Page 42 of One Night Gamble
And she wanted him.
This battered broken piece fit her like no other man ever had.
“I want you in my life, too. I just don’t want to be a losing streak you couldn’t shake off. I don’t want to be your bad luck charm.”
“How could you be?” he asked.
But her father had called her that once and she knew, deep down, that she feared it might be true. Gran had almost lost her house, her father had died from drinking too much after losing too much, and her mother had left to start a better family. Her life was bad luck personified. And that was when she was being careful. She’d never taken a risk like the one she was taking by being with Casey. He was everything she feared—and yet everything she wanted.
“I’m just saying,” she muttered under her breath, “just because we see a chance, that doesn’t always mean we should take it.”
“But in this case, it was good that we did,” he quipped. “Now, let’s go bring your Gran her snacks and you can teach me how to play bridge,” he said.
He was acting like nothing had happened, as if everything had been resolved and all they had left to do was go back to life as it had been.
She wasn’t sure he’d understood her concerns. Had he just said whatever he had to in order to make her stay?
That wasn’t what she’d wanted.
But for tonight, she was done. She had no fight left in her. So she let him follow her to Gran’s house where he was greeted with lots of old lady love and hugs. And when he sat down at the card table to be her partner, she realized something she’d never noticed before—it was only with cards in his hands that Casey was truly at ease.
He played and won the first hand—beginner’s luck. Everyone said so but she noticed his intense concentration during the game and realized that he was playing to win. And she couldn’t help feeling that earlier that evening, she’d been the one being played.
Gran was in fine form tonight, as were her friends. They were drinking some Asti Spumante that had been on sale at Walgreens and were telling tales about their youth as they sat around the card table. Casey got a glimpse of everything he’d lose if he couldn’t figure out how to make things work with Talia.
…
“Nina was the prettiest of our group,” Mona said. “She used to have all the boys tripping over themselves to impress her.”
“I was attractive when I was younger,” Gran admitted.
“You still are, Gran,” Talia said.
“Thank you, lovey,” Gran said, giving her a pat on the hand.
“But she only had eyes for one boy,” Mona continued.
“My grandfather?” Talia asked.
“Well, hmm, not exactly.”
“No,” Gran said. “And I think Mona has had enough champagne.”
“I haven’t,” Mona protested but when she set her hand on the table to take back her glass, she placed it face up. Gran gave her a stern look and Mona sank back into her seat.
Lee and Tonya, who hadn’t grown up with Gran and Mona and had only met them when they’d all moved to Glen View, didn’t say much. Everyone went on with the rest of the round as if nothing had happened.
But it was funny to see Talia’s Gran being so strict with her friend. It was something she’d never done when her father had been alive. Talia couldn’t remember a single time her grandmother had tried to stop her dad’s gambling.
“Mona, Gran told me you have a beautiful singing voice,” Talia said, trying to get the conversation going again.
“Did she? Must have been when she wasn’t in a mood,” Mona griped.
“Stop being a brat,” Gran said. “Mona was a backup singer for Tony Orlando and Dawn.”
“One of the homes I lived in had one of his albums,” Casey said.
“Homes?” Lee asked.
