Trivial Pursuits (Chicago On Ice Book 2) (3 page)

Chapter 4

TriviaPlayOrPass!

DesignerA, you have not responded to the match request from Scott921. Will you accept or decline the offer?

“Trouble”
immediately starts playing in my brain, volume high, screaming like an alarm bell going off in my head. I gaze up at Landy, appearing oh-so-gorgeous in the falling snow, and my heart begs me to say yes.

There are more sides to this man than the flirty, superstar player he’s assumed to be. He’s shown me that in the past hour alone. I want to continue getting to know
this
Landy, the one who flies under the radar to spend time with kids. The one who likes to play trivia under his middle name.

But my head remembers the past. I thought that about Troy, too. That I was the one to see the real him. That I was the woman that would change everything.

And I was destroyed when everything I believed turned out to be an illusion.

But now I’ve healed. All those feelings are gone. It took a long time, but I’m finally ready to date again.

But Landy wouldn’t be a date. Landy doesn’t date.

He hooks up.

And I know from the way I’m reacting to him now, I could fall hard for this man.

Landy could hurt me if I let him get close.

“Livy?” Landy asks, gazing down at me. “What are you thinking?”

Okay. I’m an adult. I can be direct and see where it lands.

I nervously clear my throat. “As long as your expectations are for eating sushi and playing a board game, I’m in.”

Landy’s gaze holds steady on my face. He doesn’t flinch or look disappointed like I thought he might.

Or maybe he’s trying to think of a way to take back his invitation.

I decide to make it easier for him.

“I understand if the invitation is rescinded,” I say softly.

Landy cocks an eyebrow. “I think this is your way of getting out of playing me in Trivial Pursuit.”

Then he flashes me a wicked grin. Butterflies shift in my stomach in response.

I smile at him. “I’ve beaten you many times on
TriviaPlayOrPass!
so I do not fear playing you in Trivial Pursuit. If anything, you should fear me.”

Landy is silent for a moment. “Maybe I do.”

What?
What does he mean by that? Is he talking about more than trivia? I’m about to ask him when he clears his throat.

“But I meant what I said,” he continues, his expression going serious. “I want to have dinner. And play a game. I promise,” he says, making an X over his heart, “that’s all I want from you tonight.”

I study his eyes. I know I’ve done this with Troy and been completely wrong, but I swear I see sincerity on Landy’s part.

And despite the fact that
“Trouble”
is on a loop, despite the fact my head is saying decline, and I know we’ve moved up to DEFCON 3, I follow my heart.

“Okay,” I say, nodding. “Dinner. And a round of Trivial Pursuit. But I have a request before I say yes.”

Landy raises his eyebrows. “Yeah?”

“You have to answer a personal question after each trivia question,” I say. “Of my choosing.”

There. I’ve raised the stakes to a more serious evening. This is a test, actually. Flirty playboys have no interest in getting to know a girl on a deeper level. And the last thing they want is for you to know them.

If he suddenly backs out, I’ll know why.

Landy nods. “I see,” he says, rubbing his gloved hand along his jawline. “Is this non-negotiable?”

My heart sinks. He wants no part of getting to know me. Landy doesn’t want to share himself with me, either.

“Yes,” I say truthfully.

A silence falls between us. The snow drifts down, and now my mood matches the gray sky overhead. I feel disappointed, even though my brain tried to warn me this would be the outcome.

“Then I have my own non-negotiable add on,” Landy says, breaking the silence. “I get to ask
you
personal questions, too. And you have to answer, you can’t pass.”

My heart soars back to life. Landy wants to get to know me, too.

“Deal,” I say happily.

Landy flashes me a grin, one that makes me swoon, and I smile back at him.

“It’s freezing out here. I’m going to get in my car and send you a Connectivity connect request with my cell number,” Landy says, referring to the social media site. “When you accept it, text me and I’ll give you my address and get your sushi preference. But how does seven sound?”

“I can do seven o’clock,” I say, opening up the door on the driver’s side of my Jeep. “So I’ll see you then.”

“Brace yourself for my nosey questions,
DesignerA,
” Landy says, winking at me.

I swear my body temperature shoots up every time he winks at me.

