Make Your Move

by Laura Heffernan

  “What’s the saying? ‘Bros before hos’?” He winced. “What a horrible expression. Let’s just say, I remember that you were there for me when I needed a place to live.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No, thank you. Really. What’s the problem?”

  “Oh, right,” I said. “They’re doing a contest to welcome everyone from my company to BGG. I have to present a team-building activity or exercise that will make strangers comfortable working together.”

  He shuddered, which made me laugh. “Oh, no. Can’t you just suggest a retreat or something and go about your regular life? You don’t have to participate, do you?”

  “I wish. Whoever makes the best suggestion wins a free trip to BoardGameNerd Con.” I sighed. “I’ve been wanting to go for years.”

  “How much would it cost to register and go on your own?” he asked.

  “Registration is closed.”

  “Okay, but for the sake of argument. What would it cost you to go next year?”

  I gave him the number.

  “Wow.” He let out a low whistle. The value of the prize far exceeded the sticker price to me, but since I couldn’t afford to pay, it didn’t matter. “Okay, you’re team building, then?”

  “Yup.” I turned my screen so he could scan the email we’d gotten a few minutes after the meeting.

  “Any ideas?”

  “Not yet. I haven’t met any of the new people coming in, but I’m not about to do trust falls with Dennis the Dick.”

  “Fair enough,” Tyler said. “What about creating an escape room?”

  “That’s the example they gave,” I said. “Unfortunately, there’s not enough time. The presentations are due Monday morning.”

  He rubbed his chin. “What about a board game that encourages working together? Something like Pandemic or even The Haunted Place?”

  That would be amazing. Entering a work team-building competition with a board game I had created from scratch. Part of me didn’t want the guys at work to know what I’d been making in my spare time (although they were certainly welcome to buy if they found it on their own). But I loved the idea of using a game as a team-building exercise. Considering we made games for a living, I suspected the big bosses would be equally impressed.

  “A cooperative board game would be awesome,” I said. “I could submit The Haunted Place, but there’s always the chance one person will take over and call all the shots. Then it becomes more frustrating than team-building. We need a game where that’s less likely. Also, Haunted Place takes like a week to play from start to finish.”

  “Aren’t you working on a cooperative game now?”

  I shook my head. “Sort of. It’s social deduction, so a little different. And it’s nowhere near ready.” I didn’t mention that it was exactly as unready as it had been when Gwen first asked me about it, more than a month ago. He knew I was struggling, but not the extent of it. Work stress plus writer’s block left me frustrated and annoyed any time I sat down at the computer to work on it.

  He pulled out his phone and tapped at the screen for a few minutes. “Have you ever played Construct Me?”

  It had been a long time, but I vaguely recalled the game he mentioned. Players worked in teams of two to build objects using different-sized blocks. The catch was, only one player could see what the finished object was supposed to look like and only the other was allowed to touch the pieces. The players had to work together to get the right construction.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “It’s one of the games being featured at the conference. They must be doing a rerelease or expansion or something. Anyway, it’s also the type of game that requires teamwork.”

  I thought for a minute. “You think I could use that for the contest? I thought it was out of print.”

  “It is, but Gwen has a copy. It wouldn’t be a great option if your company couldn’t buy it, but according to this, it’s going to be re-released soon.”

  “Plus, I’ll get bonus points for having a hot new game before it’s widely available. Even if she got it years ago.”

  “It’s perfect,” Tyler said. “By the way, never play that game against Holly and Nathan.”

  “Why? Gwen’s the one most likely to throw pieces.” Our friend was well known for her hot temper and competitive streak. She once sabotaged Cody in a game so badly, Holly still couldn’t believe he’d gone out with her after.

  He chuckled. “It’s not that. Nathan and Holly are scarily good at it. They named all the pieces, so when they’re up, it’s like ‘Lay Jim in the middle of Stanley. Put Dwight next to them, standing up.’ They can finish the entire construction while their opponent places one piece. Plus, anyone who can hear what they’re saying gets so confused, it’s an added bonus.”

  “Who are those people?”

  “Characters from The Office.” Of course. Their favorite show, which in a weird way helped bring them together.

  “That’s brilliant!”

  “As long as you and your partner watch the same stuff, it works.”

  “I’m working with Ryan,” I said. “I think he only watches documentaries, but I can ask. I promised to text him to discuss ideas later, anyway.”

  “Excellent. Invite him over.”

  “Now?”

  “Sure, why not? We’ll order Chinese. Gwen and Cody can bring the game.”

  “I’ll text Ryan. Get some extra crab rangoon.”

  “I’m hurt that you even felt the need to say that.” He was already dialing, moving the phone to his ear as he spoke. “Awesome. You’ve got this. The guys at work won’t know what hit ’em.”

  And when I won the team-building competition at work, that promotion was all sewn up. Take that, Dennis.

  About an hour later, our friends arrived to play Construct Me. Despite our joking, we invited Holly and Nathan. If they really had devised an unbeatable strategy for this game, I wanted to see it in action even when that meant I’d lose. You couldn’t win every game, despite what Gwen and Cody hoped. Sometimes I marveled that they’d never held a competition to determine which of them was more competitive. But every pot has a lid, and they fit well together.

