trait, but right now—staring into Ronan’s clear blue eyes, the heat of his body drawing her closer, their limbs brushing—she thought it might be the most perfect trait ever. Ronan went after what he wanted. He got what he wanted.
She wanted that for herself. “I like to win, too.”
“Good,” he said as the trivia assistant came past the table and set down some printed-out sheets with spaces for each answer and a few pens. “We’ve totally got this.”
“All right, everyone, are we ready?” The trivia host paused to let the crowd cheer for a minute.
He was quite the showman, and it was clear the trivia was a staple for the pub. There seemed to be lots of people who knew one another, some good-natured smack talk flowing between tables. Most of the groups appeared to be in their twenties through forties, clusters of beers and other drinks clogging the tables. One woman bounced a little girl of about five on her lap, and she high-fived a man sitting on the other side of the table.
Is this what Friday nights looked like for people? Friendship, fun, frivolity. For a moment, her chest ached. It wasn’t often she got to see exactly what she’d sacrificed staring her right in the face.
“Okay,” the host said, snapping Audrey out of her reverie. “Question number one…flamingos are born with gray feathers. So what do they consume that turns them pink?”
“Oh, I know this one.” Audrey reached for the piece of paper and grabbed one of the pens. Ronan leaned forward to see what she was writing, his arm pressing against hers in a way that made it hard to breathe. “Flamingos eat mainly shrimp, larvae, and a type of algae that are full of carotenoids that turn into pink and orange molecules in the digestive tract. They literally turn into the color of what they eat.”
Ronan shook his head, laughing. “I knew you’d kick ass at this.”
Feeling a little high on the power of being her own woman for an evening, she shot Ronan a saucy look. “I’m sure I’ll perform better if I have a beer in my hand.”
“Whatever the lady wants.” He signaled for a waitress to come over and quickly ordered them some drinks while the other tables were arguing over the answer to question one.
It was amazing what being outside Kissing Creek did for Audrey’s confidence. She found herself sitting up straighter, leaning in closer to Ronan without worrying that she shouldn’t be doing it. She felt like she could tease and flirt and be a young woman in her prime. Tonight, the world was her oyster, and she intended to grab the opportunity with both hands.
Consequences were a problem for tomorrow.
…
Audrey was magnificent. Hell, she knew everything about everything. Sabermetrics, Welsh folklore, rock and roll history, anatomy, pop culture. Everything.
“You have rendered me utterly useless,” he said, leaning back as they paused before the final round of questions. “I think I’ve answered two whole questions, and I’m pretty sure you let me have one of those.”
A flirty smile flitted across her lips. “I might have.”
“I am going to find a question that stumps you,” he said. “Eventually.”
“I won’t hold my breath,” she teased back.
“Why do I feel like I need to beat my chest or hoist a table above my head to make up for it?” He frowned and picked up his beer. “I don’t often feel like I need to prove myself.”
“I have that effect on you?” She blinked. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m…” Something dark flickered across her face, or maybe it was a trick of the light. “You’re the one with the Harvard education and the list of accolades a mile long.”
“Education doesn’t make someone smart, you know. It’s simply a way to guide that intelligence toward something purposeful. But not having an education can’t take intellect away from you. Plenty of influential people in history never finished school.”
Fresh drinks arrived at the table, and Audrey sipped her beer before setting it down on the table and looking into the clear amber depths. “Then why did you interrupt me today, when that professor was asking me about which degree I was taking?”
“I…” Why did he do that? It was none of his business. “You looked uncomfortable.”
“I was, but I can take care of myself.”
“I have no doubt.” He nodded. “It was…instinct, I guess. I didn’t want you to feel bad. But that wasn’t my place. I’m sorry.”
She smiled at him, but this time there was something utterly, heartbreakingly vulnerable