Chapter 17

"I'm all in."

Del doesn't budge. He stays steady with his cards fanned out in front of him, which means he's got a solid hand. For as long as we've been playing, Del never bluffs. He either plays a good hand or folds. He's always been straight-laced that way.

"Fold," Lloyd says, throwing his cards down.

The low chatter around the place is the soundtrack to our night. If I listen too closely, I'll hear some kind of bluegrass streaming on the transistor radio perched in the kitchen.

My buddy, Marcus, stares at me, trying to see if I'll give him anything. Right now, I've got a high two-pair of tens and queens. It's not enough to be going all in, but I like to play aggressively with these guys; otherwise, our poker games will go well past midnight. He gnaws on the toothpick left over from his turkey BLT, keeping his eyes on me, but I just stare back at him. I'm unbothered and ready to take his money tonight. I don't have any tells.

Lloyd lets out a low whistle as he looks over my head toward the front of Hooch's. "This ought to be good."

They all turn around to see who might have shown up. I'm hoping it's not Marla's ex. The last time that happened during our poker night, we spent most of it cleaning up shattered plates and glasses.

A familiar voice pulls my attention to the front dining counter. "What do you mean, I can't order?"

"Exactly what I said, big city. You're not a local, so you may not order here. This is a locals-only establishment," Marla says. She's nasty when she wants to be. Especially to out-of-towners. Standing there with one hand on her hip and a bored look on her face, Marla chews on her wad of sunflower seeds as Laney dishes a glare right back.

"There's no way that's legal," she snarks, dropping her arm full of shopping bags to the floor. "And what is considered local? I live here"—she twirls her finger in the air—"in Fiasco." She looks around the room but hasn't seen me yet. We're in the far back corner, the typical booth for poker nights. The way I can't keep my eyes off of her is a problem, but fuck it, I can't seem to curb the new habit.

Marla doesn't let up, and it pisses me off. "My money is on you passing through. Not staying put, which makes you a tourist. Part-timer at best. Not a local." She grabs a pitcher of water and a small plastic cup, fills it, and places it on the counter. "You can have water."

I've only been here a handful of times when Marla's shown people the exit. I never understood why she'd turn away money like that, but folks in Fiasco are territorial and, most of the time, kind of assholes. Most tourists have no interest in having food at a restaurant in the back of a gas station. Little do most of them know it's some of the best food in town, but that's beside the point. I never liked the idea of turning away people who didn't belong, but now I'm annoyed that Laney's on the other end of it.

"Isn't that girl the one you were complaining was your new neighbor?" Del asks.

I throw down my cards as I stand. "Two pair."

"Dammit, Foxx," I hear from behind me.

Laney catches my movements and looks relieved to see me. She lets out a sigh and says, "Grant, can you please tell this woman that I am not a tourist?"

I look down at the pile of bags, all from Loni's boutique and some from the soap store that connects to the flower shop. As I lean into her space, she takes a small step back, but I keep her from moving farther when I lightly press my hand along her lower back. She sucks in the tiniest breath as I say, "You're going to owe me."

Her eyes track from my arm that's wrapped behind her, then up to my eyes. She searches for what those words could mean. But then, she spins the tables on me with one small glance from my eyes down to my lips. That's all it takes to know that this woman has done something to me that not a single other person has—made me want them. Without confirmation, I turn back toward Marla, who first has a look of confusion that morphs into a what the hell was that? glare. And I bet that if I looked around the room, everyone would be paying attention to the way Grant Foxx just came to the rescue of the new girl in town.

"Marla, this is Laney Young. She's staying at our guest house. For a while." I give her a look again. "Foxx property," I say with a smirk. She whips her head from Marla to me with that comment. "She's here for some food and a few hands of poker with the guys and me."

Marla stares at where my arm disappears behind Laney's back for a moment, but then that's all it takes for Marla to stand down. "You got it, Grant." This is going to queue up a phone tree of gossip by the end of the day, but I'll deal with that later. Marla looks at Laney as sweet as tea now. All that piss and vinegar in her attitude is long forgotten. "What'll you have?"

I answer for her because I'm having too much fun messing with her. "She'll have a hot brown and we'll take an extra mug when you come by with a fresh pitcher."

Picking up her bags from the floor, I start walking toward the booth.