“Oh, I welcome it,
Scott921,
” I flirt back.

Landy smiles and shuts my door for me. I start my engine, then he waves and strolls over to a silver Range Rover Sport SUV and gets inside.

I take a moment to steady myself. My hands are shaky. My head is spinning. I have so much to process here, and I can’t focus on any of it.

But there’s one thing that is brilliantly, amazingly in focus for me right now.

My heart is beating out of my chest in joy.

For the first time in a year, it’s alive again.

And I’m letting it take the lead tonight.

Chapter 5

TriviaPlayOrPass!

In the TV show
Veronica Mars,
did Veronica and Logan ever keep their relationship a secret?

As soon as I’m out of my snow gear, I run up the stairs to my bedroom. Ha, how appropriate. My heart is racing like a teenager with a huge crush, and I’m back in my bedroom which has hardly changed since I was sixteen.

Before I do anything, I need to think this through. I have a date with Landy tonight. No.
A trivia date.
With food. That’s all. I made it clear that this is not going to end in a hook up, so it’s not a date in what Landy would consider a date.

Okay, the conversations I’m having with myself are not only stupid, but happening at an alarming frequency.

Of course, I should be having this conversation with my best friend, Aubrey, but I’m terrified to tell her about Landy. She has warned me about him being into “hook ups only.” Aubrey will question my sanity if I want to even get close to this kind of man again after the heartache I went through.

So I’m scared to tell her.

But I should tell her.

Shit. I am emotionally sixteen, who am I kidding trying this adulting crap?

I open my laptop and access my Taylor Swift collection, selecting the
Red
album. The one with
“Trouble”
on it. Might as well have a theme song for the evening.

As the song fills the air, I think about what to do about Landy. Do I tell Aubrey? I should. I tell her everything, she’s my best friend.

But I don’t want to tell her because she’ll tell me the truth. That I should cancel tonight and stay as far away from Landy as possible.

I reach for a strand of my long hair, winding a platinum lock around my fingers as I always do when I’m anxious. Why am I acting like an episode from
Veronica Mars?
Keeping Landy a secret? That’s stupid.

I need to tell Aubrey. That’s the
adult
thing to do. I’ll tell her I’m going to hang out with Landy, and while I know she has concerns, I know what I’m doing.

Landy’s only into hook ups.

And trivia matches.

So why does my heart sting a little bit at the fact that he sees me as a person to play Trivial Pursuit with and nothing more?

I blink. Did I think that? No, my heart wants no involvement like that. None. Zip. Nada.

And to prove it, and what a mature woman I am, I pick up my phone and text Aubrey:

You aren’t going to believe this. Landy volunteers at the same school that I do. He was here today. We’ve also been playing each other in
TriviaPlayOrPass!
and didn’t know it. Weird, right? Anyway, going over to his house tonight for sushi and a game of Trivial Pursuit. Send me winning vibes.

Then I hit ‘send.’

Okay. Mature, adult conversation with my equally adult best friend.

And within two seconds, my ringtone is blaring. I wince, seeing that it’s Aubrey, and man up to take the call.

“Hello?” I say, flopping backward onto my bed.

“Livy! Are you
serious?
” Aubrey cries. “You’re 100 percent not kidding about the text you sent me?”

I decide to cut her off before she starts lecturing me about what an idiot I am.

“Listen, I know he’s Landy Holder, the sexiest guy on the Chicago Buffaloes—”

“Second,” Aubrey interjects. “He’s the
second
sexiest player after my boyfriend.”

I smile. While I think Beckett Riley is gorgeous, he’s not as hot as Landy. No, Landy has the whole dangerous sexy vibe going on with his longish dark hair and piercing blue eyes and tattoo sleeves—

Whatever. Not that it matters, right?

“Anyway,” I continue, “I’m not kidding. I’ve been playing Landy for weeks on
TriviaPlayOrPass!
and had no clue. Then I show up for my art class, and he comes in and all the kids know him. Apparently he volunteers at the same school.”

“That is
insane,
” Aubrey declares. “What are the odds of this? Like .0001?”

“I know,” I admit. “Crazy odds.”

Or fate?

I clear my throat, dismissing that thought that my romantic heart has interjected into the conversation.