  Tyler set up the game while I got drinks for everyone. Wine for Gwen and Nathan, beer for Cody and Ryan, whiskey for me and Tyler, sparkling water for Holly. Chinese food containers marched down the counter, ready for the taking.

  It didn’t take long until we were ready to begin. The game had a straightforward mechanic. The players formed teams of two people each. Since there were seven of us, we’d take turns. One person on each team was called the “constructor,” the other the “instructor.” Each instructor took a card with a picture on it. They needed to walk the constructor through creating the image using the different size and shaped blocks in front of them. The cards ranged from easy to extremely difficult. After flipping through the easy stack, Tyler and I decided to skip the introductory level.

  “Do you want medium or hard?” I asked Gwen.

  “What kind of question is that?” She took the stack of difficult cards and handed one each to me and Nathan. “Get ready. You’ve got one minute once the timer is flipped.”

  Cody said, “On your mark…get set… go!”

  At the signal, I turned to Ryan and began speaking as quickly as I could. “Okay, take the long skinny piece and place it flat. No, not that one. The oval-y one. The bigger oval-y one. Then take the smaller square piece and set it on the left end. Right, now, take the… what is that?”

  “Done!” Nathan said behind me. He turned the card he was holding around to show that it perfectly matched the stack in front of Holly.

  My jaw dropped. The card showed seven different pieces arranged on top of each other. Nathan and Holly managed to complete their structure before I’d directed Ryan through successfully placing two of the blocks.

 
“That’s not possible,” Ryan said. “I still haven’t figured out what the second piece is.”

  “Told you so,” Tyler said.

  “How did you guys do that?” I asked.

  “Watch,” Holly said. “Lay Dwight flat. Put Pam on his left. Set Angela on the other end. Lay Jim across the top…”

  I shook my head in admiration. Even after hearing Tyler describe it, I hadn’t quite believed they were so efficient. This strategy was genius. “So that’s it? Name the pieces?”

  “Not exactly,” Nathan said. “You have to remember which piece goes with which name. Like, the long, flat skinny piece is Jim because he’s tall and thin. The shorter skinny piece is Angela. The big oval is Dwight. It all makes sense to us.”

  “And yet, to the rest of the world…” I couldn’t possibly use this strategy without spending way too much time watching television.

  “You don’t have to use a TV show,” Cody said. “Use anything. Call them Washington and Lincoln and Kennedy if you want. The point is, you and your partner work out a system in advance. Then you can find the pieces faster and build the structure while your opponents are left standing around scratching their heads.”

  “Exactly,” Holly said.

  A smile split my face in two. It might take a little practice, but Ryan and I could do this. “I need to watch. Gwen and Cody, take over for us.”

  My friends moved to my spot at the table. Ryan and I leaned against the wall where we could see both teams. Cody and Holly each picked up a card while Nathan and Gwen stacked their pieces. Tyler remained in the middle to act as judge.

  “I’m glad we’re past the time when I felt like I had to let you win,” Nathan said.

  Gwen made a face at her dad. “When was that? When I was five?”

  “Three.”

  “Does that mean it’s your fault she’s so competitive?” Cody asked with a grin at his wife.

  She blew him a kiss. “You love it.”

  “Do you guys need a handicap?” Holly asked. “Ten-second head start?”

  “Man, pregnancy makes you salty,” Gwen said. “We’re okay. Let’s just hope the pain of your loss doesn’t send you into early labor.”

  Holly snorted in response.

  Nathan shot Gwen a look. “More likely, it would be the excitement of victory. But that’s not funny. She’s not due for almost three months.”

  Without intervention, the trash talk could continue for days, especially between Gwen and her dad. To break it up, I held up the timer, although from what I’d seen so far, it wouldn’t be needed. Holly and Nathan would finish building the structure long before time ran out, even if Gwen and Cody didn’t. “Ready? One, two, three… Go!”

  Holly started firing off instructions at Nathan. His hands flew over the pieces. They worked every bit as quickly together as it seemed when Ryan and I competed against them. That didn’t surprise me. But beside them, Cody and Gwen moved just as fast.

  “Stand Finn up. Put Han and Leia on either end. Balance BB-8 on top…”

  Tyler snorted, but I burst out laughing. Given how competitive Gwen was, I shouldn’t have been surprised that she and Cody had devised the same strategy after seeing how well Nathan and Holly did. Especially since part of the reason we’d invited everyone over was to watch and “borrow” their technique.

  “Done!” Holly’s voice and Cody’s rang out simultaneously.

  Tyler took the card and examined each structure before proclaiming a tie. So little time had passed, I flipped the hourglass-shaped minute timer back over to let the few grains of sand trickle back rather than waiting for it to run out.

  “What?” Gwen said to her dad, who stared at her. “Like I’ve never learned anything from you?”

  “Valid, I suppose. You could’ve warned me you’ve been practicing.”

  “What would be the fun in that?”

  “Besides,” Cody said, “we worked that out on the way over. We were watching The Last Jedi when Tyler texted.”

