Against the Rules

Book 2: Gamer Girls

by Laura Heffernan

Genres: Women's Fiction; Contemporary Romance; Romantic Comedy

Synopsis

RISK EVERYTHING . . .
 
Holly has taken herself out of the dating game since breaking up with her cheating, thieving ex. She barely notices Marc, who comes into the game store every week, hoping to get her attention. Her friends insist it's time to take on a new role, to leave Quiet Holly behind and embrace her inner flirt. And on paper, Marc's great: cute, funny, and a hardcore gamer just like Holly.
 
Then there's Nathan. He's everything twenty-eight-year-old Holly wants...except he's also her friend's father. Absolutely off-limits. But as she and Nathan playtest a new legacy game together, they're growing closer. The game is complex and intriguing, and there's no way to know how choices will pan out. What seems like a good idea could lead to disaster...or sweet victory. But in gaming, as in love, sometimes you have to roll the dice and take your chances . . .

Release date: October 15, 2019

Publisher: Lyrical Press

Print pages: 198

Sample

Chapter 1

Welcome to THE HAUNTED PLACE. This is a cooperative game. You will win or lose as one. The more in sync you are with the other players the better, so get to know each other. You’re going to be spending a lot of time together.

—The Haunted Place Player Guide

The guy in front of me shifted from one foot to the other as we slowly and deliberately reviewed every…single…strategy game on the shelves. For an entire hour. “What about this one?” he finally asked. “Do you like this one?”

“That’s a fun game, but it’s for younger players. Are you buying for a child?”

He blushed. “No.”

Usually, I liked my job at Game On!, even if it wasn’t what I’d planned to do after grad school. I loved introducing new gamers to old favorites and helping longtime gamers find new stuff. I even enjoyed helping the ordinary indecisive customer. But this guy had no idea what he wanted, and he seemed increasingly unlikely to buy anything at all before we reached retirement age. When he first started coming in, I’d thought he was cute, with his sandy brown hair and blue eyes peering out from behind wire-rimmed glasses. Taller than me, but not too tall, with a bit of stubble in the evenings.

Unfortunately, the more he got on my nerves as a customer, the less good-looking he became. He always lingered and rarely spent any money. He probably only came into the store to compare our prices to Amazon. An unfortunate hazard of working in an indie game store: We couldn’t match big store or online sales.

Behind me, the store’s phone rang. I wished I could leave my customer to answer it, but in-person customers came first.

Trying to hide my impatience, I snuck a peek at the clock on the far wall. Three minutes until closing. One hundred eighty seconds until my friends arrived with a brand-new, never-before-played tabletop board game (by anyone—we’d be play-testing this one!). Then I could politely ask this guy to leave.

As if someone heard my silent call for help, the bells on the front door chimed, and one of my best friends appeared in the doorway. Shannon wore a wide grin and about seven coats. It was beyond me how a person could walk wearing so many layers they couldn’t put their arms down, but that’s what happened when a Florida girl moved to Boston for grad school and stayed to help her nana. Several winters later, my poor friend still never got warm.

Before she hung up her coats, Shannon set a large shopping bag on the ground. My heart started pounding. It was one thing to know what she’d be bringing, but now it was here. The game. The game we’d been waiting to play for almost two years. The top secret game we’d heard so much about, but had never been allowed to so much as peek at. Now it sat less than fifteen feet away. I wanted to squeal and race over and scoop it up and rub it on my face. My friends would understand. But unfortunately, my customer probably would not.

With a huge smile, I waved to Shannon and pointed over the customer’s shoulder. We couldn’t play in the main area after hours because people saw us and knocked to get in. After a few complaints long before I started working here, the owners set a game room up in the back.

“Is the store closing soon?” my customer asked. He pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes.

“In a few minutes.” As the face of the business, I should invite him to stay and browse as long as he wanted, but he wasn’t going to buy anything.

“Oh, okay. Sorry.” He seemed about to say something else, but the bells over the door chimed again, drawing his attention.

Cody and Gwen stood inside the doorway, holding hands and smiling in their “about to be married” way that always brought a big smile to my face and a pang to my stomach. Gwen was one of my best friends, and I was delighted for her. But it was hard not to wish I could find what they had. A couple of years ago, I thought I had it. Until everything crashed and burned so hard, I still hadn’t convinced myself to dip a toe back into the dating pool.

I’d never tell Gwen and Cody about my jealousy. They made an adorable couple, and truly, I was ecstatic for them. Given her past, Gwen had never wanted to take a chance on love. After watching her and Cody fumble their way toward each other for months, I knew they were the real deal. They belonged together. It would happen for me someday, when I was ready.

