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Elena comes into the room with tentative steps and her eyes immediately find mine, like she isn’t sure if she should be here. “Hey, everyone.”
All three of my friends stare at her as if she’s a seven-foot alien fromAvatar, eyes wide and mouths agape.
“She lives across the street,” Noah explains. “Lenny, this is Trent, Mitch, and Jason.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She offers a small wave. “Sorry for intruding on boys’ night, but we baked cookies.” She holds up a plate covered in plastic wrap.
“Not an intrusion at all.” Mitch is quick to pull out the chair beside him. “Stay a while. We were hoping to watch Noah kick her father’s ass in a few rounds of poker.”
Her eyes flick to mine again. “Thank you for the offer, but I should get going. Maybe another time.”
“Ah, come on.” Trent lowers himself back into his seat and reaches for the deck. “We’ll deal you in. Do you know how to play poker?”
She nods. “I have an idea.”
Mitch blinks at me. “Come on, Grant. Tell the lady she’s more than welcome to stay.”
I swallow. “Of course, you’re welcome to stay if you want to.”
Jason lifts a bowl of chips. “I’ve got Doritos if you come sit next to me.”
Mitch scoffs. “I already pulled out the chair for her. Young boys like you don’t know how to romance a lady.”
Jason tosses a chip at him. “You wouldn’t know what to do with a lady if she came over and sat on your face.”
Noah’s top lip curls. “Eww.”
I reach over and smack Jason in the back of the head. “Hey, not in front of my kid.”
With red cheeks, Elena eyes the only two empty seats at the table and takes the one beside Noah, which just so happens to be the one on the other side of Jason.
And Jason grins like the cat that ate the canary.
Smug bastard.
“I think I remember how to play.” Elena collects her cards and glances at them. “You want to make a straight or a flush, right?”
“Pairs are good too.” Jason moves his chair way too close to hers, as if he needs to physically spot her in order to play.
Watch your hands, fucker.
I get dealt a shit hand and fold, or maybe it’s a perfectly good hand. I don’t know. I can’t concentrate with the way Jason is looking at Elena like a kid on Christmas morning.
It comes down to Noah, Mitch, and Elena.
“All right, Noah. I think you’re bluffing.” Mitch flips over his cards. “Let me see what you’ve got.”
Noah grins as she tosses her cards onto the table. “Straight.”
Mitch balks. “How do you always beat me? I can never tell if you’re bluffing.”
“Because I’m just that good.” Noah flips her hair over her shoulder, then glances across the table. “Whatcha got, Lenny?”
Elena’s lips tug into the smallest smirk. “Are these any good?”
We watch as she flips over a four and a six, both hearts.
Noah gasps. “You have a straight flush.”
