Page 49 of Carry Me Home
“Works for me.” He pushed the card deck toward me. “You deal. Then you’ll know it’s fair.”
“Exactly.” I pushed it back. “If I’m going to lose, I need a scapegoat and I prefer not to direct my ire inward. It’s uncomfy.”
Laughing, he gave the cards one last shuffle and then dealt.
I studied my hand. Crap. Of course it was crap. An ace, a three, a seven, a jack, and a nine. Nothing remotely matched. I heaved a sigh before I remembered I wasn’t supposed to be making this easy on him. My gaze shot to his. He was already watching me, his lips tilted in a wry smile.
“Make your bet, Ace.”
I tossed down three chocolate chips. “Why do you call me that?”
“It’s a secret,” he murmured, matching my bet. “Win a hand to find out.”
I blew a raspberry at him and slid him four cards, keeping only my ace. I got back two jacks, a four, and a five. Dammit. I groaned. A pair was better than nothing, but shit. If I’d kept that jack, I’d have three of a kind—not great, but decent.
“Raise,” I said, adding three more chips to the pot.
He snorted. “After that groan, you don’t really expect me to fold, do you? Call.”
I turned over my cards. He turned over his.
All diamonds. A flush.
His eyes glinted at me. “Take off a secret, Janie.”
I didn’t have a lot of secrets. Really just the one big one. I chewed the inside of my cheek. Maybe I could break it down into smaller bites. That was fair, right? No one removed both shoes at a time playing strip poker.
“What do you want to know?” I asked carefully.
He didn’t even have to think about it. His response was instantaneous. “Why do you work at the Painted Cat? I saw your diploma in the closet with the Legos. You have a degree from Georgetown University in public policy. Why aren’t you using it?”
I lifted a shoulder and reached for my tea. “Those are two different questions. Pick one.”
“Why are you working at the Painted Cat?”
I was actually relieved. That was the easy one. The other question…well, it opened a whole other an of worms. “It’s the only place in Aspen Springs without any ties to my parents. They own most of the real estate on First Street. They’re the bank’s biggest client. They donate more money to the schools and library than everyone else combined. There’s literallynowhere in this town that doesn’t owe my parentssomething, even if it’s only a favor.”
He stared at me, aghast. “They wouldn’t let anyone hire you?”
“No, it’s not that. I’d definitely get any job I applied for—they’d make sure of that. And then that job would come with strings, and they would absolutely pull those strings. I refuse to be their puppet.”Even when it’s in my best interest.
He stared at me, his fingertips white where he gripped his mug. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“But they don’t have anything to do with the Painted Cat. They don’t own the building or the land. Brax bought it free and clear. He doesn’t even have a mortgage. He said something about an investor, but as long as it’s not my parents, it doesn’t matter to me. It might not pay a lot, but at least it’s really mine. No strings. They can’t touch me there.”
“But you still talk to them. Even though they pull this shit. Even after everything with Maya.” That muscle in his cheek popped again.
“Well, yeah. I mean, they’re my parents. They love me, even if the only way they know how to show it is by exerting control. And they love Maya. So.” I shrugged. “It is what it is. They came through for me when I needed them most. That counts for something.”
He opened his mouth, but I shook my head. “No more questions. I gave you my secret. If you want more, you have to win another round.”
Which I was absolutely not going to let happen. I couldn’t cheat any better than I could lie, but I could toss my cards on the table and storm away like an angry toddler, and by god, I would do it if I had to.
Something of that must have shown up on my face, because he bumped his foot against mine. “Play fair, Janie.”
Making a face at him, I shuffled and dealt. A queen, three eights, and a ten. When he bet five chips, I matched him and traded my ten for another queen. Full house.
“Great,” I mumbled. “Now you’re going to think I cheated.”
