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He came to the stove and stood really close to her. “Anything I can help with?”
“No. I think I have it. You can set the table if you want.” She lifted the lid on a second pan and checked the rice she was cooking. “Everything is about done.” She glanced at him, and he took a step back.
“I’ll set the table.”
She stirred the rice. “I’m feeling pretty lucky tonight. I think I might kick some cowboy ass at rummy.”
He laughed. “Wow. I guess we’ll find out.”
She turned and looked at him. “You’re not that far ahead of me.”
“Ember. I’m up twelve hundred points.”
“Nothing I can’t overcome.”
Dinner was good and when they finished eating, they did the dishes together. As John was drying the last plate, he leaned against the counter. “What time to the festivities start tomorrow?”
“The parade starts at ten.”
“Are we going to that?”
“Of course. Then there’s the street fair, followed by the community dance.”
“A community dance?”
“Yes. Which we can skip if you want.”
He took a breath. “I can handle the community dance.”
She smiled. “Cool. It’ll be fun. Then fireworks at ten.”
“A full day.”
“Which means we need to start playing cards so we’re not up too late.”
“I’m ready to beat you anytime.”
“We shall see, Mr. Sherlock. We shall see.”
Two hours later, John was up fifteen hundred points. Ember leaned back in her chair after losing another hand.
“Why do I suck at this game?”
John laughed. “You don’t. I’m just extra good at it.”
“Seriously. What’s your secret?”
“I don’t have a secret. It’s the luck of the draw.”
“You’ve been lucky for two weeks?”
“We can switch to another game. Go Fish. War?” He grinned. “Poker?”
“No. I will not surrender. And I’ll never play poker with you. Deal the cards.”
They played for another hour and Ember won a few games, which brought John’s lead down two hundred, giving him a thirteenhundred point lead. After she won three hands in a row, she decided they should quit.
“You’re on a roll. Why quit now?”
