The Best of Us (Love in Isolation 2)

Kendall continues to read and gasps. "Oh my gosh, did you know all property must sell when you land on it?"

"Yep. If you don't want to buy something, it goes to auction, so your opponent, which is me, can buy it for ten dollars."

Her eyes go wide. "And if you land on Free Parking, you don't get all the money in the middle. Uhh, this really does suck."

"So house rules or real ones?"

She shakes the instructions. "You're telling me every single person who's played this game has been doing it wrong?"

A chuckle escapes me. "Yep."

"House rules then because this"—she points at the booklet—"sounds boring as hell."

“Fine by me.” I wink.

Kendall counts out fifteen hundred dollars for each of us, then we discuss how we'll play.

“Okay, we’re all set up!” she exclaims, and I love how happy she looks. It’s been ages since I’ve played, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited.

"This game could last for hours. One time, Cami and I played a game for all through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I felt like I worked a job all day after paying bills, buying properties, and collecting rent."

She snorts. "Damn. I usually give up after a few hours. Which piece do you want?"

I meet her lips, then her eyes. "Top hat."

"Good, because I love being the car." She hands me the dice. "You can go first."

We take turns rolling, and it doesn't take long before we're collecting our two-hundred dollars after passing go. I quickly realize Kendall’s a savage when it comes to board games, and I may have finally met my competitive match.

She lands on Park Place and immediately buys it, regardless of how expensive it is. "Now I just need Boardwalk, and you're done," she says as I buy my second railroad.

"Okay, Miss Thing. I wouldn't get too cocky."

She playfully rolls her eyes, then drops the dice. We go back and forth for nearly two hours, buying properties and drawing chance cards. Not too long after, Kendall gets sent to jail for the second time, and I'm trading in my houses for hotels. The whole right-hand side of the board is mine, so there's no way she'll pass my properties without paying taxes. As soon as she does, I hold out my hand for her to pay up.

"You're gonna make me go broke!" she says, slamming the colorful bills in my hand. On my next turn, I land on Boardwalk.

"Don't you dare buy it!" she warns.

I slowly count out four hundred dollars for the bank and give it to her. She groans when she hands over my card.

"Thank you very, very much." I kiss it and set it down next to my others.

"That was supposed to be mine." She scowls before shaking the dice.

"I'll sell it to you," I offer, then look down at her sad little money pile. She has around three hundred dollars left, and if she lands on just one of my railroads, she's done for.

"Sell it? You see how much I have!"

"I'll take it all plus the Electric company and St. James Place, Tennessee, and New York Avenue."

She narrows her eyes at me. "That's not a fair trade."

"Alrighty then. Never mind." I take my turn and draw a Get Out of Jail Free Card. "Hell yes!" I flip it around and show her.

"I'm pretty sure I don't like playing with you," she sneers, then lands on Vermont Avenue.

I burst out into laughter because it's got a hotel. "That'll be five hundred and fifty bucks, please."

She scrunches her nose. "I only have three hundred and twenty-five left."

I tap my finger against my lips. "I guess you'll have to sell some property or..." I linger for a second. "I can think of another way you could earn some money."

She tilts her head. "What do you have in mind?"

Lifting an eyebrow, I smirk. "Three hundred dollars for each piece of clothing."

Kendall's mouth falls open, then she gives me a devious grin. "How about five hundred?"

"Of course you'd negotiate," I say with a chuckle.

"Well?" She teases me by lifting the hem of her shirt, barely showing some skin.

I hurry and hold out my hand. "Deal."

Kendall stands up and removes her shirt, then tosses it toward me while biting her bottom lip. Then she sits and takes money from the bank, then pays me rent.

There're thousands of dollars stacked up in the middle, and when I throw the dice, I land on Free Parking and collect my winnings.

"Oh my fucking God," she says with a groan. "Meanwhile, I'm over here being a prostitute for Monopoly money, and you're getting rich by doing nothing."

I snort at how dramatic she sounds, but it’s hilarious. "Exactly. The original point of the game was to prove a single entity can dominate the market. It's proof of how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer."