Page 29 of Playmaker Duet

The lake house was actually a pretty big log-style house with two floors and plenty of space for the entire family. The adults all got their own rooms and prior to last Christmas, we kids were stuffed together between three rooms. With Caleb and Sydney having a kid now though, they took one of those three rooms for themselves.

This year’s festivities had our immediate family and Dad’s parents, but also my Aunt Natalie and Uncle Joe—my cousins Kendall and Ben couldn’t make it, but Nat and Joe’s youngest, my cousin Nick, was here—as well as Uncle Ketty, Aunt Ronnie, and Teagan. Uncle Ketty always tried to get out of holidays, as he wasn’t a Prescott, but my grandparents considered him another son; he and Dad played together for many years. I suppose it was only natural to become close friends after playing together for nearly your entire hockey career.

I couldn’t imagine being with one team, one organization, as long as Dad was with the Enforcers. I wasn’t entirely sure that I wanted that, either.

Dinner was cooking, and the tree was decorated the moment everyone arrived. My grandparents liked to do that as a family, which was slightly odd to me. Why wait until Christmas Eve to decorate the tree? You had to take it down a few days later.

The adults, adult children notwithstanding, were in the kitchen. Nick, who was thirty, was playing a card game with McKenna, Sydney was putting Brandon down for a nap and Myke and Cael were outside shooting pucks at one another.

Literally.

At one another.

Rocket style.

I didn’t understand it either. They were too old to be playing like that.

Ace, Teagh and I were playing a pretty cut-throat game of Monopoly.

I was winning, naturally.

My grandparent’s old Australian cattle dog, Lucky, sat patiently between Ace and Teagh, probably hoping one of us would give her a pretzel or Cheez-It.

We’d been at the game for an hour and a half, McKenna being the first to lose, which was why she ditched us for Nick.

She could have played banker for us but apparently, we were playing too ruthlessly for her.

“Why are you wasting all of your money putting hotels on Boardwalk?” I asked Teagh as she counted her bills, trying to find a way to purchase the red building. “People land on it what, twice an hour?” It was her one monopoly in the game so yeah, I got it, but she needed to be more worried about having cash on hand when she landed on any one of the multiple properties kiddy-corner to her two properties.

Because that was where her cash was going. On all those properties with the mini green houses on them.

When you owned the entire stretch, utilities included, hotels were unnecessary.

“Porter, shut up,” she grumbled, handing the cash to Avery, who had the two hotels ready to hand over. “Thanks, Av.”

“Pleasure doing business.”

I shook my head, grinning crookedly. She was selling back those hotels in a matter of two rolls of the die, and she may even be mortgaging those damn properties.

My phone vibrated in my back pocket so I pulled it out, grinning when I saw Mo’s face on the screen. We were banned from talking on cell phones this weekend, but could freely text during non-family times.

“Pause the game a sec,” I said as I slid the message open.

“Uh-uh! You didn’t pause for me when I had to use the bathroom, Porter! And you landed on Boardwalk!”

“You didn’t call time,” I told Teagh around a grin, reading Mo’s message.

Mo: Hey, you

Me: hey beautiful hows it going

Mo: Good! Just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas in case we don’t talk tomorrow

Me: i'm sure i can spare you a few min tmrw ;)

Mo: lol. What are you up to?

Me: kicking av and teaghs asses in monopoly

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