“I’m not giving my chips to anyone. If you want them, come and get them.”
“Then watch out, because here I come,” Everlee teases, rubbing her hands together.
“You shouldn’t announce when you’re coming. Let it be a surprise,” Lizzy smirks.
“Drinks, anyone?” I ask, pushing away from the table.
“I’ll take one of your fruity concoctions,” Lizzy says.
“Make that two!” Everlee chimes.
I look at the group, but no one else speaks up.
The roars and laughter of the crowd echo behind me while I make our cocktails. I was going to make an Old Fashioned for myself, but decided it would just be easier to make the same drink for all three of us.
Knox starts yelling about something and Everlee is taunting him playfully and laughing along with the rest of the table. Even Callum. If I had my phone, I would take a picture of this moment and save it forever. Everyone is so happy and carefree. Donna is a lot more chill than I expected and even though we’re having to hide who we are, I’m thankful we can still be around Everlee and have this moment.
When I get back to the table, I set Everlee’s drink down, press my hand to the back of her chair and lean down. “You need to kick all their asses.”
She smiles, turning to me, our face inches apart. “I plan to.”
“That’s my girl,” I whisper, then pull up and accidentally brush along Jax’s leg.
When I sit back in my seat, Lizzy leans over and whispers, “I’m pretty sure she’s wet and if she were wearing panties, they would have incinerated her.” She pats me on the arm. “Good boy.”
My skin prickles and I find Jax watching Lizzy and I, with a look on his face, I can’t place.
Everlee wins the next three hands in a row, knocking Lizzy out and Knox has a few chips left, while Donna has improved her chip stack a little.
“What did he give you? Some kind of unicorn magic?” Knox takes Everlee’s drink and tips it back. “Peach and orange. Sex on the beach.” A smile plays on his lips.
“Isn’t that your fave Everlee?” Lizzy chirps. Knox and Lizzy are like two peas in a pod. Each serving up the spike for the other.
“I do like sex on the beach, but Emmett’s Old Fashioned’s are my new fave.”
“Your dad loves sex on the beach,” Donna chirps. “The drink. Although…” her voice quivers playfully. “I imagine he’d like the other, too.”
“Mom!” Everlee shouts, blushing ten shades of red.
“Mama McKinley, you rascally rabbit,” Lizzy cheers.
“Oh my God. Whose deal is it?” Everlee asks, trying to get the conversation back under control.
“What?” Donna asks innocently.
“Mom,” Everlee sighs into a whisper.
“My deal!” Knox stands and swipes the table, bringing all the cards to him. “That is a good drink.” He takes another sip of Everlee’s drink. “They may be my new favorite. Less sand between my butt cheeks.”
The table erupts in laughter again as everyone seems to have a case of the late-night giggles. Even Jax and Callum are chuckling. I wouldn’t call it a full-on laugh, but their lips are parted into what some would describe as a smile with a soft shake to their shoulders.
“Fucking hell.” Everlee throws her hands up. She’s the only one not laughing, although she should be the one laughing the hardest, since they are talking about her and Knox. We had to listen to Knox complain the rest of that entire night about finding sand in his ass.
The table eventually settles. Lizzy and Tony turn in and it’s just the five of us and Donna. Everlee passes glances at me throughout the night and I know she wishes her mother would lose so it would just be the five of us, but her mother went on a hot streak and won six times in a row, depleting a bulk of Everlee’s chips, and wiping out Knox.
“I’m so tired,” Everlee whines, looking at her watch. “It’s after two in the morning.”
“We can call the game if you want. I’m tired too. The walk to the dolphins today wore me out.”
