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“I said give me a second,” she repeated, furrowing her brow.
He wanted to be annoyed, but she was so damned cute when she was concentrating, it was hard for him to be upset. He had to remember why he was in this mess in the first place, to keep himself focused on the plan, but all he wanted to do was kiss the wrinkle between her eyebrows.
Ethan had trouble remembering how seriously fucked he was thanks to Sam’s terrible habit of distracting him. Maybe that was a good thing. He could use something bright in this dismal situation. Sam’s poker skills would not be that hopeful beacon, however.
She had a weirdly serious concentration face, one that made it seem like her entire being was focused solely on one thing.
“I fold,” she announced, slapping her cards down.
“You fold?” Ethan reached across the coffee table and picked up the two blue cards, examining them for himself. “Well…you could fold. Except you had a straight.” He put the five and seven she’d held in line with the four, six and eight in his dealer hand. “Which is a pretty good hand, all things considered.”
“Oh.” She blushed, her embarrassment evident. “I’m sorry. I was never good at this, and you’re asking me to learn it in an hour—under some pretty stressful conditions—and then go play a high-stakes table? I once lost twenty dollars in a quarter slot machine. That’s the biggest gambling loss I ever wanted to have on my record.”
“This one won’t be on your record. It’ll be my money. And you’re not going to lose. You’re going to do fine.” He tried to make it sound like he meant it, but when he said fine his voice hitched up, cracking slightly. He was having misgivings about this plan, but it was too late to look for help elsewhere, and Sam was willing. Where else was he going to find someone who would go out on such a limb for him?
How sad was it that a woman he’d known so briefly was the most reliable person in his life?
“Let’s try again.” He shuffled the deck as she sighed and flopped backwards on the couch.
Sam picked up her cards, once again demonstrating her total inability to maintain a poker face. “What do your parents think about your job? Do they know what you do?”
Ethan fidgeted with the river card, flicking the cardboard edge with his thumbnail. He wasn’t sure why she was asking, but maybe she was as desperate for a change in subject as he was. “I have two brothers and a sister. Two of them are lawyers and my younger brother is in his residency to become a cardiac surgeon. My mom is a university professor, teaching medieval history, and my dad is, shockingly, a lawyer. It’s safe to say who the black sheep in the Silver clan is.”
“But you told them anyway?”
“Of course I did. They always said we should do what we loved. Turns out they meant do what you love as long as it earns you six figures and makes them proud.”
Sam threw a hotel soap into the pot. “Did you ever think of doing anything else?”
“You own a bookstore, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you ever think of doing anything else?”
“Sure. I wanted to teach overseas after university, but then my mom got sick and since Dad was already gone there wasn’t anyone around to help out. Patrick, my brother, he was married and had moved, so it was just me and Mom. When she died, I had to figure out what to do with the store so…other plans went by the wayside. I did what I thought was right. I don’t regret it.”
Ethan stopped playing with the cards and stared at her, absorbing the way her face and voice changed when she talked about her parents and the responsibility she’d taken on.
“I never thought I was good at anything else,” he said, allowing the words he’d never spoken before to be set free.
“You really thought sex was all you had to offer the world?”
He shrugged and held out his hand for her cards. “I guess I never put a lot of thought into seeing if I could do anything else. I knew I had skills.” He winked, but the gesture felt hollow. “Anyway, I ended up here, and I’m okay with that. I like my life most of the time. Just not when I’m being harassed by a balding shithead like Julian.”
“Well, hopefully after tonight you never have to hear that name again.”
She’d bet on two pairs, which depending on the hands around her wasn’t the worst idea she’d had all night. “The threes were a bit low—you might want to be careful on those next time—but the kings were good.”
“So I did okay?”
“Yup.”
She made a delighted squeal, an unexpectedly joyous sound considering their previously serious conversation, and clapped her hands.
“Don’t get too excited yet. You’re going to be playing against some heavy hitters. I want to go a few more rounds before I’m comfortable letting you swim with the sharks.”
“Do you have to make it sound so ominous?”