Cody wasn’t like my ex. He wouldn’t cheat on Gwen, steal her money, then get arrested for running a pyramid scheme.

I called out a greeting to my friends, then turned back to my customer.

“Is tonight game night?” he asked. “I could play with you.”

“I’m sorry, but tonight’s a private event,” I said, trying to figure out how to get him out without being rude. “We’re play-testing a brand-new game.”

His eyes lit up. “That sounds awesome! What is it?”

Behind me, the phone rang again. I ignored it in favor of giving a quick answer. “Do you know legacy games?”

A legacy game was designed to be played as a campaign, which took place over multiple gaming sessions. During each “level,” things happened that led the players to discover new rules, additional characters, different obstacles, or other changes. New stickers got applied directly to the rule book or game board, becoming permanent additions. Some pieces were destroyed as the game continued. Players received new goals for each game. The nature of a legacy game rendered the board unplayable after the first time, but they provided so many hours of fun, it didn’t matter. Unfortunately, they also required the same core group of players for each session, and some could take a year or more to finish, so you had to be pretty hard core to get into this particular type of game.

“Like SeaFall? Awesome! I would definitely play if you needed another person.”

“This one is, I believe, sort of like Betrayal at House on the Hill meets SeaFall,” I said. “Shannon hasn’t told us much about it. But we’re full.”

His face fell. “Will you be playing a public game at the store soon?”

“I’m not sure. My boss should be here tomorrow, if you want to check.” I stressed tomorrow, hoping he would take the hint to leave.

“What if I left you my number?” he asked. “You could call me.”

“Sure. I’ll tell him you’re interested.” I didn’t mention that the owner should be here any minute to play with us, because my fingers itched to open the new game.

“Yeah, okay. I should go.”

I didn’t argue, ushering him out as politely as possible and even thanking him for shopping with us.

As I locked the front door behind him, Gwen appeared at my elbow. “What are you doing?”

“Working. Sorry that guy took so long. I was hoping he’d buy something.”

She sighed. “He wasn’t planning to buy anything. How many times has he come in here?”

I shrugged. “Five or six? I’m not sure. I see him every once in a while.”

“Does he ever hang out and talk to anyone else for like twenty minutes?”

“I don’t know. I’m usually the only one working when he’s here.”

“And you think that’s a coincidence?”

I didn’t see what she was getting at. “I work alone almost every evening.”

She shook her head. “Holly, you’re hopeless. He likes you. He doesn’t care about legacy games or what we’re doing. He wants to spend more time with you. That’s why he offered you his number. He doesn’t want the store to call him. He wants you to call him, you dope.”

Her words made me chuckle. “No way. He’s a customer.”

“He’s a cute customer.”

That he was, although he’d be even cuter if he’d buy stuff. I guessed what Gwen was getting at, but I still didn’t want to date anyone. The fact that I got more excited by a new game’s arrival than the good-looking guy flirting with me seemed like a sign.

Gwen said, “Come on. How long has it been since you went on a date?”

I shifted my feet and gazed at my fingernails. It had been more than a year and a half since I found out my ex-fiancé was cheating on me, which Gwen knew since she, Shannon, and Cody busted him. The silence grew until finally I had to say something. “I tried, in the beginning. A couple of parties, a couple of make-out sessions that never turned into anything. You were there.”

“Uh-huh. Getting drunk and sucking face at a gamer conference isn’t exactly getting out there. What happened to that online profile I set up for you?”

“I went online, and I looked around. They’re all cheaters.”

“All of them? Every single guy who uses the internet is a cheater? It says that in their profiles.”

“I used the notes you gave me. ‘Discreet’ equals ‘cheater.’ ‘Looking for someone to spoil’ means cheater. No profile picture? Married. Likes dogs? Cheater.”

She gave me an exasperated look. “I never said that last one.”

“Okay, fine. But the others seemed to pop up on every other profile.”

“Holly, I know Lucas let you down. It’s hard to get back out there after someone betrays your trust. We’ve all been there. But if you go looking for a reason to reject every guy you meet, I promise, you’ll find one. You can’t assume everyone is a cheater because of one bad experience.” Her tone softened. “Look, I’m not saying you have to marry any of these guys. One day, maybe, sure. All I’m saying is, for now it’s time to get back on the horse. Go on a few dates. Meet some people. Get out of your self-imposed isolation. If love develops down the road, great. But that’s not the goal right now.”

She was right, of course, but I didn’t want to admit it. “It’s just so hard to tell with guys online.”

“Right. It’s hard to tell with people online. And cute guys in game stores. And people you meet in bars. Come on, what does a guy have to do to get your attention?”