“But we’re both trivia fans, and he’s invited me over for dinner and Trivial Pursuit tonight,” I say. “And I know you’re going to go mental on me and send me warning emojis and tell me I’m heading down a dangerous path with no good outcome. But this is simply for trivia. Landy won’t make a move on me, Aubrey. I made it clear I’m not a hook up kind of girl. This is only a game of Trivial Pursuit.”

I pause, waiting for Aubrey to go off on the dangers of Landy Holder, that this is his excuse to get me to his place. That I’ll be unable to resist his charms and end up sleeping with him. And by the next morning I’ll be picking up my broken heart along with my bra off his bedroom floor.

“Sounds like a lot of fun,” Aubrey says. “Who knew Landy would be a trivia geek? And he’s a sushi connoisseur, so your dinner will be fantastic tonight.”

What?
I’m so stunned by her response I can’t even formulate a reply.

“Wait a second,” I say slowly, “why aren’t you telling me to stay away from Landy? Shouldn’t you be telling me to stay home? Or wear a strand of garlic around my neck to ward him off?”

“Um, unless Landy is a vampire, which would be interesting to say the least, garlic will do no good,” Aubrey teases. “It will only make you stink and negate your perfume.”

“Aubrey, are you okay?” I ask.

“I’m fantastic,” she says. “I’m trying to figure out how my furniture will fit in the new house.”

While I’m super excited that she and Beckett are buying this awesome house in Wisconsin to spend their summers at, I need to understand the sudden change of heart over Landy rather than discuss where to hang her art.

“Why are you not yelling at me?” I blurt out.

Aubrey is silent for a moment. “Maybe I was wrong about Landy,” she admits slowly.

“
What?
” I gasp, sitting straight up in shock.

“Livy, I’m not saying Landy isn’t a flirt. I’m not saying he’s stopped hooking up,” Aubrey explains. “But I do think I misjudged him. There’s more to him than meets the eye. I’ve discovered that recently. And there’s a good man underneath the playboy exterior, I
know
there is.”

Aubrey is thinking the same thing I was earlier today,
I realize. The playboy who goes out to bars and clubs also has a side that likes to play trivia. Who flies under the radar to spend time with children.

And that man is the one who agreed to all my non-negotiable terms to have dinner with me tonight.

“Listen, I’m not saying don’t be careful,” Aubrey says, interrupting my thoughts. “I mean, it’s not good for any woman to think she can change a guy. Because that rarely happens.”

My chest grows tight again. “Right.”

“However, I honestly believe Landy hasn’t met the woman that he wants to be serious about. So I guess in my rambling way I’m saying be cautious, but open-minded, too.”

“I never expected you to say this,” I admit.

“Ha, I never expected to say it either. So, Livy, enough of dissecting Landy’s hidden side,” Aubrey says. “Let’s get down to business. What are you wearing tonight?”

I ease my SUV into a visitor spot in Landy’s parking garage, my nerves taking over.

I’m about to spend time with Landy Holder.

I draw a breath of air, trying to calm myself. I went over everything with Aubrey about this evening before getting ready, so I shouldn’t be so anxious.

Aubrey helped me pick the perfect outfit for a night in—a shiny, black silk pullover top with a pink and orange floral print on it, paired with my Paige Verdugo skinnies and black flats. I’m also wearing my favorite bracelet that I’ve ever designed—a silver charm bracelet, filled with fortune cookie charms. For each cookie I’ve made the next charm a fortune that I’ve received. Only the romantic ones, the ones I hold close to my heart.

My thoughts shift to this for a moment. This bracelet is part of my design vision—the line I hope to make profitable someday. It’s called “Simple Pleasures by Livy” and the pieces represent the little things in life that make me happy. Like romantic fortunes found tucked inside the famous Chinese cookies.

I absently run my fingers over the fortune, on which I stamped this saying I found inside one of my cookies:
Love is seeing the inside.

I love this line so much. Because I think it’s true. When you find that one, you see things in that person no one else can see. I opened this one after eating with Aubrey at our favorite Chinese place near UW. About a month after I broke up with Troy. As soon as I read it, I knew I didn’t see the true inside in him.

