This is the twenty-third part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, Part XX, Part XXI, and Part XXII before continuing.
“Best six out of eleven!”
“I had forgotten how competitive you can be,” Michael said with a laugh.
“How could you forget that? It’s one of my most redeeming qualities.” I flashed him my most charming smile and he laughed again.
“As much as I enjoy playin’ Pooh Sticks with you, there are only so many times I can watch a stick float under a bridge before gettin’ bored.”
“Spoken like a quitter.”
“When it comes to childish games, I’m happy to be a quitter.”
“So you concede defeat.”
“Now, wait a minute, that’s not the same thing.”
I grinned. He might not want to admit it, but he could be just as competitive as I, and I had forgotten how much I missed having someone challenge me. Vincent had always given up way too easily and that got boring after a while.
“Best six out of eleven or you concede defeat and admit to being a rotten egg.”
“I’m not gonna keep playin’ ‘til you win, Charlie. It’s gettin’ dark and in no time we won’t even be able to see the sticks.
I looked around and realized he was right. I had forgotten how quickly it gets dark out here without streetlights.
I heaved a sigh and said, “You’re right. Can you walk me back to the house? I didn’t think to bring my phone.”
“Of course.” He took out his phone and used the flashlight app to light the road beneath us.
Cordy had fallen asleep sometime around our fourth round of Pooh Sticks. Rather than wake her up, I picked her up and carried her to the house.
To be continued…