27. Woohoo! Trivia!
Twenty-Seven
WOOHOO! TRIVIA!
Liv
Storm clouds rolled in throughout the afternoon. The great room is full of guests at dinner, with most choosing not to brave the weather to find things to do in town for the evening. I don’t mind rain. I find it soothing. It's the thunder and lightning that put me on edge.
An old Gene Kelly movie plays on the television above the fireplace, drawing my attention from time to time. Gram loved these movies.
“What’s the radar say?” Viv asks between bites of her lasagna.
“Looks like it’s going to get worse later tonight.” My knee bounces under the table, the lasagna forgotten on my plate.
“Want me to stay with you in your room tonight?”
“No, I’m okay. I have Sunny. He likes to be the little spoon. Thanks, though.”
Sunny, having heard his name, abandons his spot on the armchair with a broken meow. Tail swishing, he trots over, rubbing his fat body along my leg. He’s taken a liking to the armchair by the fireplace when Holly isn’t at the desk.
Josh breezes through the room with a container of lasagna that looks like it can feed an entire family. He smiles at guests as he passes them, saying hello and beelines it for our table.
“Ladies, ladies, good evening.” He scoops Sunny up with his free hand and unceremoniously drops the jam-packed container onto the table.
Sunny desperately tries to wiggle away, but Josh is undeterred.
“Look at this handsome fella.” Josh ruffles Sunny’s fur and scratches under his chin.
A quick, and hopefully unassuming, look around the room tells me Luke isn’t with Josh. I’m not disappointed. Not even a little.
“Trivia night tomorrow! Any interest?” His smile is wide as he looks between us.
“Already planned on it!” I reply, saving Sunny from Josh’s aggressive petting.
“Nice!”
“Yeah, I’m a sitcom expert.” Viv blows hot air on her nails and brushes them against her shirt.
“Fuck yes! We are gonna kick Joanie’s ass!” A few people around the room look in Josh’s direction. He sheepishly holds up his hands, whispering apologies to the surrounding guests.
Is Luke going? I swallow the question and take a different direction.
“Rachel said she’s going too. How big can the teams be?”
I’ve never done a trivia night. For that matter, I’ve never done a paint and sip night or gotten up and walked along a lake early in the morning and listened to the sounds of birds. I feel like this place is giving me a wealth of new experiences.
“Oh, she’s coming too? Sick! That means Jimmy will be there. Teams can be a maximum of six, so that works out perfectly. You ladies, Rachel and Jimmy, Luke and me. Love it! We are gonna DOMINATE.” He puffs his chest and deepens his voice, flexing his biceps down in front of him.
“Stop, you’re embarrassing.” Viv laughs.
“Yeah but… I think you love me.” Josh catches me eyeing his overstuffed container of food and slides it in front of him.
“This”—he pats the top—“is not all for me. It’s for Luke and our niece Piper too. Zoe’s off doing Zoe things, and so Luke’s babysitting until she’s back. Speaking of which, I've gotta get this over to them.”
“See you tomorrow, Josh.” I grab Viv’s plate and bring it to the tray where dirty dishes go.
“Woo hoo! Trivia!” Josh calls on his way out.
I try to brush away the small feeling of excitement knowing I’ll spend the evening with Luke tomorrow.
For now, I just need to get through tonight.