Page 34 of About Time You Noticed

"Listen up, everybody." Kaitlyn waved her hands as she stood behind the breakfast bar. "The first game we're going to play is, ‘Guess the taste.’ I’m still queasy so I’ll sit this one out."

“Aww, come on Kaitlyn, live a little,” said Ethan.

Kaitlyn laughed. “Trust me. You don’t want me to play. Nobody does.”

“Don’t argue with a pregnant woman,” Jake added. “Trust me.”

Kaitlyn clapped once. "All right. Find a buddy. Damien, would you pair with Jake?”

Damien gave a quick nod.

“One person from each team will be blindfolded. Their teammate will feed them a taste of something I've taken from the pantry. The first person to guess correctly wins a point for their team. Then swap the blindfolds, so your partner can have a turn. The first team to reach five points wins."

This sounded much more fun than an ordinary party. Thankfully, her friends weren't into drinking themselves silly at a noisy pub. Not her idea of fun.

Sarah swung around, and Tommy caught her gaze. Yet again, they were paired. No problem. She enjoyed his company, and he knew how to have fun.

Kaitlyn handed out the blindfolds. Tommy lifted the blue material to Sarah. "Do you want to go first or should I?"

"Be my guest." Sarah took the blindfold and looped her arms over Tommy's shoulder. He leaned back against her chest and looked up at her. "Make sure it's tight, so I'm not tempted to peek."

Her breath hitched at his closeness. Why did this happen every time?

He angled his head forward, allowing her to breathe again. If she planned to date Edward, she needed to focus on the possibilities with him, not on what she couldn't have. She'd wasted enough years pining for Tom.

She tightened the blindfold behind his head and patted his shoulders. "All done."

Kaitlyn directed everyone to spread out in the living room. Tommy sat cross-legged on the floor, and Sarah stood behind. Kaitlyn handed her a small disposable cup containing something black inside and a plastic spoon. Kaitlyn winked and put a forefinger to her lips.

Sarah sniffed at the substance but couldn’t work out what it was anyway.

Kaitlyn passed out the rest of the samples. One for Emily, Ethan’s partner, another for Damien, who partnered with Jake, and Becca accepted one for Paul.

"On the count of three, slip the food into your partner's mouth. Don't give any hints.” Kaitlyn wriggled a finger at Damien. She walked around the room like a micromanaging boss, checking the blindfolds. “Partners, raise your hand when you’re ready to guess."

Sarah studied the spoon covered in a black tar consistency and grimaced. What was this stuff?

Kaitlyn cleared her throat. "On the count of three. Three, two, one, go."

Sarah aimed the spoon toward Tommy's tongue, ensuring she didn't miss his mouth and give him a moustache instead.

Tommy smacked his lips together, and his head jerked back.

Ethan yelled, "Are you trying to poison us?" Across the room, Emily giggled as Ethan dragged his tongue across his bare arm, creating a brown streak.

"Ethan, you're making a big mess." Emily stretched toward the coffee table, plucked three tissues, and wiped his arm. She giggled again. "Hurry up. What is it?"

Sarah bent to Tommy and whispered, "Quick. Take a guess."

Tommy licked his lips, and Sarah diverted her gaze. When had she leaned inches from his mouth? When had she grabbed his hand? She immediately let go and put space between them. She’d forgotten herself in the excitement of the game.

"I've never tasted anything like this before. I'm not sure what it is."

Jake had his hand up, and Kaitlyn pointed to him. "Jake, tell us."

"Vegemite."

Kaitlyn flapped her hands in front of her chest. "You got it, honey. One point to Jake and Damien."

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