Page 116

She nods, unconvinced, and goes back to the gravy.

***

“House rules,” Carter says, flipping through his hand of Uno cards. “Stacking is legal. Draw fours can be stacked. If you don’t yell Uno, we ruin your life. And keep an eye on Chance. He cheats.”

“I do not cheat!” Chance immediately defends himself.

From the recliner, Sophia doesn’t even open her eyes. “You did cheat at Christmas, babe.”

“That was one time.”

“You had cards under your leg,” Brittney reminds him.

“I dropped them.”

“You dropped four blue cards under the same leg?”

Alex grins down at his cards. “So I should watch him?”

“You should watch everyone,” Brittney tells him, casually dropping a Skip on Carter before he’s even finished organizing his hand. “Including me.”

Carter stares at the card. “You bitch.”

“Language,” Mom calls automatically from the kitchen.

“Sorry!”

Theo looks up at me expectantly.

His cards are spread across both hands, facing outward enough that everyone at the table can see half of them. I tap the yellow two near the middle.

“That one.”

He yanks it free and slams it onto the pile with enough force to make the cards jump while yelling, “YELLOW TWO!”

“You don’t have to announce the whole card, buddy,” Carter tells him.

Simon should be pulling up any minute.

I stepped outside when he called earlier. The conversation was short. Veronica found out we were back together. They fought. He left. He was on his way here.

That was pretty much the whole of it.

I wanted to ask more, but through the glass door I saw Theo attempting to climb onto the dining room table because Leo had apparently stolen his chair, two of the kids started screaming about whose turn it was with something, and Mom yelled my name.

My turn comes around and I have nothing useful.

By the time I finally get something playable, I've added four cards to my hand.

“This game is bullshit.” I grumble, playing my card.

“Language,” Mom calls again.

Chance throws down a Reverse purely to be an asshole, sending play straight back toward me.

I stare at him. “I hate you.”

Anthony laughs so hard he drops his entire hand onto the floor.