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of a smile reach her lips, and I decided that I loved it when her face reflected a touch of shyness.
    “Should we put a little wager on it?” I asked. “What do you want if you win?”
    Ava thought a moment before she answered, “If I win, you have to cook breakfast the rest of the week and clean up the dishes.”
    “Deal . And if I win….” I intentionally paused, wanting her to feel the anticipation of my answer. “You have to go swimming with me.”
    An immediate look of panic assaulted her normally calm features . She shook her head. “No. I already told you that I wouldn’t swim with you.”
    It hadn’t occurred to me before, but I wondered if perhaps she didn’t know how. Was that the reason for her discomfort every time I mentioned swimming? “You know, I could teach you how to swim.”
    “ I know how to swim,” she said sharply. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just that….”
    “It’s okay,” I assured her, aware that something else was going on here. Why was she so terrified of swimming?  “I can pick something else. When you were a kid, did you ever play spin the bottle?”
    “A few times ,” she admitted.
    “Then, how about if I win, you agree to kiss me?” I wasn’t sure why I suggested that. Despite the fact that Kelsey, London, and Brandy had all conspired to play matchmakers, I hadn’t planned to play along. But Ava was sweet and pretty, and a kiss seemed like a pretty good idea. Shit. Now, I felt like I should follow that up with some kind of explanation. “That way, we can tell our meddling, little sisters that we did share a kiss. Then maybe they won’t feel like total failures.”
    That shy, subtle smile tilted the corners of her mouth. “Okay,” she agreed, and I had to admit that part of me was relieved that she hadn’t found that just as repulsive as swimming with me. “Of course, that might encourage them to try their hands at matchmaking even more.”
    “Good point. If I win, maybe we’ll keep it to ourselves. There’s nothing worse than having a little sister who won’t mind her own business.”
    She chuckled . “Touche.”
    I was competitive by nature, but I had just decided that I really wanted to win.
    While Ava readied the game, I thought about the limited knowledge that she would have regarding me, so that I could already decide what words or phrases she might choose. I easily won the first point when I guessed her phrase, Kelsey’s brother.
    As easy as that was, I refused to make her puzzle one that she would immediately guess . So after hanging her stick figure, she demanded to know the answer.
    “ Milky fair doesn’t make sense,” she said, trying to fill in the remaining blanks.
    “That’s why it’s not the answer.” I shot her a grin.
    “Then what is the answer?”
    “ Silky hair ,” I said.
    “Oh,” she said, running her fingers through her hair as if she were subconsciously double-checking my answer . “It’s strange when you get something in your mind and then you just can’t see anything else.”
    I handed her the paper and pen . “Your turn.”
    She shifted on the couch, looking at the ceiling as if she were deep in thought before she readied her puzzle.
    My stick figure got close to hanging, although I was finally able to guess correctly, list-maker.
    “I prefer to use the term …goal-oriented,” I said.
    “You’ re a list-maker,” she said with a grin, handing the notebook and pen to me.
    “Yeah, and you’re two in the hole,” I reminded her.
    She managed to guess the next two puzzles, which were considerate and freckles, and I remained undefeated by guessing the obvious choices of drives a Camaro and electrical engineer.
    I stumped her on the last puzzle.
    “ Dainty ears ?” she asked. “Who says that?”
    “I noticed them yesterday when you pulled your hair into a ponytail . You have the most perfectly-shaped, dainty ears. Believe me, I’ve seen girls that I couldn’t say that about. You should