Page 23 of Line of Resistance

Eloise grabbed her phone and woke it up. The laugh that bubbled free as she took in the lack of bars was unexpected and a little unhinged. Because, of course she didn’t have service. What would be more fitting after the week she’d had?

Not much.

The urge to chuck the useless piece of technology across the car was strong, but she took a deep breath and carefully set her cell back into place.

It’s not that she wasn’t prepared for a scenario like this. Thanks to a childhood filled with backwoods camping trips and a father who loved being prepared for anything, she had everything she needed to survive until someone found her. Maybe longer. The main issue was the timing.

This was not how she wanted to spend her evening, or really any evening for that matter.

But it could be worse.

After a weekend of ‘birthday party Nate’ and ‘girls’ night Nate’ and even ‘hanging out at Naomi’s Nate’, she needed an evening without his face showing up to ruin it.

So technically, she was getting what she wanted.

Eloise glanced out the window, glaring at the moose’s backside as it sauntered away, barely visible through the heavy snow pelting her stranded SUV.

She stewed over the situation a few seconds longer before shifting around in her seat. Time to stop whining and start being proactive.

It would be easiest to go to the back and open the hatch, but she wanted to conserve all the warmth she could, and trudging through the falling snow would get her wet and only make it more difficult to stay warm. Luckily, her SUV was remarkably roomy for as small as it was, so she was able to crawl into the back, folding down the bench to make a flat, relatively spacious surface. Hopefully she wouldn’t be stuck long, but she grabbed the bag from the back and went to work settling in. It would be better to be prepared, just in case.

At least there was no way she’d have to deal with running into Nate again.

CHAPTER EIGHT

NATE

“DID YOU ORDER any for me?” Naomi padded into the kitchen of the townhome she shared with Tyson, scanning the open pizza boxes stacked across the counters.

“Depends. Did you come to play or just to steal food?” Nate grabbed a beer from the fridge and held it out.

Naomi took the bottle, prying off the cap before swallowing down a gulp. “Does that mean I’m allowed to play again?”

Jamison groaned from his spot at the table. “If she’s playing I’m out. She got enough of my money last time.”

Naomi’s smile was wicked and filled with delight. “Come on. I’ve got my eye on a new handbag.”

Tyson motioned at Reed as he was dealing out the hand. “Deal her in. I’ve seen how much those things cost.”

Naomi piled a piece of pizza onto a plate, head dropping back in a cackle as she carried it toward the hall leading to the master bedroom. “Naw. I’ll let you boys keep your money tonight.”

Nate loaded up a couple plates and went to where his partner was setting up. Emmett sat next to him, looking very serious as he stacked his poker chips by color. The little boy was determined to learn how to play and he’d volunteered to teach him how. Winning wasn’t a big deal to him, he was just here to have a good time. If he lost a little cash in the process, then so be it. It would be worth it to help Emmett feel included.

He slid Emmett’s plate in front of the little boy and sat down, taking a bite of his pizza as Emmett picked up their cards. He expected the kid to start listing off what they had or offer up an expression that would give them away, but Tyson’s son had a surprisingly impressive poker face.

Nate looked over their cards and leaned into Emmett’s ear, offering up the simplest explanation of the hand they were dealt as the men around the table shifted through their own cards. It was the kind of moment he never thought would be his, not after losing the first real family he’d ever had. To be given a second chance at this kind of love and acceptance was an opportunity he didn’t plan to waste.

Or risk.

It brought his mind back to Eloise. As appealing as everything about her was, the chances they would work out were fifty-fifty at best. He didn’t like those odds, especially since she was one of Naomi’s best friends. When things went wrong, choices would have to be made. And he’d been on the wrong side of decisions like that before.

At the end of the day it didn’t matter how perfect Eloise might be for him, risking his family simply wasn’t anything he could do. He wouldn’t survive being shut out again.

“Bet?” Emmett’s whisper was soft as he looked between the flop and the cards in his hands. It was probably a guess since the rules of poker were a little advanced for him, but it was a good one.

“Yup.” Nate helped stack up the right amount of chips and leaned back in his seat.

“Emmett’s got a better poker face than you do.” Reed flipped his cards face down. “Fold.”

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