At her words, a face swam before my eyes, unbidden. Early forties, dark hair, an easy smile, brown eyes, and completely gorgeous. The one guy who monopolized my attention without even knowing it, who made it impossible for me to pay attention to other guys I met. Who I secretly compared every single online profile to on the one night Gwen and I surfed the dating sites. Also the one guy I could never, ever be with. And the one guy Gwen couldn’t know I had a hopeless crush on. She’d never understand. Besides, it didn’t matter. Nothing was going to happen. He didn’t have the slightest interest in me.

A knock on the front door saved me from following that train of thought further. I thought about ignoring it. Our fourth and fifth players should be arriving together, since they lived on the same block, and as owner, John had a key. But since I stood in plain view, hiding wouldn’t work unless I froze and pretended to be a cardboard cutout. Of what, I didn’t know.

“Sorry,” I called without looking up. “We’re closed.”

The knock sounded again, louder. “Holly? It’s me.”

Scarves and wind had a way of distorting voices, so I didn’t recognize the speaker immediately. It must be one of the regulars. I loved our regulars, and I couldn’t ignore any of them. But I had a game to get to, and it was after closing. This person needed to come back tomorrow.

The customer stood with his or her back to the door, a bulky jacket and hat obliterating most of their form. Welcome to Boston in the winter. Everyone looks identical, the stream of people becoming a sea of black coats, hats, and gloves. Except Shannon, who stood out because of her sheer volume of clothing and six-foot frame.

Then the customer turned around, grinning at me, and I recognized him. A wide smile broke out across my face at the sight of Gwen’s dad, Nathan. My traitorous body reacted this way every time he was around. Not because we were friends and he’d become my landlord, but because he was ridiculously hot. Also funny, smart, charming…

At first, it had been kind of a joke. Whenever Gwen mentioned her dad, I threw in a “Daddy McHotCakes” comment, and she’d shrug it off. Nathan was forty-four years old, with two successful auto shops and a fully grown child. He wouldn’t have the slightest interest in dating someone my age, making minimum wage in a dead-end job. Especially not his daughter’s friend. But sometimes, I wished I could find a guy with his rugged good looks and a smile reminiscent of McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy.

Ah, well. Maybe Gwen was right; it was time to start dating again. My virginity had probably grown back, and I hadn’t even considered dating anyone since my ex, if you didn’t count the completely inappropriate crush on Daddy McHotCakes here.

Gwen tolerated my comments, but if I ever hit on her dad, she’d be horrified. Not to mention how embarrassing it would be to get turned down flat by the first guy I asked out…in my entire life, actually. My ex and I started dating in high school. He’d made the first move. On me and half the other women in the greater Boston area, it turned out.

Ordinarily, I’d be happy to chat with Nathan, but not when a shiny new game beckoned and his daughter stood behind me. Unfortunately, he was one of the store’s best customers, my roommate, and my friend. I couldn’t let him in, but I also couldn’t be rude to Nathan, of all people. I cracked the door, leaving my foot wedged behind it. “Hey. Sorry, we just closed.”

His brow furrowed. “I know. That’s why I’m here.”

“You’re here because you want to talk to me when the store’s not open?” My traitorous pulse quickened just a smidgen at the idea.

“No, Gwen invited me to join the game. It’s cold. Let me in.”

My already-high spirits soared. Oh, goody. Suddenly, the game came with eye candy, the one thing it had been missing.

Chapter 2

Choose your character carefully. This will be your persona for the rest of the game. Unless you die. But let’s not talk about that now. You have plenty of other things to worry about.

—The Haunted Place Player Guide

Although I’d be happy to have Nathan join our game, his words confused me. The Haunted Place played five: me, Gwen, Cody, Cody’s friend Tyler, and the store’s owner, John. Shannon was here to oversee, watch, and answer any questions about the rules. We’d already warned her that she’d be banished if she got too obnoxious about knowing what was going to happen. This wasn’t Dungeons & Dragons or Monopoly. We didn’t need a master to run the game or a banker or anything.

Before I could voice these thoughts, Gwen appeared behind me. “Hey, Dad! Glad you got my message.”

I turned to her. “Your message?”

“Yeah, John texted that something came up with the kids, and he can’t make it. Rather than delaying the game, he’s going to bow out. Said he called the store, but no one answered. I texted you.”

“I haven’t checked my phone in ages.” I opened the door and stepped back. “Come on in. Sorry.”

Nathan grinned at me as he brushed past, sending a tingle up my arm. Geez, my hormones were getting ridiculous. We lived together. My pulse couldn’t start galloping every time we passed each other in the hall or my hand grazed his while we made breakfast in the morning. This crush needed to be squelched and fast, before it got embarrassing. Nathan could never know the way he made me feel.

