Page 64 of Forty, Flirty & Fall Inn

"—and no drawing letters or numbers," Dad's saying."That's cheating.Also, Claire isn't allowed to draw anything baby-related because she makes everything look like a fetus."

"One time!"Claire protests."I drew a basketball that looked like a fetus one time!"

"You drew a car that looked like a fetus," Harper corrects."And a tree.And the Eiffel Tower."

"Everything looks like a fetus when you're growing one!"

Luke leans closer to me."Is your family always like this?"

"This is them on good behavior," I whisper back."Wait until Mom brings out the photo albums."

As if summoned by the threat, Mom appears with a suspicious-looking leather book."Luke, you have to see baby Sage!She was the chubbiest little?—"

"PICTIONARY!"I shout."We should play Pictionary!Right now!Immediately!"

"Someone's eager to lose," Harper smirks.

"I don't always lose."

"You've literally never won," Ben points out."In fifteen years of family game nights, you have never once won."

"That's...statistically unlikely."

"And yet true," Dad confirms."We keep a spreadsheet."

"Of course you do."I turn to Luke."You don't have to play.You can escape.I'll create a diversion."

"What kind of diversion?"

"I could pretend to go into labor," Claire offers.

"You're not due for two months,” David reminds her.

"Sage could set something on fire," Harper suggests."She's good at that."

"One time.I set the kitchen on fire one time!"

"Actually," Luke says, setting down his plate with the kind of determination I’m sure he reserves for hostile takeovers, "I'd like to play."

The room goes silent.

"You would?"I squeak.

"I'm excellent at Pictionary."He pushes his sweater farther up his forearms, and I try not to stare.“I’ve been told that I have damn good spatial reasoning and good drawing techniques."

"Oh, this is going to be good," Harper mutters.

With that, we divide into teams.

Luke and me versus Harper and Ben, with Claire and David acting as judges because Claire's fetus drawings have been banned by unanimous vote.

"First round," Dad announces, producing the timer with ceremony."Luke, you're drawing for Sage."

Luke takes the card, reads it, and nods once."Ready."

The timer starts, and Luke begins drawing with the focus of a man performing surgery.Quick, precise lines appear on the paper.

"Box!"I guess."Square!Rectangle!"