"Let's go, Honey."

I hear her mumble behind me, "Not your honey, cowboy."

"Noted." I smirk back at her, clearing my throat as we reach our spot. "Gentleman, we have a fifth for tonight. This is the newest hire at Foxx Bourbon. Laney Young, meet the guys."

Lloyd snorts a laugh while Del covers his smirk with a cough. Marcus is the only one who stands, offering her a handshake and a place at the table. "Miss Laney, it's a pleasure. I'm Marcus. Any chance you good enough to beat our boy Grant at some poker?"

She smiles and scoots into the large horseshoe-shaped booth. "Maybe I'll have some new player luck on my side," she says while she shimmies into the center. The guys each introduce themselves, and I take the only seat rounding out our circle.

Del shuffles the deck and tells her, "It's a fifty-dollar buy-in, but if you'd like, you can sit out the first couple of hands if you need to see how the game works."

"That would be great. It's been a long time since I've played," she says as she rights herself in her seat. "Is this a regular thing, or is it a special night out?"

Lloyd chimes in, "We used to play down at the precinct on quiet nights."

"You boys are all police officers?"

"I was fire department," Marcus answers.

"All of us are retired now," Del says as he fingers through his hand.

I can feel her attention on me as we make our way around the dealt hand. She knows I was a cop, but I like that she doesn't know the whole story. Or how I took an early retirement because I couldn't do my job after everything that happened. It's nice that there's one person around here who doesn't instantly give a sympathetic smile or an assuming nod. A woman who doesn't see a man who couldn't keep someone he loved safe.

Two pitchers and a clean plate later, it's evident that Laney's new-to-poker status was a big fucking lie. She's already put Marcus and Del all-in after their second buy-in, and I'm down to just a few chips more than Lloyd.

"Raise," she says, splashing the pot with four more chips.

I look over at Lloyd, and I can tell by the way he's been twirling the corner of his mustache that he's bluffing. My guess is he's got a pair at best. She has a small tell; it's minor, but I've witnessed it enough times now that I knew she was bluffing. Both times she cleared her throat and touched her neck, she either folded or won the hand by everyone else folding. I watch her closely, trying hard not to stare too long at her dark lashes or the way her lips stay wet after she takes a sip.

"You going to call, cowboy, or is this too steep for you?"

Del sniffs out a laugh. "Cowboy?"

She rests her fist on her chin, staring at me when she says, "He's got the ornery, tough guy thing going for him. And the horse. Just needs the hat."

Marcus and Lloyd start laughing.

She can joke all she wants, but I'm waiting to see that tell again. I rest my hand on my chin, rubbing my thumb across my lip, mimicking her body language. I want to let a little bit of silence make her uncomfortable. Let"s see if she'll give me something. And a moment later, she does. She glides the tips of her fingers along the side of her neck like she's feeling for something—her tell.

"I'm all in."

Marcus scoffs. "Fuck. Alright, let"s get this over with. It's late."

She pushes all her chips in the center, with only a small stack left. "I think I may have just figured you out," she says to me. I drag my sweaty palm down my pant leg. Her tone is too confident to be holding a bad hand. And it's right then and there that I realize I've made a mistake. She was playing me.

I flip my flush.

She smiles. "Nicely done." But I know she's got me beat with that look on her face.

"Let's see it, honey."

She flips her cards. Royal flush.

Del and Lloyd hoot and laugh like me losing is the funniest thing they've seen in a long time. Marcus leans over and asks, loud enough for the whole table to hear, "We got played, didn't we?"

I keep my eyes locked on her as she starts stacking the chips. "We sure fucking did."

"Gentlemen, thank you for the game." She looks back at me, not breaking eye contact, and, fuck, do I feel it everywhere. Like a current that's just been flipped on, and it's rearing for more. "And your company. It means more to me than you know to have some fun for a little while." Del pays out her winnings as Marcus gathers the chips and organizes them back in his case. "Excuse me for a moment."

A few minutes later, Laney returns from the ladies' room. "Marla," Del calls out in the almost empty restaurant. "Can we settle up the bill?"

She shouts back, "All set. It's been covered."

We all zero in on Laney. None of us expected it. And in one small, selfless move, the little liar may have just made friends for life with these guys. Getting their asses handed to them by an unsuspecting woman and getting their dinner and drinks paid for, she's going to be all they talk about for weeks.