I blamed Gwen for planting the seed of finding someone new in my head. Alas, she probably meant finding someone new that I could actually date, like the customer from earlier. I suddenly wished I’d noticed he was flirting. If nothing else, flirting back would give my suppressed hormones an appropriate outlet for release since Nathan was totally forbidden.

Gwen was right, it was time to put myself out there. My extreme reaction to Nathan confirmed that I needed to dust off my online profile and make an effort. Going on dates with nice, safe guys my own age should help me gain perspective. If nothing else, I’d eat a few good meals, meet new people, have interesting conversations. Or maybe I’d spend enough time around members of the opposite sex to at least notice when one of them flirted with me. Baby steps.

With a deep breath, I forced myself to focus. This gaming session wasn’t only for fun. We had a job: Shannon was counting on our group to point out problems, errors, mistakes in the directions, omissions, and other issues before The Haunted Place went to print. If we messed up, the game could flop on the market, get bad reviews, and it would be partially our fault. Last year, one of our biggest complaints in a legacy game we’d all played was that it felt like no one play-tested it. We couldn’t let that happen to Shannon.

With determination, I shoved my personal issues out of my mind and trailed Nathan to the back room. Cody and Gwen sat side by side at the table. Nathan pulled out the middle remaining seat, so I dropped into the empty spot between him and Gwen. From my vantage point, I could see the main area of the store. Not necessary with the door locked, but I liked being able to keep an eye on things. Shannon came over to stand between me and Gwen.

The three of us made an odd trio. Having divested most of her layers, Shannon looked like a much taller version of Velma from Scooby-Doo: curvy, short hair, with glasses. Her frames enhanced the comparison, which I suspected wasn’t a coincidence. But she wouldn’t be caught dead in an orange turtleneck, wearing mostly vintage-style dresses and some actual vintage dresses passed down by Nana. To her right, Gwen was short and skinny, with the most gorgeous red hair usually hidden in pigtails, blue eyes, and freckles she hated but gave her face character.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Shannon, I was completely average. Average height, average build, wavy medium-blonde hair, medium-brown skin from my Puerto Rican mother, and hazel eyes with mediocre vision. Without my contacts, the world turned fuzzy.

To look at Nathan, you would never know that he and Gwen were related. She must look exactly like her mom, but I didn’t know. Dr. Connors—who never changed her name—left when Gwen was a kid. There wasn’t a single picture of her in their home. While she went to medical school, Nathan worked to provide for the family—and then she ditched them both after getting her degree. Poor guy. He deserved better.

According to Gwen, her father barely dated in the years since. It broke my heart to think he pined for the woman who treated him so badly. Especially when any number of women out there would love a chance to make him happy. Like me.

No, not me. Focus, Holly.

Shannon placed a box in the center of the table, slowly, almost reverently. Since this was a play test, the box hadn’t been printed yet. The plain white cover provided a stark contrast to the dark wooden table. A blank slate, not a hint of what we were about to experience. “Is everyone ready?”

“We’ve been ready for years,” I pointed out. “Ever since you started making this. Stop stalling. We’re dying to play.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Tyler?”

“If you don’t open that box now so we can set up, I will take it from you,” Gwen said. “We won’t start until he gets here.”

With an evil grin, she lifted the lid an inch at a time, slowly revealing the contents. Cody hummed the Jeopardy! theme song. A board sat on top, which Nathan removed to find the rest of the pieces. He also pulled out a few cardboard sheets. Underneath, the box was filled with compartments, covered so we couldn’t see what was inside, all marked with numbers or letters.

“Issue number one: There aren’t any instructions,” Gwen said.

Shannon held up a sheaf of papers. “I was going to read them to you.”

“Nope,” Nathan said. “Let us play. As if we were five strangers who pulled the box off the shelf and don’t know you from Adam.”

She started to protest, but the rest of us agreed. Play-testing gave the game designer valuable information, sure. But if she read the rules, self-editing and guiding us as she went, we wouldn’t be evaluating the game so much as Shannon’s explanation of how to play. That didn’t help her or future gamers.

Part of the nature of a legacy-type game is that things change. Certain events would tell us to open sealed packets in the box, read cards, or take other actions. Cards read at the beginning and end of each game revealed rule changes. Players made choices based on the information available, but we wouldn’t know until later whether those choices panned out. A seemingly good idea early on could lead to disaster after a plot twist. No way to plan, no way to know. So much fun. And impossible to play as intended with the creator hovering. The tiniest flinch or smil. . .