Page 45 of Cora

“I’ll go,” Remi said.

“Maybe Derrick could go, and we could spend some time together and talk?” I suggested.

“Talk on your own time,” Isaac barked. “Whoever stays behind with Cora is supposed to be watching over her, not dealing with whatever issues you’re having. Remi, let’s go.”

Remi shrugged apologetically at me, but I got the sense that he wasn’t all that disappointed in his orders.

As soon as they disappeared, Derrick looked at me, who probably looked like someone had kicked my puppy, and then at Cora, who was still glaring at where Isaac had gone. “What do you guys say we head back inside and teach Cora to play some Texas Hold’em?”

Cora’s eyes slid to him, and I saw the corner of her lips twitch before she nodded.

“Fine with me,” I sighed.

I trudged inside, grabbed the playing cards, and tossed them on the kitchen table. I ran downstairs for a bag of dried beans and returned to the kitchen. “I figured we could use beans instead of chips,” I said when I got upstairs.

“Sounds good to me,” Derrick replied.

We sat down, and Derrick quickly explained the game’s rules to Cora while I split the beans between us. We played a few rounds before Derrick spoke about something other than the card game.

“So Remi’s been acting stranger than usual, hasn’t he?”

I scoffed. “That’s an understatement. Honestly, I don’t know what to do about it. Whenever I try to talk to him, he brushes me off and tells me not to worry. I’m worried,” I admitted. Cora reached across the table to squeeze my arm. I patted her hand in return. I appreciated her support; I just wished it wasn’t necessary.

“The bet is to you, Cora,” Derrick told her.

She studied her cards and then tossed three beans into the pot. I looked at my cards and then the flop. I had two pairs, Jacks High. I matched her bet, which she continued to raise with theriver and turn cards. Once it was time to show our hands, I swept the pot because My two pairs beat her almost flush.

“Never chase the flush, Cora,” Derrick said. “The chances of being the only one to have it are slim.”

Cora nodded as I shuffled and dealt the next round.

“Well, I think that you and Cora need to knock his ass out, tie him to the bed, and have your way with him. It’s not like he doesn’t want it. He’s just being stubborn,” Derrick said. “I’ll check.”

Cora shook her head, tapping out a quick message on her iPad. “That’s not a good idea. It’s best to let him work this out himself, not force him to do something he may not want.” I nodded in agreement as she pushed ten beans into the pot. I looked at the two spades in the flop and shook my head. The girl was chasing the damn flush again. There was only one way to help her learn this lesson, and that was to help her lose her beans. I had pocket eights, which was better than a failed flush every day of the week.

“Call,” I said, tossing my ten beans into the pot.

Derrick smirked at me. “What the hell, I’ll call too.”

I flipped the following card: King of Diamonds.

“Check,” Derrick said.

Cora counted out ten more beans and pushed them into the pot. She was sticking to this flush.

We called her bet, and I flipped the next card: Eight of Hearts. I hid my smirk as I waited for my turn. I had three of a kind now. Derrick checked again. When it was her turn, Cora started counting her beans. This time, she threw fifteen into the pot.

“Are you sure about that, Ghost Girl?” Derrick asked.

Cora nodded.

“Ok, then,” Derrick replied. He nodded at me to go.

“Call and raise ten,” I said, tossing more beans onto the pile.

Derrick looked at me, his hand, and then at the cards on the table. “Aw, what the fuck,” he sighed. “Gotta pay to play, right?”

“That’s right,” I replied. “And that will be ten to you, Cora.”

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