The Two-Night One-Night Stand by Ryan Ringbloom Page B

scrunching them back down while she watches.
    “Go ahead.”
    “What is… calcium?” she says. Wrong. The answer is copper. The contestant also guesses calcium and gets it wrong. She looks at me and rolls her eyes, waiting for my answer.
    “What is copper?” Alex Trebek and I both say at the same time.
    “Did you watch this one already?” Her eyes narrow, her lips twisting into a suspicious grin.
    “This one is new. I swear.” I place a hand on my heart and raise the other one up in oath.
    We woke up to at least a foot of snow keeping us trapped inside. The world outside my window is a giant blanket of white. So far this morning, we’ve cooked breakfast together, played rummy, watched three episodes of Jeopardy! , and did this thing on her phone where we swapped faces. The forecast still calls for four to six more inches. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for even more.
    Holly presses the buttons on my remote, bringing up my recorded shows on the screen. “I love that your entire DVR is filled with episodes of Jeopardy! and a documentary on the Ming Dynasty. Gee, nerd much?”
    “Holly.” She turns her head to face me. “I nerd all the time,” I deadpan.
    A bright burst of laughter fills my apartment. Holly laughs often and I love it. She’s positive, silly, and fun to be around. Her happiness is infectious, and I know, because I’ve caught it. A smile of my own stretches clear across my face.
    “If I checked your DVR, what would I find? Or are you a Hulu person?” I prop my hands behind my head and rest my feet up on the coffee table.
    “Netflix. But I also have a DVR filled with shows. And I bet you couldn’t name one of my shows.”
    “ Cake Wars .” I take a stab in the dark.
    “Wow. You really do know everything.” She throws her hands up in defeat. “What made you say that show?”
    “Lucky guess, that’s all. The girl who did my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding cake was just on it a few weeks ago and my family can’t stop yapping about it.”
    “Shut up. Which one? What was the theme? I probably saw it.”
    “It was a summer camp theme and a piece of a log cabin broke off the top of her cake when they were moving it.”
    “Oh my God, yes, I saw it. And she would have totally won if that hadn’t happened. But she was a good sport about it.”
    “She was. I think Ashley took it worse.”
    “Ashley? Is that your sister-in-law?”
    “Yes, she’s married to my brother Patrick.” My old coffee pot loudly gurgles out the last few drips, ending with a final sputter. Columbian Dark Roast permeates throughout my apartment, luring me into the kitchen with Holly in tow. “They have six kids, all girls.”
    “You have six nieces?”
    “Seven. My brother Kent and his wife, Robin, have a little girl too.”
    I fill two mugs and hand one over. Holly wraps both hands around the ceramic mug pulling it up to her nose for a big sniff. “That explains it.”
    “Hmm?” I bring my mug to my lips and sip.
    “The Shopkin thing.”
    “Oh, yeah, Shopkins. My nieces are into them. I just couldn’t….” I take a gulp from my mug. Hot coffee scalds my throat.
    “You just couldn’t mention your nieces because you didn’t know if my real date had nieces or not,” she finishes for me, and I nod. That night will haunt me forever. She places her mug on the counter and rests her hand on her hip. “Matthew, you can stop chugging hot coffee. It’s over, we’re moving on.” She steps up on her toes to fix a piece of my hair, and I catch the faint scent of my shampoo in her hair.
    “I regret that night.” My throat is raw and my words come out ragged. She raises a brow. “No, I don’t regret that part of the night, just the other part,” I choke out. I need to start thinking before I speak. The more I’m around her, the worse I’m getting. It’s because I like her. I like her a lot. And liking her is turning me into an imbecile.
    The sound of a plow scraping down my street brings our