra added.
* * *
Chelsea glared at Grady, but he saw the humor in her gaze and the twitch to her lips that told him she was trying not to laugh. “He said something about me messing up.”
“Uh-huh.” Anneka smirked. “Sure.”
“I want a rematch.” Chelsea pushed blocks in front of her to the pile they’d made.
“I’ve heard of Exploding Kittens. It’s a card game, right?” Grady thought he’d try to rescue the situation, even though he’d been the one to start it, by changing the direction of the conversation.
Anneka nodded. “We have the party pack version, so it’s good for up to ten players. Sometimes our get-togethers with our friends can be a little bigger.”
DeAndra reached down into the duffel. “Let’s play Kittens now.”
“I want a cat.” Chelsea’s statement came out of left field. “I’ve never had one.”
Joe started putting the Jenga blocks back into the box. “Better watch it. You wouldn’t want it to explode.”
DeAndra set the box of cards on the table. “Do you know what breed you’d like?”