"Mind giving me a ride?"

"You walked?" It's at least a three-mile hike from our house to the center of town.

"I like walking. Helps clear my head and explore Fiasco at the same time." She moves to pick up her bag, but I beat her to it.

"Feels like you bought out the whole store." Dropping the bags in the bed of my truck, I move around to open her door.

"I got paid today." She smiles proudly. "Even before I took all your money." As she hops in the cab of the truck, my eyes follow her ass hitting the seat. I clear my throat and shut her door, telling myself to calm the fuck down.

The rest of the quick ride is silent. Between the flirting and unanswered questions, I'm all over the place with how I should be around her. It felt wrong to try to romance the truth out of her, but I want to know what the hell she's doing in Fiasco. "Stay right there for me," I say, hopping out of my side.

I open her door and she gives me a questioning look. "You wanted me to stay right there so you could open my door for me? That's a real thing?"

"Yeah, Laney, that's a real thing."

She slides down, and I take an immediate step back. If I stand too close, I'll do something stupid like close the distance and kiss that pretty fucking mouth of hers.

Looking up at me, those blue eyes meet mine, and I swear they sparkle. "Have a nightcap with me?"

I don't know why it catches me off guard. It's one thing to flirt and push, but to step up and take what I want...I don't know what the right call is here. I haven't been with anyone in this long for a reason. "I...um..." I stutter out as we grab her bags out of the truck.

"It's okay if you'd rather not. I won't hold it against you," she says playfully, with a smirk.

Fuck, what am I doing?

She's exactly the kind of woman I'd want if I thought being in a relationship wouldn't end up in a flaming disaster. We would be fucking fire together; there's no doubt about that. The skin along her neck flutters with her rapid pulse. Her red lips slightly part and I think about all of the things I'd like to have glide along them. Yeah, she'd probably be the best I would ever have. But I wouldn't be satisfied with just fucking her. And that's the problem. I've been ignoring the way I can't stop myself from looking for her in the mornings, then at the distillery, and glancing to see if her light is off before I go to bed. I haven't been able to stop thinking about what brought her here. Or the way I'm going to be pissed off if she's not okay and in real trouble.

She looks down at her fidgeting fingers before she lifts her chin and steps a little closer. "I know a nightcap could mean a lot of things, so let me make it clear for you, Grant."

Shuffling closer, the dirt and gravel shifting under her feet makes the move sound as loud as it feels. "I'm starting to like you. But whenever I'm around you, I can't figure out if you're trying to catch me in a lie or eye-fucking me."

I bark out a laugh, squinting one eye. "If it's both?"

It's the truth. She pulls in a deep breath, her chest rising slowly. "Alright. I'd like to be friends, then." But it's the way she exhales and forces a smile that doesn't reach her eyes that has me hating the idea of friends even more. "What do you say?"

I shake my head no and grind down on my teeth. What I really want and the smart move here are wildly different things. "I don't need any more friends, Laney." Taking a small step back, I clear my throat. Keeping some distance is the right call. I need to pump the brakes. I rub at the back of my neck, and when I look back at her, she's biting her lip like she's stopping herself from laughing.

I tilt my head to the side. "That"s amusing?"

"Do you know how I beat you at that poker game?" Her grin grows into a full-blown smile as she starts walking back toward her cottage.

I wait for her to say more, but she keeps stepping backwards, that smile never faltering. She's looking at me like she's got me all figured out.

"Are you going to tell me?" I shout, since she's almost to her front porch.

"I can tell when you're lying, Grant Foxx," she shouts back.

The distance between us is wider now, yet the pull between us feels like it's growing stronger.

A smirk tugs at my lips at the way she's so impressed with herself. "Is that right?"

She nods, head tilting with that bright smile.

I'm playing with fire here, but holy hell, is she fun to play with. "Laney, there's no way that being your friend would ever be enough for me."

Eyes widening, her mouth opens slightly.

It takes every ounce of my willpower to turn away from her. My body screams at me with every step that brings me closer to my front door. I don't look back over my shoulder or check to see if her lights are out before mine tonight; otherwise, I'll rush right back to her, slam my mouth to hers, and fuck the truth right out of both of us.