My father wins that hand, but as the game progresses, they keep flipping cards faster and Ben gains some ground. Then they both hit the same card at the same time.
"You know what this means," Dad says, doing that squinty thing again. "It's war."
"I thought we were already playing war," Ben says. "Did I miss something?"
"Here's how it works. If we both flip the same card at the same time, it's war. Now we both lay down two extra cards, one face up and one face down. Whoever has the highest card takes all six."
"What do you mean all six?"
"All the cards we set down in war. That means the original two and the four new ones. Six total."
"Oh, I get it. Let's go to war, then."
They do just that, and Ben wins the hand. They keep playing at lightning speed, pausing only when they hit war, which happens twice more. By the end of the game, only one player has all fifty-two cards.
Ben throws his hands up and grins. "I won the war!"
Dad grins too. "Sure did. You flip cards almost as fast as I do. Nice job, kid."
"Thank you, Chuck. I haven't had this much fun playing a game in a long time."
"Didn't your family ever play games?"
"We did, when I was a boy. But our lifestyle and responsibilities kept us from playing as much as we would've liked."
"Right. Being royalty probably gets a little stifling sometimes, hey?"
Ben hunches his shoulders and gazes down at the tabletop. "I would never claim my life is harder than anyone else's. I've had all the advantages—money, connections, privilege. But sometimes I do wish I were just an average bloke."
I lay a hand on his arm. "Youarea normal guy, Ben. Your title and money don't change that."
"Thank you, Sam. But I know my status makes a lot of people uncomfortable, which is why I don't tell everyone who I am."
My dad leans back in his chair, eying Ben with a curious expression. "Hope you won't take this the wrong way, but if you're rich, why do you work at a day spa? I mean, why do you take money for working there?"
"I might be technically wealthy, but I don't currently have access to my trust fund. My mother cut me off when I announced I wanted to stay in England and become a massage therapist."
"She cut you off?" I say, my fingers tightening a smidgen on his arm. "That's awful."
"Mum isn't a horrible person. She was trying to convince me to do my duty. I think she honestly believed that cutting me off would encourage me to go home and get married." He lifts his head and gives me a rueful little smile. "Instead, it helped me realize that life is more than being the figurehead of a tiny principality no one has ever heard of. I love the life I've made for myself, and I don't want to go back to the 'find a princess' rubbish."
Dad scrutinizes Ben. "Don't you want to rule Mith-whatsit?"
"No, I don't. Mithoria is a nice enough place, but I'd much rather be in Cockshire." He glances at me and smiles. "Or in North Slipperton."
I feel warm all over when he looks at me that way, like he wants to spend forever right here with me in this cabin. Maybe I'm starting to wish for that too. It's crazy since we just met, but we'll have almost two full weeks to figure out how we feel about each other.
Dad sits up straight and shuffles the deck of cards. "What say we watch the ladies duke it out in war?"
"Absolutely," Ben says with a grin. "Let's see if they can flip cards as fast as we do."
Mom and I play our round of war, and she wins. I don't care, though. I'm not a super competitive person, and besides, this is just for fun. Mom and Dad play each other next. She out-flips him time and again, but he doesn't care. They razz each other and pretend to cheat, just so they can pretend to be offended. Yeah, my family is kind of weird, but I love them.
When Ben and I face off in war, I win. Ben asks me what I want as my prize, and I lean in to whisper in his ear so no one else will hear what I say. "Some playtime in the hot tub, just the two of us. No interruptions."
He smirks.
Not sure if we can find that uninterrupted alone time, what with my parents on the premises. We can try, though. And if all else fails, Ben can sneak into my bedroom late at night for under-the-sheets playtime. Even while I plan what fun things we can all do together for the holidays, I keep wondering about that one thing.