7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sean

"Thank you so much for this wonderful dinner, Sarah," Lenny Stewart says softly, smiling at my mother.

"Yes, thank you," John Stewart agrees with his wife, covering her hand on the table with one of his. "It's been so long since we had one of these get-togethers."

"That's why we decided to organize this," my mom explains, a happy smile on her face as she regards everyone at the table. "Now that Sean is back, we're almost complete."

Lenny and John Stewart turn to smile at me, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat, returning their smiles briefly before turning away. I catch Jamie's eyes, and he snickers at me. I discreetly give him a rude gesture.

"I'm sure you miss Liam," Lenny starts. "How is he?"

"He's not reenlisting and will be home in a few months," Dad says. "We can't wait for him to come home."

"Enough of this melancholy," Evelyn stands, commandeering everyone's attention. "We organized this get-together to have fun like we always do. We all know Liam. I'm sure he's fine."

Everyone nods.

"So let's not get sad thinking about him, alright? Why don't we play a game?"

"A game?" John echoes. "We're too old for all these games that you young ones play," he says.

"No one is too old for Trivial Pursuit," Evelyn says. "Who's in?"

"I am." Jamie is the first to raise his hands, and I narrow my eyes because he's not usually interested in games like this. I raise my hand, too, and so do all of our parents. I've avoided Jessica for most of the night, but when she doesn't raise her hand, I'm forced to look in her direction, along with everyone else. She's a vision in blue jeans and a baby blue shirt that compliments her skin and makes it glow. Our gazes clash, and she immediately looks away from me.

"Jess?" Evelyn calls. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry." There's a performative smile on Jessica's face that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I think I'll just go and try to get some work in. I've been unable to—"

"Nonsense," Lenny interrupts with a wave of her hand. "You will do no such thing, Jessica. We're here to enjoy an evening with the O'Connells like we've always done. You'll have time to work when you get home later."

There's a trace of determination in Lenny's voice that doesn't allow for arguments. Jessica is smart, so she doesn't argue.

"Okay, Mom."

"Great." Evelyn claps her hands. "I'll go grab the game from the closet," she says. "While you all clear the table."

As Evelyn disappears up the stairs, my mom, Lenny, and Jessica start to clear the table. I know the polite thing to do is help, but I'm trying to avoid Jessica for the night, and it's been going surprisingly well. Once I get into it with Jessica, there's no coming back, so I'm trying to steer clear. She's too – fun to be with, to poke. But as they each walk into the kitchen with a handful of plates, I know it'll be completely disrespectful to wait for them to clear the rest, so I get to my feet and help.

When I'm done grabbing the rest of the plates, I walk into the kitchen to see Jessica standing by the fridge, drinking from a can of soda. Mom and Lenny are talking as they walk out of the kitchen. My mom smiles and squeezes my arm as she passes. I head straight for the sink and start to wash the plates, anything to get my mind off of the girl standing a few feet away. I expect Jessica to leave the kitchen when she finishes her drink, but to my surprise, she approaches me instead. Inwardly, I groan and feel my body tense up.

"I was going to wash the dishes," she says, standing beside me at the sink.

"Well, I beat you to it."

She ignores me and starts to rinse the dishes after I wash. "You don't have to do that," I tell her. "I'll do it myself."

"Just shut up," she says.

"Oh, I just love how calm and gentle you are," I tell her. "You're so fun to be around."

"Don't start with me, Sean."

"I haven't said a word to you at all tonight."

She looks up at me, and our gazes clash, causing her to look away immediately. "I was enjoying the quiet," she grumbles.

"How's the writing coming along?" I ask, ignoring her jab and sliding the last plate into the sink for her to rinse.

Jessica sighs. "I'm dealing with writer's block. But I'm sure I'll get over it soon."

I start to dry off the plates as Jessica continues to rinse. The joint effort makes the chore faster and more enjoyable.

"Maybe the game is a good idea, then." I arch my brows. "A game like trivial pursuit will relax your mind and put you in a good mood. Plus you know you love the competition."

Jessica smiles up at me, and I know she's about to throw a petty jab. This squabble has been happening between us for ages; I know all the signs.

"Of course, it will put me in a good mood," she says. "As long as I'm not paired with you. I'd like to win, thank you very much."

A bubble of laughter escapes my lips, and I shake my head at her. "Well, it's not like I'm looking to be paired with you either. Games are meant to be fun, and everyone knows you're not familiar with that word."

I pat dry the last dish and hang the towel back on the rack before wiping down my hands. She's about to respond when Evelyn shouts from the living room.

"Sean! Jess! Come on, guys. We're waiting!"

Jessica smirks as she pushes past me. "Let's see how much fun you'll have when you lose. I'm going to make sure of it."

When she's out of the kitchen, I chuckle and shake my head. This isn't the first time the O'Connell's and Stewart's have played Trivial Pursuit together. We have been in each other's faces for over a decade. Everyone knows that if you want to win, join Jessica's team. It is fun to watch her play any kind of game because of her competitive streak and sharp focus. I'm going to have a swell time with her tonight. I no longer want to ignore her.

"Sean!" Evelyn calls.

"Coming," I say as I hurry out of the kitchen.

In the living room, the board game is spread out on the large center table while everyone sits around it. I join them, sitting between Lenny Stewart and Jamie while Evelyn sets it up.

"Are we playing individually or as a team?" My mom asks.

