laughed and begin filling plates as they seated themselves around the table. Rhett handed her a beer.
“No, I think I’ll pass. I’m going to head home. You’ve got things covered here.”
“You outdid yourself today, Cassie. I can tell this is going to work out great for both of us.”
“What time would you like me here tomorrow? I’ve made a list of the things I want us to talk about.”
“Nine is good if traffic works for you. But remember, you’re not punching a clock around with me.”
“I know.” She picked up her purse and the keys to the Range Rover.
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving?” Darin asked.
“Me. Not the food. You guys plug away.”
“No, seriously. Stay and play,” Darin begged. “You do play poker?”
“I’m afraid not in a high stakes game like this.”
Chris laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding. I’m a fireman. This is not the big leagues, Cassie, else my wife wouldn’t let me be here.”
“Really?”
Rhett nodded. “We play for the fun of it. The most anyone’s ever lost might be twenty bucks in a night. We play in order to get together and have a little fun.”
She shook her head. “You don’t want me horning in on your party, guys.”
“Hey, we need someone better to look at than Darin. Frankly, I’m sick of his perfect hair and chiseled cheekbones,” Ken teased.
“You look at dead people all the time,” Darin fought back. “You should be glad you get to look at handsome me who’s actually alive and not some actor playing dead on a slab at autopsy.”
Rhett looked at Cassie. “See? We love having fun.”
“Come on, General. Pull up a chair. You can help me cheat if you don’t know how to play,” Breck said.
“Them’s fightin’ words to a Texan, Breck O’Dell,” Cassie proclaimed, putting on a thick accent. “We play poker in the womb if’n there’s more than one of us in there. If not, we learn Texas Hold ‘Em in the hospital nursery. Bring it on, boys.”
Everyone got settled, food in hand, cards dealt, and the game was on. Cassie thought Rhett was right. These guys completed one hand maybe every ten minutes. The rest was spent picking at each other, teasing, and gossiping like cheerleaders in the bathroom on prom night.
In other words, she had a blast.
It didn’t hurt that she got plenty lucky, either. By the end of the night, she had bested every man at the table, some more than twice.
“Lady Luck was on your side, Cassie,” Ken told her. “I think you two ganged up on us men tonight.”
“I’m beat and broke,” Chris proclaimed. “Plus, Rhonda expected me home about twenty minutes ago.”
The men began standing and muttering goodnights. Cassie started clearing the table.
“No,” Rhett stopped her. “You prepared everything. Breck and I’ll clean up. Head on home. Make it ten tomorrow morning. This was a late night for a first day.”
“Okay,” she agreed, always willing to leave dirty dishes in someone else’s hands. “See you then.”
She walked out with Zak and Leo, who told her he’d sneaked a peek in the fridge and approved of all the fresh fruits and vegetables she’d purchased.
“Rhett eats pretty well. I don’t mind him falling off the wagon with some queso and chips every now and then. Breck’s the one you have to watch. He is a junk food king.”
“I’ll keep him in line. Treats only when he’s good.”
Zak walked her to the Rover. “Jolene doing any standup next week?”
“I’m not sure. We’ve been hit and miss seeing each other for a couple of days now. Why?”
“I’d like to come by and see her act. Say hi.”
“Oh, Zak, she would love that. She really thinks you’re talented. We both do.”
“Talented enough to go out with me?”
Cassie hesitated.
“Whoops. I see the deer in the headlights look. Never mind, Cassie.”
“No, Zak. You just came out of left field on that one. To be honest, I don’t know if it’s something Rhett would approve of.”
“So Hotshot runs your life now?” Zak challenged.
“No, but he is my boss. You’re his friend. It’s not as if we move in the same circles.”
“Come on, Cassie. I told you I was having trouble paying my rent last week. Besides, Rhett isn’t like that. He’ll always be my friend. Whether I make it or not.”
“He might draw a line between his friends being my friends. I don’t know him well enough after one day’s employment to second guess him on that. Can I pass for now, Zak? And think about it?”