"He has a walking encyclopedia for a brain," Chloe muttered, tossing her remaining letter tiles onto the Scrabble board with a dramatic sigh. "I am officially declaring this game finished before he drops a hundred-point word from ancient Latin."
She picked up her bowl of grapes, stood up from her velvet cushion, and pointed an accusing finger at Grayson. "I'm going to sleep. Don't wake me up early. And if you two plan on being nauseatingly romantic all night, please keep the whispering down."
"Goodnight, Chloe," Mailah called out, laughing as her cousin walked out of the living room, her slippers dragging softly down the hardwood floor until her bedroom door clicked shut upstairs.
The grand living room fell into a quiet, cozy silence. Outside, the autumn rain tapped steadily against the tall glass windows, while the stone fireplace crackled, throwing warm orange light across the velvet rugs.
