Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama, #2) (77)

“I’m not trying to. I love the idea,” I tease. “We can finally get to know each other again, like we did when we were little.”

“One car ride is enough time together for now.” He shakes his head and hurries into the house, closing the door behind him.

I roll my eyes. He’s still my twerpy little brother. I pocket my phone and head toward the house, only to have him open the door again and poke his head out.

“My favorite movie is Deadpool, and my lucky number is eleven.”

“Your jersey number?”

His eyes widen. “Yeah. I’m surprised you know that.”

“Not as surprised as I am that you’re rattling off random information all of a sudden.”

He shrugs. “Just feels like that’s the kind of stuff a sister should know about her brother. You know, if we’re sharing.”

“Oh. Um, thanks.”

He walks back inside, and I stand in the cool March sunlight, dumbfounded once again by him. Huh. This might be the start of a new world with Andrew.



* * *





I text Logan to tell him that I’m leaving for the game soon and that we should talk before getting there. I expect an immediate response, but nothing comes. Tension coils through me even though I know it doesn’t mean anything. He could be busy with the farm or driving to the game right now. Except when I pull up in front of Kashvi’s house, Logan’s truck is already here.

What the hell?

He had time to come here early but not to text me back? A sinking feeling fills me. Something isn’t right.

“Logan’s already here?” I ask Kashvi as soon as I walk in the door.

She nods and beckons me to the basement stairs. “Looks like it. I just got home a few minutes ago, so I haven’t been downstairs.”

I hesitate. All my confidence about talking to the others falls away as I see the now-familiar worn gray carpet on the stairs. What’s going on with Logan? And what will the others say when they find out about us?

Kashvi pauses. “Have you talked to him?”

“No, that’s the issue. I texted him and he hasn’t replied.”

She bites her lip. “Maybe he didn’t see it? Or his phone is dead?”

Maybe. But highly unlikely.

She tugs me down the stairs. “No more stressing. And remember, I’ve got your back.” But then we both pause again when harried voices come from the basement. She hurries down the stairs, with me in her wake.

Logan is here, and he’s leaning over the game table toward Mark and Sanjiv, his palms flat against the surface, like he’s a CEO of a corporation trying to convince the board to approve a merger. Sloane stands in the far corner of the room looking worried. They all swivel to watch me as I walk in. My eyes go to Logan, but rather than him looking happy or relieved, his face falls in frustration and he runs a hand through his hair.

“What’s going on?” Kashvi asks. “And why is everyone here so early?”

“Sanjiv texted that the router wasn’t working, so I came over to help while you were out,” Mark explains. “We got that fixed, but then Sloane was still having issues with the livestream, and we wanted to make sure everything went perfectly today—”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Sanjiv interrupts. “Quinn, you’re thinking about quitting D&D? Why would you want to do that?”

My eyes flare wide in shock. What’s going on?

“No, that’s not what I said.” Logan waves his hands frantically.

I spin to him. “Then what were you saying? And why didn’t you text me back?”

“Logan didn’t say you were quitting,” Sloane says, and takes a seat at the opposite end of the table from where they usually sit as DM so that they’re between Logan and me. Their voice is low and cautious, like they know things are about to get out of control and they’re trying to talk us all down. “He said that if you brought up quitting today, then we had to promise we wouldn’t let you no matter what. Though he wouldn’t explain why you’d be thinking about it.” Sloane shoots him an accusatory glance. “I thought you were happy playing with us?”

“I am happy—so happy to be part of this and to be friends with you all.” I slide into my seat and Kashvi does the same. I make sure to look at each person so they can see that what I’m saying is genuine. “I don’t want to quit.”

“That’s great,” Sanjiv says, “but then why are you freaking out, Logan? She’s fine.”

I pin a glare at him. “Why would you sneak over here early when we agreed we were going to talk ahead of time?”

“I don’t know.” Logan rubs both hands over his face and through his hair again. “I guess because I thought you were going to do the same thing and I wanted to beat you to it? The way you were talking last night about how you had to do something…I started thinking you were going to come here early and quit before I could stop you. Yesterday you said that was the solution.”

“Wait, so there is talk of quitting?” Mark asks.

“You should have waited.” My voice is low and my words are only for Logan.

“I know,” he replies, though he doesn’t look remorseful. “But I wanted to take quitting off the table since that was the first place your mind went. And I knew if I said it while you were here, you’d fight me on it, so…”