Page 68 of Tempest’s Torment

"What?"

She holds up a deck of cards. "I wondered where these went."

"You've been looking for them?"

"Not really." She drops them onto the coffee table. "You play?"

I look at the cards. "I know how."

She laughs. "That isn't the same answer."

"It'll do."

She sits cross-legged on the floor and starts shuffling, the cards moving easily through her hands.

"You've done that before."

"My grandad taught me." The smile she has can only be described as devilish. "He thought card games were a life skill."

"Were they?"

She shrugs. "He said you could tell a lot about someone by how they played."

I sit opposite her. "And?"

"He also hated losing."

"You let him win?"

She looks horrified. "Absolutely not."

I can't help smiling. "Good."

She deals the cards. "We're playing rummy."

I nod. "I know rummy."

The sly look in her eyes has me worried. "We'll see."

Ten minutes later, she's beaten me twice. I put my cards down. "You're counting," I say.

She has wide innocent eyes that I’m not buying. "I'm playing," she says, her voice soft, but she’s got a smile on her face.

"You're definitely counting."

She laughs. "I thought you said you knew rummy."

"I do."

She shakes her head. "You've lost, twice."

"I know," I tell her and she starts shuffling again. "I was being polite."

She raises a brow at me. "Were you?"

"I didn't want to embarrass you."

Her eyes are wide as saucers. "That's a bold strategy considering the score."