Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama, #2) (83)

“But working on it with you was the best part. Besides, I bet it could still use more tweaking. I think we need a few more brainstorming sessions at my place.” He kisses my temple. “You know, to go over details, workshopping.” His lips slide to the corner of my mouth. “It’s important we put the time in to get it just right.”

“Hmm, you do make some very valid points,” I murmur. “We definitely want to get it right.” I lift my arms around his neck and angle my mouth slightly to kiss him.

“Argh!”

The sound of someone pretend-vomiting jolts us away from each other. I twist to find Andrew at the end of the hall, hand in hand with Kashvi and next to Sanjiv. Andrew’s expression is pure disgust.

“In Grandma’s community center? Really? You have no shame?”

I raise an eyebrow at him. That’s a bold stance to take after what I saw him and Kashvi doing in her car outside my house. I’m glad they’re happy, but enough is enough. I’m about to say as much, but Logan speaks first.

“We were waiting on you all. It turns out we have eight volunteers for the game.”

“And you were planning to build characters and run the first session today?” Sanjiv asks skeptically. “I don’t know.”

“We’re going to earn our pancakes today,” Kashvi says, and gives me a quick hug. “Mark and Sloane are on their way.”

“Good, because we’re going to need them.” We return to the room where the residents are patiently waiting. They all look so excited, their eyes twinkling, and it makes my heart fill with joy.

“Andrew! What a surprise!” Grandma exclaims.

“Hi, Grandma. I’m just here for moral support.”

Andrew hasn’t become overly interested in D&D in the last few months, but sometimes he hangs out in the basement while we’re livestreaming. I think he’s picked up more than he’s letting on. He sits down next to Kashvi, and Sanjiv takes a seat across the table between Janet and Carol. I sit between Grandma and Jim. Someone needs to keep an eye on these two.

“Okay, first things first,” Logan says from the head of the table. “We should learn about dice.” He pours out the set of seven onto the table and picks up a d20. “This is your twenty-sided die. You’ll be using that a lot today, especially as you build your characters.”

“Can I be a cat?” Janet interrupts. “I’ve always wanted to be a cat.”

“Um, well—”

“I’d like to be an elf,” Carol adds. “I’ve had my eye on elves ever since I saw that blond one in Lord of the Rings. He was very good-looking.”

The others nod in agreement and Logan’s eyes cut to mine. He’s clearly panicking, and I should be empathetic, but he’s so adorable that I’d like this conversation to go on indefinitely.

“So, uh, we brought our copies of the Player’s Handbook for you,” he continues. “You can start flipping through to see your character options and we can help to—”

“This print is much too small,” Winfred complains. “I didn’t know I’d need my reading glasses.”

“I want that sword.” Jim jabs at an illustration of a greatsword.

Grandma lays her hand on top of mine. “Thank you for coming, dear. This is such a treat for all of us.” She winks. “Now, go rescue that boy of yours.”

I give her a quick kiss on the cheek and take my place next to Logan. I nudge his shoulder with my own. “We’ve got this,” I whisper.

Mark and Sloane poke their heads in right then, and we gratefully gesture for them to take seats next to the other residents.

“You really want my assassin to kill off all their characters one by one?” Logan whispers.

I glance at Jim, who’s flipping through the weapons section with Grandma. He looks gleeful.

“You should at least give it a try, but don’t be surprised if it’s your assassin who ends up dead. Never forget, elderly people can be vicious.”

He laughs and kisses me quickly before calling the group to attention once again.





Acknowledgments


I may be a writer, but I can never find words strong enough to express my gratitude at having the best job in the world. There are so many individuals I want to thank, but first and foremost I want to thank the readers. Your love for Dungeons and Drama continues to be beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I’m eternally grateful to every person who read, reviewed, posted, made playlists, created fan art, and everything in between. It’s because of you all that I get to do what I love.

Wendy Loggia, thank you for believing in my work from the very beginning, for advocating for me, and for being so welcoming and lovely. It’s a joy to work with you, and I’m so glad we get to continue together!

I’ve been blown away by the passion and excitement of the Random House staff. Thank you to each person who has helped to get my books into the hands of readers, including Alison Romig, Casey Moses, Ken Crossland, Tamar Schwartz, Liz Sutton, and Sarah Lawrenson. Liz Parkes, thank you for creating another absolutely stunning cover. It’s an honor to have your art associated with my writing.

Kristy Hunter, agent extraordinaire, I’m so glad to have you as a partner on this publishing journey! Thank you for all your work on my behalf and for being such a support.