Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
His grin was back. “Sure. What would you like to do?” I clearly amused him. Was that a good thing?
“Do you have a second chessboard? If we play, maybe I can diagnose why you keep losing to your dad.”
“I do.” He reached over the arm of the couch and pulled an elegant travel chess set from a drawer in the end table.
“Fancy.”
He handed it to me and bent down to take off his boots as he said, “It was a gift from my father, though I strongly suspect his administrative assistant picked it out. In fact, I think she’s picked out all my gifts over the last ten years or so, but Dad won’t admit it.”
“Are your parents divorced?” It occurred to me too late that maybe he didn’t want to talk about it, so I added, “Sorry, that’s none of my business. I was just wondering why an assistant picks out your presents.”
Lucky nodded and tucked his feet underneath him. “My mother’s on her fifth marriage and living in Calgary with a periodontist named Ludwig. She’s been with ol’ Luddy for six years now, so I’m thinking this one might actually stick.”
As I set up the board, I asked, “Are you and she close?”
“Not really.”
I wanted to ask a million more questions because I was a naturally curious—or possibly just nosy—person, but I decided that was probably too intrusive. Instead, I used my toes to push my sneakers off my feet, and as I shifted around to face him, I said, “Okay, my hash brown loving friend, let’s do this.”
“Just so you know, I don’t go to the diner for their hash browns, though they really are excellent.”
“Flapjacks?” He shot me a look, and I said, “I’ll stop guessing.”
“I’m there every weekday because a friend of mine owns the place. Ana-Sophia’s a single mom, and she needs time to drive her thirteen-year-old to school. It’ll be easier for her next year when her daughter’s in high school, because it’s within walking distance. But for now, I show up for about an hour to take orders and work the cash register while her only employee does the cooking. It’s too much for him to run it all by himself while she’s gone.”
“Wow, that’s so nice of you.”
He tried to shrug it off. “It’s no big deal.”
“Sure it is, getting up early every day and adjusting your schedule, just to help your friend.”
“I don’t get up. I stay up.”
“Come again?”
“That hour at the diner is the last thing I do before I go to bed. I usually work late into the night and sleep during the day.”
It wasn’t news to me that he and I were very different people, but that bit of information really drove the point home. If we ever became a couple—not that that would happen in a million years—we’d never even see each other, since we kept opposite schedules. I left those observations unsaid, though.
Instead, I indicated the completed chess board and said, “Go first. Let’s see what you’ve got.” He grabbed a pawn and moved it to the center of the board, and I said, “You’ve already lost.”
He laughed and exclaimed, “That’s not true!”
“Yes, it is.”
“There’s no way you could know that based on one move.”
“Sure I do, and here’s how—you didn’t think about that at all, you just grabbed any pawn at random. That move alone obviously isn’t enough to lose the game, but it tells me you’re reckless and don’t really stop to consider the big picture.”
He wrinkled his nose, which I thought was very cute. Then he said, “Just for that, I’m actually going to try. Prepare to lose.”
“Good luck with that.”
We took a few turns, and he rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. All you’re doing is playing the French defense,” he complained. “Where’s the excitement and creativity in that?”
“A ha! So, you’ve studied chess, are aware of how to win, and choose not to follow established, proven strategy because it goes against that whole Rebel Without a Cause thing you’ve got going on.” I drew circles in the air as I said that to encompass his look and attitude.
He sat back and smirked at me. “Is that all you think I am, some kind of James Dean wannabe? A dimensionless caricature?”
“Far from it.”
“Uh huh.”
It seemed like I might have insulted him, so I said, “I already know you’re a lot of things, Lucky. For starters, you’re a gifted, creative artist who produces beautiful creations.” I gestured at the two completed bikes as I said that. “You’re both stubborn and highly intelligent, which shows in your chess game. You’re also one of the best friends anyone could have, which I learned because of the diner, and you’re a devoted son, which is why you tolerate the slow-motion chess games with your dad, even though they drive you nuts. In fact, you probably don’t try very hard and let your dad win on purpose, just to spare his ego. You’re actually fascinating, Lucky, and I really hope I see you again after tonight, because there’s so much more about you that I’d love to discover.”