Before I can think of anything to say, she flees the dining room, leaving two possible futures in her wake. In one future she stays, and along with Seven and me, we become a family. In the other she goes, and we make do with stolen moments and vacation memories. I squeeze Seven’s hand, reminding myself that I’ll be fine either way so long as Arden’s happy.
ChapterThree
Five weeks later…
“Why did you raise on that hand, Mr. Tannenbaum?” I squint at the elderly human sitting to my right. I’ve been teaching this class for three weeks now, and he still doesn’t seem to be getting it, although he’s a pleasant enough pupil. He’s got to be at least eighty years old, and I suspect the only reason he’s here is to spend time with his wife, who’s an absolute shark.
“Just mixing up the play. Gotta keep these suckers on their toes.” He gestures vaguely at the rest of the table.
Mrs. Tannenbaum bursts out laughing. “Harold, they won’t need to be on their toes. They’ll just need to lean forward in their chairs a little to rake in your chips. You have a seven and a two, nonsuited, for cripes’ sake!”
Harold shrugs and holds up both hands. “I was bluffing. That’s part of poker.”
I hold up a finger to get everyone’s attention. “This is a great opportunity to enforce a point I’ve made before but perhaps you didn’t catch. It’s important to understand not only the cards you’re holding but…”
“Your position at the table,” they say in unison.
I nod reassuringly. “Exactly. Harold has the big blind, which means…”
A young woman named Margaret lifts her hand, and I call on her to answer. “He had to ante up in full before he saw his first two cards.”
“Exactly. So as the last to bet before the flop, bluffing isn’t a bad idea. He’s already put his money in after all, and he has the advantage of the most information anyone at the table can have this round. But because he has very bad odds of actually winning with a seven and a two, his only strategy has to be to get the other players to fold. The best way to do that would be to signal a strong hand. In other words, to raise before the flop. There’s a good chance that if he does that, other players with weak hands may fold rather than meet his bet. Winning small pots like that by bluffing can be a great way for a poker player to increase their bankroll.”
“See, Janice? I know what I’m doing!” Harold harrumphs.
I can’t help but chuckle. “Where you went wrong though, Mr. Tannenbaum, is to keep up the charade once Margaret raised significantly post flop. She’s played conservatively the entire time we’ve been together. Chances are she has something with that sort of a bet. So at that point, knowing you’ve got nothing, folding would have been the more prudent option.”
Janice crosses her arms over her chest and looks at him smugly. Harold isn’t happy.
I check the clock. Saved by the bell. Clapping my hands together twice, I say, “Great job, everyone. I’ll see you Tuesday for more tips and practice!”
“What about Monday?” Margaret asks.
“I’m sorry, I have the day off. My daughter is graduating from Bailiwick’s Academy on Sunday, and we’re taking Monday to recover from the festivities.”
Margaret laughs. “It’s so weird to think you have graduations here.”
I grit my teeth. I get that a lot, little comments that show how humans really see us, as if our lives exist for their pleasure. As if we don’t have lives of our own and an existence that doesn’t involve them. Sometimes it’s hard to swallow.
“Thank you for understanding,” I force out.
Thankfully all eight of them get up from their seats and filter out into the casino without any more questions. I lock up the poker training room and head for the door, anxious to get back to the Wonderland theme park. There are a million things I need to do before tomorrow, and the character shuttle takes a long time.
“Ms. Larkspur?” Saul, Seven’s head of security, is waiting for me near the front entrance. I’ve gotten to know him fairly well over the past few weeks. He often drives me to and from Seven’s place after our many private meetings, and although we’ve never shown affection toward each other in front of him, I imagine he must suspect our relationship. That said, I’ve never felt a hint of judgment from Saul, and he’s always been discreet. Plus Seven trusts him, which is saying a lot.
A woman passes us, and she turns her head to give Saul another look. The security guard makes an immediate impression. Unlike Seven, who has the build of a man who works out but spends most of his time in an office, Saul clearly spends a lot of time at the gym. He’s a leprechaun but is as broad-shouldered as a satyr with a gun peeking from under his dark suit jacket and a gleam of alertness in his eyes that telegraphs “don’t mess with me.” I immediately feel safer in his presence.
“Hi, Saul. What’s up?”
“Mr. Delaney would like me to drive you back to Wonderland. He told me to tell you he’ll meet you there.”
Sweet of him. It’s Saturday, which means Seven is in Wonderland at the beach, giving Arden her luck lesson like he has every week for the past five weeks. “Lead the way.”
Saul ushers me toward the elevators. I found out about the garage under the casino a few weeks ago. Only a select, privileged few have spaces there, which includes the officers of Lucky Enterprises. The existence of the garage is top secret, likely for security reasons. All the other employees have to park in the front lot and walk in each day with the guests.
Seven introduced me to the garage once we resumed our relationship and he decided he hated the thought of me riding the character shuttle. The revelation was eye opening. Secret passages exist between theme parks. It’s how Godmother moves from place to place securely and quickly and how Seven and Eva and their personal security team travel as well.
The fact that Saul is taking me this way today makes it impossible to forget just how big the chasm between Seven’s life and the regular existence of most fae in Devashire actually is. Because he loves me, I get a glimpse of this world, but I can’t shake that this is not real life, at least not my life.
