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“Allergies my ass. It’s the middle of winter and you didn’t have any issues before. You were losing and knocked it over before I could take my turn and win.”
With a big production of sniffing, Wendy batted her lashes. “Allergies.” A large grin. “What does your block say anyway?”
With a decidedly non-allergy related sniff, Hope glanced down at the smooth block in her hand. “Would you rather live in a theme park or a zoo?”
Everyone looked at her and she blinked.
“What?”
“You have to answer,” Alistair said.
“Do I, though? I mean, thanks to someone’s sudden bout of allergies, the game is over.”
Popcorn flew through the air and hit her in the face. She swatted at it and picked it up from her lap before shooting Wendy another glare. Not sure why she bothered because the woman didn’t look any more bothered by that glare than the previous one.
“Fine. But everyone has to answer. I’m not going to be the only one.”
Erick nodded. “Let’s all take ten of them. We’ll merely avoid the talent part of the game, due to someone’s allergies.”
“Come on!” Wendy tossed up her arms. “I sneezed. One time.”
Sonya laughed and hugged her. “I’m glad you did because I was trying to figure out a way to get out of that without making it obvious.”
Erick handed out the blocks and they all settled into their seats. When every gaze landed on her, Hope sighed.
“Guessing I’m supposed to go first.”
“Yes.” Wendy held up some more popcorn and Hope chuckled.
“No need to threaten me.” She licked her lips. “I would pick the zoo.” Every time, every day. Animals over humans.
All three of them frowned. None agreed with her. They all would take the theme park. She got it, sure, but given her passion in life, it was obvious.
“Why the zoo, Hope?” Erick questioned. “Zoos smell and theme parks have a lot more food.”
“I understand animals and I don’t think that’s entirely true. A zoo has to carry food for both the people and the animals. You can’t feed lions cotton candy. They need meat. Plus there is going to be a medical facility and while it may not be state of the art, it’s going to be far more than a first-aid booth at a theme park.”
She shifted on her seat. “Take the one in Berlin, Zoologischer Garten. It’s the largest one in the world when you’re measuring the number of animals and is also a heritage site. They have medical equipment and lots of food.” She’d gone there to do an internship when she was getting her degree in animal behavior. So many fond memories.
Everyone nodded. “You make great points,” Erick said, sliding his chair closer. “I’m staying with you at the zoo. I’d like to know what possessed you to go to the zoo in Berlin. Are zoos here in the US not good enough?”
She narrowed her gaze at him for a moment before shaking her head. “Who’s next?” she asked.
Alistair held up his block. “Me.” He cleared his throat. “What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?”
Hope leaned back in her seat as she ran over a list of the odd foods she’d encountered. Traveling the world, she had gotten to experience a lot of different cuisines.
“Grasshoppers,” Wendy said. “I ate them when I was at a friend’s wedding in Thailand. And for the record, they weren’t so bad. A lot of what I ate over there was delicious.”
Sonya shuddered. “Nope, I don’t do odd foods. Undercooked meat is about as risky as I will go. I don’t even do sushi. Or that raw beef thing. What’s it called? Like tartar sauce.”
Hope laughed. “Steak tartare? Tartar sauce goes on fish. Or veggies—grilled, roasted, or fried. I’ve also had it on a crudité platter.” She flattened her lips. “Not about me, sorry.”
Sonya jabbed a finger at her. “That’s it. I don’t do horses.” She shook her head. “I mean, I don’t eat them.”
“Good to know you draw the line at eating them but will do them,” Hope teased. It earned her another handful of popcorn to the face.
Erick leaned forward, his shirtsleeves pushed up, showing off his strong arms. “I also won’t do horses or eat them. But I’ve had pufferfish. That was an experience I’m not looking forward to repeating. I was so certain I was going to die after I put it in my mouth.”
Alistair grinned. “Hope?”
“I’ve had a lot of strange foods. But one of the strangest would be hákarl.” She shifted on the seat, noting the lost expressions. “It’s from Iceland and is basically the rotting carcass of a basking shark. It’s been buried underground in a pit with stones on it to push out the poisonous internal fluids until it’s safe. It’s hung up to dry before it’s cut into strips and served.”
All of them looked like they were going to vomit.