  “It might not have worked,” Gwen said.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Cody said.

  She blew a kiss at her husband.

  Watching the couples banter, a pang hit me. Sometimes I longed for the type of relationship my friends had found. It took time to meet someone and build a friendship, create a relationship that might turn into a romantic attachment—and even then, there were no guarantees. I loved Gwen and Holly, but I didn’t want to date either of them. Tyler became a closer friend each day. Ryan and I jokingly referred to each other as “work spouse” and would do anything for each other. But that deeper attraction never developed.

  Dating apps didn’t work for me, because most people expected an instant connection. Setups tended to go the same way. But maybe it was time to work less, get out more. Go to more game nights, join some Meetups. Expand my friend circle in an effort to ward off the loneliness. In time, everything would work itself out.

  Chapter 10

  “Don’t let anyone put you off your game. Whatever happens, act like it’s exactly what you wanted to happen. Unless the Red Sox lose.” —Nana

  Monday morning finally arrived. It had to be the first time in the history of office buildings that someone couldn’t wait for their workweek to begin. During breakfast with Nana, I was so antsy, she finally suggested I walk to work to burn off my nerves.

  Not the worst idea, but considering it was August, I decided to drive. The competition didn’t start until eleven, but I couldn’t wait. As a result, I wound up twenty minutes earlier than my usual start time, with nothing to do but sip my tea and munch the donut holes I picked up to share with Ryan. Neither the caffeine nor the sugar made me feel any better.

  On my way in from the parking lot, I spotted Dennis off to the side in what used to be the Smoker’s Corner. The past few years, people used it primarily to hold private conversations. From my vantage point, there was no way to tell who he spoke with, but if he felt the need to hide, I wanted to hear him. I inched closer, hating that I cared enough to eavesdrop but not quite willing to stop myself. A lot rode on this competition. If Dennis beat us, he’d probably also get the executive game designer job, especially considering how badly my interview had gone.

  Dennis would become even more of an arrogant jerk. Every day, he’d find a way to remind me that he didn’t just get the job, he beat me. Since his skills made it easier for him to find a new job, Ryan would probably quit, and I didn’t know what I’d do if I lost my only friend and ally in the company. I didn’t want to leave until my board game business took off, but I also didn’t want to work for the guy who made jokes about our company’s single-stall unisex restrooms being a great place for “you and I sex.”

  Dennis’s voice carried through the hedges to my ears. “No way. We’ve got this in the bag.”

  A female voice responded. Megan. “You better. Daddy refuses to promote me because I haven’t been here long enough to ‘prove myself.’ I’m okay with you getting the job, but I can’t stand the idea of working for her.”

  Megan absolutely wasn’t getting named executive game designer? What amazing news! Her words made me wonder exactly what I did to make her hate me, but it didn’t matter. We rarely worked together, and when Tyler was around she pretended we were BFFs. I could avoid being alone with her until they broke up, I found a new job, or both.

  Speaking of Tyler, I inched closer. Maybe Megan would say something that would finally give me a reason to tell him about my reservations. I couldn’t say “I don’t like your girlfriend” without coming across as petty and jealous. But if I had something concrete, maybe I could convince him that he’d be better off without her.

  “What did she do to you, anyway?” Dennis asked.

  “She’s trying to steal my boyfriend.”

  “No, she isn’t,” Dennis said, echoing my thoughts. “You had it in for her long
before you started dating that guy.”

  It surprised me to hear my number-one nemesis standing up for me, but then I realized he wasn’t really. He was letting Megan know he could tell she was lying, which was a power move. Most likely, he didn’t care why she didn’t like me.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters to me,” he said. “You want me to beat her, and at the moment, our goals happen to align. That’s great. But when I’m in charge, I need to know if there’s some reason I shouldn’t keep her around.”

  “We’re not some great sisterhood, you know. I don’t have to like her just because she’s the only other woman.”

  “No, I suppose that’s true.” A silence settled, as if he waited for her to say something else.

  A heavy sigh drifted to my ears, so loud I expected Megan to fall over from the effort of exhaling so much. “Fine, okay. I asked Daddy to give me the designer job at the same time Shannon applied. For some reason, he gave it to her instead of me.”

  Her explanation surprised me. She acted like she’d had no interest whatsoever in making games. And how was it my fault that her father hired me because I was qualified? I certainly hadn’t known that she also wanted the job or that she felt entitled to it.

  Megan continued, “He gave me the market research job instead, which is totally boring and pays crap. Worse, everyone likes her better.”

  Because I’m not fake and completely two-faced.

  “Thank you,” Dennis said.

  “Whatevs. Just make sure you win.”

  “Relax. Justin and I are going first. She’s not going to beat us.”

  Ugh. Bragging about his victory before we’d even presented. What a tool. I resisted the urge to chuck a Munchkin at him through a hole in the bushes. Instead I bent down, peeking between the branches so I could see.

  Megan tossed her head, sending blond curls cascading down her back. “She better not. I gotta go.”

  “You’re not staying to watch?”

  “I wish I could, but I’m not that interested,” she said.