Trivial Pursuits (Chicago On Ice Book 2)

by Aven Ellis

  I know he’s someone I should stay away from. My heart has already been leveled by one athlete in my life, but I find myself more attracted to him than I was before.

  However Landy would never see me in that light.

  So I should be grateful for this.

  Right?

  So if it’s good Landy would never see me as a romantic interest, and I know he would be toxic for me anyway, why does my chest draw tight when that reality hits me?

  I move on, with Landy dominating my thoughts the entire time. Before I know it, the art hour is up. Children put their pictures on a table to dry, and loads of them hug me goodbye before they head to the gym for playtime. My heart fills with joy from each hug. It’s truly amazing how open and welcoming children can be.

  “Landy, are you coming to the gym?” a boy yells.

  “No, not today,” Landy says, catching my eye from across the room. “I’m going to help Ms. Livy clean up, and then I’ve got to go.”

  Landy says goodbye to all the kids, and while he’s doing that, Sarah and Valerie line them up so they can go to the gym.

  Darcy comes over and hands me what’s left of my yarn. “Livy, we’re so glad you’ve joined us. It’s nice to have a real artist teach them things.”

  I smile at her. “I truly enjoyed it. I have so much I want to share with them, and I’m so happy to be a part of this.”

  Darcy grins at me. “So they haven’t scared you off? You’ll be back next week?”

  I laugh. “I’ll absolutely be back next week.”

  “Great. Now if you’ll excuse me, we’re going to run some energy off.”

  “Thank you, Darcy. Have a good week,” I say.

  “You, too.”

  Then Darcy heads back to the children, and they all exit the cafeteria.

  Leaving me alone with Landy.

  My nerves jump the second my eyes lock with his. Landy makes his way toward me, and my pulse accelerates as he does.

  He stops next to me, and I can’t help but notice how he towers over me.

  Landy takes a moment and rakes a hand through his jet-black hair, shifting the silky locks out of place, his tattoo once again peeking out from underneath the edge of his jersey.

  And heat flashes through me the second I see it.

  “I can’t believe you’re DesignerA,” he says softly. “I can’t get my head around it.”

  “I can’t either,” I admit.

  “How did this happen?” Landy asks, his voice incredulous.

  “I have no idea,” I admit. “I never dreamed you’d be on TriviaPlayOrPass!”

  “I’m a freaking addict,” Landy confesses.

  “Me, too. I play all the time.”

  “Oh, I know,” Landy says, flashing me a wicked grin.

  My nerves jump with his smile, and I will them to stop.

  But as I gaze up at him, the effort is futile.

  “You know what’s even weirder? The app is the one who matched us as players,” I say, remembering how the TriviaPlayOrPass! app suggested I would match with Scott921. “Insane.”

  “Maybe,” Landy says slowly.

  “Maybe?” I ask, laughing. “It’s completely insane. I know you. You know me. Yet an app matches us to play each other in trivia out of all the thousands of users registered? That is epic crazy.”

  “What if it’s something more?” Landy suggests, gazing at me through his fringe of dark, long eyelashes.

  “Trouble.” “Trouble.” “Trouble.” Alarm bells are going off all over the place in my head as that song now becomes the soundtrack in my brain.

  And despite my internal warning system going off at DEFCON 5, I plunge ahead anyway.

  “Like what?” I ask, daring to ask.

  “Fate,” Landy says simply.

  “Fate?” I repeat.

  “Maybe we were meant to meet again this way,” he says softly.

  Ohhhhhhh I moved up to DEFCON 4.

  I shift my attention to packing up my supplies. “Why are you Scott921?”

  Landy reaches for the package of chalks that are on the table and holds them out to me.

  “Thank you,” I say, taking them from him.

  “You’re welcome,” he says. “I hate having people know I’m Landon Holder. I was stupid enough to go on as myself at first, and I was bombarded with play requests. Mostly girls. Then they’d always want to chat, and I didn’t want that. I just wanted to play trivia. So I’d have to block people who kept trying to engage me in talk and then they would get pissed and say what a rude asshole I was on social media.”

  “That’s not fair,” I say, hating that women did this to him.

  “It’s not, but what are you going to do?” Landy says. “So I deleted that account and used one combining my middle name and birthday. September twenty-first. Then I took the app ‘trivia player matcher’ and got you.”

  “Wait, I was your first match?” I ask.

  “Believe it or not, yes.”

  I’ve finished packing up my things, but I still want to talk to Landy. His eyes shift down toward my bag and then back to me.

  “Come on, I’ll walk out with you,” he says. “I’ll carry your bag.”

  We both bundle back up in our winter wear, and I put my hat back over my hair, which is no longer static charged, thankfully, and tug on my gloves.

  Landy picks up my bag filled with art supplies, and we exit through the back of the cafeteria.

  The parking lot is empty by this point, as buses and parents picking up kids departed long ago, and I lead Landy over to my SUV. I unlock the trunk, and he sets my bag down inside.

  The snow is coming down in huge, puffy flakes from the gray sky. I can see my breath in the frozen air, and I watch as Landy’s dark locks are dusted with snow.

  “I believe we have a trivia match tonight,” Landy says slowly.

  My heart flutters against my ribs. “We do.”

  “Are you still game, knowing it’s me you’re playing?”

  “Of course,” I say, laughing. “You’re still Scott921 to me.”

  I see something shift in Landy’s eyes. As if that comment means something to him.

  Or is that my over-romantic heart scripting his reaction the way I want to see it?

  Wait. I don’t want anything romantic to happen.

  He’s Landy Holder.

  I’m Livy Adams.

  We don’t exist outside of a trivia app.

  Do we?

  No.

  I don’t care.

  I can’t care.

  Landy clears his throat. “Livy?”

  I hit the pause button on my idiotic inner dialogue.

  “Yeah?”

  “I know a great sushi place for takeout,” he says. “And I have Trivial Pursuit at home.”

  My heart is beating out of my chest, and my breath catches in my throat as I take in his words.

  “So would you care for a face-to-face match instead?” Landy asks softly. “Would you come over tonight, Livy?”

  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?” Aubre
y 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.”