Fuck. She’s twenty years younger than I am. I should be able to find someone suitable my own age, but I can’t help but be drawn to Joey.
“Enough talk about our love lives,” Dennis interrupts. “Let’s get to playing poker.”
Thank fuck. I don’t need any more eyes on me. Clearing the plates, I take them inside and set them in the sink to deal with later. Dennis grabs the chips and cards and walks outside.
With the sun dipping below the mountains, it’s the perfect temp to play cards. There’s still enough light, mixed with my outdoor tiki lights, to be out here.
Dennis is exchanging bills for chips as I snag more beers from the cooler for each of us.
“You know the rules, boys,” Greg says, dealing the cards. “Five-card draw.”
Once the game starts, the trash talk comes out. It’s our usual bullshit whenever we get together.
I arrange my cards before grabbing two and tossing them in the discard pile, all the while keeping a straight face.
Chips are thrown into the center pot. As the guys fold, it comes down to me and Greg.
“Three of a kind,” Greg says, with an air of someone who’s already won.
I spread my cards out in front of me. “Full house.”
Greg flips me off. “You couldn’t let me win once?”
I pull the chips in the center of the table toward me. “Fuck that. You know I’m not going to let anyone win.”
“Wait until you have grandkids.” Greg shakes his head.
“You let Max win?” I raise a brow at him. “I don’t know if I’d do that.”
“When the alternative is them crying their eyes out, you do it.”
“You need to teach them to toughen up,” Mark says.
“That won’t get past Joey,” Greg says. “It makes no difference to me if I lose. I get to see my grandkid happy.”
“Joey is lucky to have you guys,” I say, without even thinking about it.
Greg claps me on the shoulder. “I should say you too.”
“What? Why me?”
Nerves erupt inside of me. That’s new. I’ve never felt nervous around my best friend before.
“You helped her out the other day.”
“Oh, right.”
“You’re a stand-up guy, Sam,” Greg says.
I sip my beer because I can’t say anything else as a new hand is dealt.
I doubt my best friend would think I’m a stand-up guy if he knew the thoughts I was having about his daughter. Especially thoughts that have been growing in intensity since I kissed her.
It was one fucking kiss, Sam. Get your shit together. You don’t need to be acting like some sort of lovestruck teenager all because some girl looked at you with hearts in her eyes.
Nope. Not at all.
I turn my attention back to the game. My hand is shit, and the two cards I get do nothing to help.