I vowed I wouldn’t settle until I could see the true inside in someone else.

Could this person be Landy?

Buzz!

I blink as my cell buzzes and jars me from my thoughts. No, no, not going there. Trivia. Trivia and Sushi. End of story.

I fish my cell out of my purse and see it’s Aubrey. I’m curious as to what she wants. I already talked to her about the outfit, the evening, the odds of it being romantic, which we both decided could easily go either way, and that I would provide a full report to her tomorrow.

So what is she texting me about? I open her message.

HAVE YOU SEEN LANDY’S INSTAGRAM? OMG OMG OMG!

My heart leaps wildly inside my chest. I don’t know if OMG is a good “oh my God” or a horrified “oh my God.”

I nervously access my Instagram icon on my phone. I type in Landy’s name—Landon94—and my eyes widen at the picture that pops up.

It’s a huge assortment of gorgeous sashimi and sushi arranged on a wooden tray. Chopsticks and two bottles of Japanese beer are placed beside it. Then Landy propped up the Trivial Pursuit box in the background and wrote this message:

Landon94 Sushi and Trivial Pursuit perfect night in #datenight #willshelikeit?

My heart explodes inside my chest as I read his comment. My stomach is tingling. And I don’t even have to glance in the mirror to know a ridiculous smile is plastered on my face.

#datenight

Landon called it a DATE NIGHT.

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I quickly pull the visor down and check my reflection in the mirror. Ridiculous, I’m seeing my crush smile? Check. Glowing skin? Compliments of Landy’s Instagram comments. Sparkling eyes? Excited anticipation.

I put the visor back up and draw an eager breath. I know I need to be cautious, but for the first time in forever, I feel
potential.
Potential to see who Landy is outside of his flirty, player persona. If he will keep his word and be the gentleman he promised. If getting to know me is as much on his agenda as getting to know him is on mine.

But before I head up to his condo in the Jourdin Chicago hotel, I need to leave a comment for him on his Instagram pic.

I’m about to type when I see another comment, and it’s from Beckett.

17BeckettRiley #datenight? Who are you and what have you done with @Landy94?

I grin happily from that comment. I know Aubrey manages his social media for him, but she wouldn’t write that. And she would tell me if she did.

I type in my own comment.

JewlerybyLivy I think she’ll love it.

Then I drop my phone into my bag and get out of my car. I head into the posh art deco hotel, which has a separate entrance for the high-rise condos. I step up to the guest desk. I’m confirmed on Landy’s guest list and am allowed on to the private elevator to the 20
th
floor.

Nerves swirl within me as the elevator begins to climb. I hope Landy meant what he said about tonight. That we’re getting to know each other with dinner and trivia. That he’ll be serious at some point and share some things with me, things he wouldn’t share with the endless amount of women he’s snapped with at Chicago clubs and bars.

I swallow hard.
I want to be different from them. I want to be the one he shares things with, the one he can trust.

The elevator chimes on the 20
th
floor, snapping me from my dangerous thoughts.

I have a sudden flashback to Troy, remembering how I stupidly thought I could change him and be that woman. How I vowed I would never be put in this position again.

I hit the ‘Door Open’ button on the elevator, frozen in fear. Am I doing this all over again? But this time, the stakes are higher with a professional hockey player that I already feel I have more in common with than I ever did with Troy.

Panic grips me. Am I being swept up in romantic notions that Landy can’t possibly fulfill? I’m a hopeless romantic, lover of romance novels, believer in happy endings. Am I stupidly projecting all of this on to Landy because I’m attracted to him? Because he’s smart and funny and spends free time playing with kids?

Leave,
my head screams at me.
Call Landy. Tell him you’re not ready for this and you’ve changed your mind.

I can do the smart thing and protect myself before I get even more swept up in Landon than I already have.

The smart thing, which I never did with Troy.

Buzz!

My phone goes off inside my purse. Deciding I shouldn’t hold up the elevator anymore, I step outside while I make my decision. The doors close and it descends back down. I ignore the crushing feeling in my chest and retrieve my phone.

It’s a text from Landy.

Glad you love the date night plan. Look at what I got for dessert.

I see he’s attached to his text a picture of a box of raspberry Zingers.