"As a team," Evelyn answers. "That way, we can play in a group of four teams."

"Oh, let's split up then." My mom stands. "Evelyn with Jamie. Jessica with Sean. Mark and I. Lenny and John."

While our parents swing into action, the rest of us are somewhat paralyzed. Jessica is staring at me like I've grown two heads, and from the corner of my eye, I see Evelyn and Jamie exchange a coded stare. Even though I don't know what the look between them means, it's interesting to see. I can tell that something is going on, even though neither of them knows it yet.

"Kids, you've got to move fast," Lenny says. "Form a pair with your partner. Let's go. Chop, chop."

Jamie moves to Evelyn's side, and I do the same by crossing over to Jessica. She sits stiffly beside me, and I nudge her, enjoying this turn of events.

"What were you saying about being paired with me?" I whisper, and I see her shoulders stiffen which makes me chuckle.

"So, we all know the rules of this game," Evelyn says, as each team grabs a wedge of a different color. "We've been playing this forever. You roll the dice and whatever category you land on is the question you have to answer correctly. If you answer the question right, you get to go again and we continue until you have a wedge full of pie pieces in six different colors for a full pie. The first team that has a full pie and answers the last question correctly wins."

Everyone nods, and the game begins. My parents' team rolls the highest dice, leading the game. They answer their question correctly and move their dice toward the outer wheel of the board. They answer their second question incorrectly, so Jamie and Evelyn take the next turn. As we approach our turn, Jessica starts to vibrate with excitement. There's the tell-tale determination in her eyes, which is so adorable I find myself struggling to look away from her.

Eventually, it is our turn to go, and Jessica throws the dice. She rolls a five, and she moves the wedge holder five spaces toward the outer wheel. She lands on an orange color block. Jamie snatches up a question card corresponding to the color.

"Are you guys ready?"

Jessica glances at me, her eyes narrowing in my direction as if to say, behave yourself. She should know that her giving me this warning will make me want to do the opposite.

"What year did basketball become an Olympic sport?" Jamie asks. "Time starts now." He hits the timer.

"Uhh…" Jessica taps a finger to her forehead.

"1940," I say confidently.

"Wrong." Jamie shrugs. "Next team."

Jessica's glare burns into the side of my face, and it takes all my control to keep myself from laughing out loud. I didn't give the wrong answer deliberately; I'm not that trivial. Maybe I should have waited for Jessica to answer but she didn't seem to know what the correct answer was either.

As the other teams breeze through their turns, I chance a glance in Jessica's direction, only to meet her fiery gaze.

"Jessica, come on." I nudge her playfully. "We'll have a next turn."

"For your information," she whispers back. "Basketball became an Olympic sport in 1936. Maybe next time, let me answer. You suck at Trivial Pursuit."

"Maybe next time don't precede your answer with an uhh and I won't think you don't know what it is."

She isn't totally right, but she isn't wrong either. I don't suck at Trivial Pursuit. It's just what I've made everyone believe because of my antics. Jessica and I would make a formidable team if I put half the effort she's putting into this, but watching her competitive side come out as we play is so attractive that I doubt I can put effort into anything other than discreetly staring at her.

When the dice get to us again, Jessica is impatient and high-strung. Every other team has one pie in their wedge, while ours is still empty. She throws the dice and moves two spaces clockwise on the outer wheel. The wedge lands on a blue color pie space. This time, Lenny Stewart asks the question. Within a millisecond, Jessica rattles off the correct answer, earning a pie. She answers two more questions correctly until the third one; then, the next turn goes to the next team.

With each correct answer her excitement grows, and it's contagious. I start to feel myself getting excited too. Overall, everyone is doing reasonably well, and the competition is getting tighter, especially since Evelyn and Jamie's pie is almost full of pieces. In another moment, it's our turn again, and Jessica hands me the dice to throw this time. I throw a four, moving the wedge four steps ahead, landing on a purple.

Mom picks up a question card and asks our team, "Who wrote the satirical essay ‘A Modest Proposal?'"

Quite certain of the answer this time, I don't wait for Jessica before answering, "Jonathan Edwards."

"Oh, sorry dear, that's incorrect."

"Sean!" Jessica howls. "It's Jonathan Swift!"

"Oh." I scratch my head, holding back my laughter because I know I deserve her wrath this time.

"Didn't we talk about you waiting for me to answer?" She fires.

"Sorry. I was certain I knew it." I can't help but smile which just annoys her even more, making my smile bigger.

"You've had a lot of chances to prove that you're certain of nothing," she answers. Jamie bursts into laughter, which brings me dangerously close to a complete laughter meltdown.

"Jessica, relax, it's just a game."

Jessica eyes her brother with a snarl, and the look on her face does it for me. I burst into my own bout of laughter and nearly start crying. By the next round, Evelyn and Jamie have filled their pie and are swiftly moving back toward the center. There's a lightness in my body that is alien to me, and it's all because of Jessica. She probably thinks I play too much, but no woman has ever dared to look into my face and speak to me the way she does. Most women usually want my approval. Not Jessica, nope. She doesn't care.

I know it has to do with my fame and my looks, but I miss having a woman who sees herself as my equal. With Jessica, it's incredible because not only does she not think I'm her equal, but she believes herself to be superior to me. I'm growing very enamored, and I suspect it's more than our usual squabble. It's definitely time for a reevaluation as to what these feelings toward Jessica are.