Page 43 of First Bride to Fall
“Yeah?”
But then she lost her nerve. She noted the scorepad and pencil in the box. “Er. Want me to keep score?”
His mouth twitched. “Only if you don’t cheat me.”
She gasped in mock shock. “I never cheat.” She arched one eyebrow. “Do you?”
He chuckled. “Not anymore.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Long story.” He figured he’d share it with her eventually. It was really pretty silly, and he’d been a goofy kid. Kids did things. Nell had probably pulled a few shenanigans, too.
“Hmm.” She removed the scorepad and pencil from the box and set them beside her, and he handed her a rack to hold her tiles. Once she was ready, he picked up the red velvet sack containing the letters and shook it before prying open its drawstring so she could select her tiles.
She placed seven tiles on her tile rack, shielded from his view.
He did the same. When he was done, he took the box and its lid, depositing them on the counter behind him.
Nell sipped from her tea, but her eyes were on him. “How many letters are missing?”
“Six.”
“What happened to them?”
He gritted his teeth, deciding he might as well tell her. It was forever ago anyway. “I…disposed of them as a kid.”
She blinked. “Disposed?”
“My mom was a killer Scrabble player,” he explained. “She’s the one who taught me the game. And, uh. Let’s just say she was very good at beating me.”
“Oh no.” She giggled in disbelief. “You didn’t?”
Heat spread from his neck to his face. “I’m afraid that I did.”
“Wait. What did you do with them?”
“I buried them in my backyard.”
She cackled. “What?”
“But only after hiding them in my sock drawer for a while. I became paranoid Mom might find them.”
“Why not just throw them in the trash?”
“Too risky. What if they spilled out and I was discovered?”
She laughed, evidently trying to imagine this. “So you dug a hole.” She motioned like she was using a shovel. “And buried them?”
“It was a decent service,” he said reflectively. “Very solemn.”
“You didnothold a funeral.”
“Oh but I did.” He placed a hand on his chest. “May they rest in peace.”
She roared and gripped her sides like they were splitting. “You were such a weird kid!”
He chuckled along with her. “Like you never did anything weird. Sure.”
