Page 63 of Fighting For You

"How many?" Travis said.

Nora stared at her hand. She chewed her bottom lip. "Two."

Travis took one. He looked at his new card and nodded slowly, like he'd just been dealt exactly what he needed.

Nora rearranged her cards. Then she straightened up.

Travis pushed his peanuts forward. "I'm in."

"Me too," Nora said.

Travis flipped his cards. Pair of eights. Nora turned hers over. Pair of queens.

"Beginner's luck," Travis said.

Second hand. Travis dealt again. This time he drew three cards and liked what he saw. Nora kept all five. Travis grinned.

"You're keeping all five?"

"I like these ones."

Travis flipped a straight. Nora had nothing. He slapped the table.

"That's what I'm talking about!" He looked around the table. "One-one. We're just getting started."

Third hand. Nora traded one card. She looked at her new hand and didn't react. Travis took two and leaned forward like he could already taste victory.

They both pushed their peanuts in. Travis flipped three sevens.

"Read them and weep," he said.

Nora laid down a flush. Five hearts.

Greene whistled. The table started buzzing. Travis sat back in his chair with his mouth open.

Nora was looking straight past Travis. I followed her gaze to Andy, sitting behind Travis's shoulder with a drink in one hand and his whole hand of cards in her line of sight. She saw me see it and held my look.

I looked at Wyatt. He was standing behind Nora with his arms still crossed, a perfect view of her cards. He gave Andy the faintest glance.

I almost spit my drink.

"That's two-one, Nora," Carl said.

Travis loosened his shoulders. "It's fine. I've come back from worse."

Fourth hand. Travis dealt with too much force and one of Nora's cards slid off the table. She picked it up, looked at her hand, and kept a straight face.

Andy looked down at Travis's cards, up at Nora, and tapped her thumb against her glass.

"I'm in," Nora said.

Travis shoved his peanuts to the center. "All in."

"All in," Nora said.

Travis flipped two pair. Jacks and fours.

Nora set her cards down one at a time. Three tens.