Page 25 of The Vacation Mix-Up
He scoffs again. “I’m talkin’ about the GOAT.”
I narrow my gaze on him, my spoon midway to my mouth. “She was,love.”
Manny presses his lips together, amusement shining in his eyes.
“She was no LeBron,” Ben snipes.
I sip my soup, ladylike. “Not the GOAT, I’m afraid.”
Riley chuckles.
“Let me guess,” Ben spits out, his arrogance stronger than the pungent aftershave wafting from him. “You’re a Bulls fan.”
A sugared smugness quirks my lip. “No.”
He furrows his brow. “Knicks?”
I nod.
“Well, if LeBron isn’t the greatest basketball player of all time, who is then?” He crosses his arms over his chest while glancing at the other men as if I’m a dim-witted woman with no expertise.
I deadpan, “MJ, of course.”
Hugo raises his glass. “Here, here.”
Oscar shrugs.
Zach drops his phone on his grilled cheese.
Kathy stifles her indigestion.
And Riley simply says, “Slam dunk.”
After an unusual butmostly pleasant dinner, Ben desperately tries to encourage us all to accompany him to one of the nightclubs. I’d rather shave my head and do The Hokey Pokey naked, so I decline and slip away, making my escape to the theatre.
“Wait up!” Riley calls out from behind me.
I stop until he catches up, then continue walking, my steps impatient and unsteady.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“The Welcome Show.”
“Me too.” His eyes crinkle at the corners. “You do realize it doesn’t start for another twenty minutes, right?”
Momentarily fixated on the cerulean swirls of his irises—his eyes are definitely blue, not gray—I divert my gaze. “I do.”
“So why are you rushing?”
“Because I don’t want Ben to change his mind about the nightclub and follow me instead. And because I want to get a good seat before they’re all taken.”
“Fair enough.”
The ship tilts with the swell, and I stumble before righting my footing.
“Do you need help walking?” he mocks.
“No,” I snap, and he holds his hands up defensively, an arrogant but endearing smirk lifting his lips. Wanting to change the subject, I say, “Dinner was… interesting.”
