I watch as he grabs the card from me, turns his body and shuffles his cards around so we don’t see what position she is now in. Then fanning them out he stares at me and waits.
“My turn?” He only nods, staring at me like he’s trying to intimidate me into chasing the horrendous card he possesses. When I reach for one, he turns the cards trying to redirect my choice.
“You really suck at this game,” I tell him with a laugh and then go to the complete opposite side he was trying to get me to choose from.
His eyes don’t change, and when I place the card in my hand, I swear my heart drops. “Really?” I glare at him.
“You were saying?” His lips finally turn up into a smile and I grab a handful of popcorn tossing it in his direction.
“I play poker babe, and I’m really good at it.”
“Game on,” I say, shuffling my cards and holding them out to Adley.
This may be a childish game, but Adley and I find joy in the less stressful activities. Though with Bennett here, he has just turned the table. I am determined to crown him the Maid, if I have to play this game all night long to beat him, I will.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Bennett
“How big you making this thing?”I ask Brantley as we wade in the water of the lake, setting poles for her dock.
“Sutton wants it big enough to be able to set up a table with an umbrella and chairs. She said when she has all the girls over they need a space to lay out, and then sit around a table to enjoy margarita night.”
“Margarita night near a lake, sounds like a disaster in the making. Maybe we should build guard rails too.”
He smiles, then nods in agreement.
“So Sutton said you were over at Lexi’s a few nights ago, pretty late.”
There is never a moment that goes untold and unshared. I swear all of them have a group chat where they share all the details of their lives all day long.
“Yeah,” I finally reply as I continue to square up the poles.
“How did that go?”
“Fine.” I know he already knows, I can tell by the smirk on his face. I figure he’s got some wiseass comment coming, so I wait for it.
“We should go out one more, then eight poles wide, then two out for the docking of the fishing boat.”
I continue working, my head down, but my guard up. I am fully aware of him watching me, I can see it out of the corner of my eye.
“Why you so quiet?” I glance up to see him watching me. “Your girdle too tight?”
“For the record I was only the fucking maid once,” I huff and he instantly bursts out laughing.
“I walked into that night completely unprepared. Goldfish and Old Maid, until then I’d never heard of Old Maid. What the fuck kind of game is that shit?”
His laughter echoes over the lake. “But did you have a good night?”
“It was interesting,” I say, getting lost in the memories of that night. Seeing Lexi so relaxed, laughing to the point she snorted. Falling to the side, tears rolling down her face. “I’d do it all over again and end up as that maid if it meant I got to see her smile like she did. Hours, I got to see the old Lexi, the one before that asshole managed to take something from her. All I’ve wanted is for that part of her to return.”
“You thought about my offer?”
“Not so sure I want to look out my back door and see your ugly mug every day,” I reply with a grin and rope off the next pole. “But yeah, I have.”
One thing Brantley said from the beginning was that he bought this land big enough so that I could build on it too. My brother is a true family man, his idea of perfection is having us all close. I think he’d set my parents up here too if they’d agree to it.
“And?” he pushes a little more.
