Page 58 of Win Some Love Some
Great. A follow up question.
“I think I know,” Fiona said, her one eyebrow quirked. She was sporting this new gray streak of hair around her face. She said she was delicately dipping her toe into aging. It made her look like Cruella de Vil, but in a cool way. “Are you and our little Nora finally dating?”
“Finally?” I barked.
“Dating?” Roy barked.
“No, I’m not dating her…I’ve known Nora her whole life. That’s messed up.”
“Fiona, why would you even say something like that? You trying to give me a heart attack?” Roy clutched his chest.
“It was just a question,” Fiona laughed.
“I’m not dating Nora. I would never date Nora,” I said directly to Roy. He remembered that night. He knew. “Like…not if she was the last woman on the planet.”
His eyebrows lowered, which was never a good sign. “You don’t have to go that far. She is beautiful, and despite all the bullshit that’s happened, she has a huge heart.”
“Of course, she is,” I sputtered. “Beautiful, I mean.” Was it hot in here? I pulled on the collar of my shirt. “It’s not that. I…I…adore her. You know that. She’s practically my best friend. Besides, she’s just getting over a bad break up. She shouldn’t be dating anyone.”
“She didn’t care about that asshole,” Roy spat. “She was bored and wanted a little walk on the wild side.”
“Been there,” Fiona said, very dignified. “Done that. Raise.”
Bobby, Mal, Roy and Matt Sullivan all folded and Fiona won the pot.
It was my deal. I took the cards and dealt them out. Once everyone was in the pot, I dealt the flop on the table hoping the action would stop any more discussion of me and Nora. But Bobby, maybe it was a cop thing, wouldn’t let it go.
“So if you guys aren’t dating – please don’t bite my head off for using that word,” Bobby said quickly. “Then what is Nora doing at your garage every morning?”
I pointed to Roy. “Your bet.”
“Check. What was Nora doing at the garage, Nick?”
I sighed. No one needed to know my business, but I wasn’t going to get caught in a lie. “She’s working there. Helping me with office stuff. Billing and shit.”
The table got suspiciously quiet until Fiona started slow-clapping. Talk about dramatic. “He finally got help everyone. Can I get an Amen?”
Everyone cheered.
Jolie came from the kitchen with a fancy bowl of warmed and seasoned nuts. Her nuts were the best. She placed them on the poker table, making all of us groan.
“That’s what the side table is for!” Matt Sullivan said, pointing to the side table where all the food was.
“It’s my house, she can put her nuts where she wants,” Mal said.
“She’s put your nuts where she wants,” Fiona muttered and everyone howled. Jolie smacked a kiss on top of Mal’s head.
“What’s all the fuss?”
“Nora is working at Nick’s shop and helping him with invoicing,” Fiona said.
“Really,” Jolie said, clapping her hands. “I’m off the hook for firing her? Roy, does this mean you’ll start selling me your catch again?”
“No,” Roy said, his voice nearly a growl. “You are still on the hook for firing my baby. Two weeks, no fish.”
“But she’s working again,” Jolie implored him, then looked at me. “Oh God, Nick. Tell me you’re not going to let her around any of the tools.”
“She’s doing office work. So far she hasn’t broken anything.”
