This is a longshot, but you wouldn't still happen to have it, would you?" Even though he'd won it fair and square and it was my fault for throwing it in the pot, I still missed the damn thing and all the games.
"Are you kidding? It's got a place of honor in my entertainment cabinet. I don't get nearly enough time to play any kind of games these days, but I will always cherish the memory of beating your full house with four lousy twos."
Snorting, I grinned at the sound of his gleeful chortling on the other end. "Can't say I blame you. I never would've thought to lose when I had a full house stacked with aces over kings. So now we've established you have it, what will it take to get it back?"
Mack went silent for several seconds. "No. Not that. Anything but that. I have my Sega Genesis with all the Sonic games if you want to go old-school."
I thought for a second, then hissed through my teeth. "I wish I could say yes, but Neil is obsessed with Mario. He filled his chore chart for the week and is all set to get his final good behavior sticker after dinner. He earned a prize, and I promised him a special activity. If I make it clear we are borrowing it, would you consider bringing it over on loan?"
"Dammit. Fine. But only because it's for Neil. He’s too sweet to deny him a bit of fun. Apparently, you feel the same way since you’re bugging me for the NES when you knew I’d rub your face in how I got it. Again. Damn, I love that memory. Enough about that, though. Let’s get back to Neil. Tell the truth—he already has you wrapped around his adorable finger, doesn't he? Didn't I tell you those littles have a way of stealing your heart?" He sounded so smug I wanted to reach through the phone and smack him.
But then again, he was doing me a favor.
Still. I wasn't about to confess anything to Mack I hadn't admitted to myself yet. "No. He most certainly does not have me wrapped around his little finger. I will concede he can easily steal a heart, but I can neither confirm nor deny at this point whether mine has been successfully stolen. The boy earned a prize, is all I know. And for his reward, I want to make the first one extra special."
Mack gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. Be a stubborn ass and keep me in the dark. I'll know soon enough." He laughed. "Hey, my eleven o'clock just walked in. I'll swing by with the NES and all three Mario games around two."
"Works for me. Thanks, man."
After dinner, I took care of the dishes while Neil scampered off to take a shower and put on his Buzz Lightyear pajamas. Since we'd shared a veggie pizza from his list of takeout places, getting everything cleaned up and put away in time to install the game system before he came back out was a snap. I was setting a juice pouch and a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table when Neil came in with both cats at his heels.
"I'm ready for my surprise now, Mr. Brody." I looked over my shoulder to see him standing there with both hands over his eyes. He was cute as hell in footed pajama bottoms and a top too short to reach the waistband, revealing a sliver of skin.
I sat down and patted the couch cushion beside me. "Lower your hands and take a gander at the TV. Then come over and sit down so I can kick your butt."
Neil seemed confused as he dropped his hands, probably from the threat of butt kicking. As soon as he saw the NES, his mouth fell open, and he squealed in delight. After the cutest end zone dance I had ever seen, Neil rushed over and dropped down beside me. "Omigosh, I can't believe it! I haven't seen one of those in forever. I never had one, but some of my friends did so I played at their houses. My first console was a Sega." Chattering excitedly and examining the controller, Neil was an odd mix of the two parts of himself.
He settled down long enough to give me a serious look. "Thank you for this. I can't think of a better surprise. Now fire it up, old man. I'm about to kick your butt!"
For the next couple