Page 38

Olivia

I am on a roll.

I offer a small smile across the dinner table. It’s just secretive enough to make Crew narrow his eyes over his hand of cards. He can’t read me, and the longer he tries, the closer I feel to winning.

Bullshit isn’t about having the best cards. It’s just about having better ones… and right now, I’ve got Crew Warden right where I want him.

“I call bullshit,” he says, laying his cards flat. My heart stalls for all of a moment until I lay down my last card. An ace.

“Whoo!” Theresa stands, hollering at the top of her lungs as Jimmy claps. I bow as the game ends, doing a small victory twirl. “You beat the unbeatable!”

I reach across the table as Crew unfolds his arms, smiling. I give his hand a stern shake. “I may have lied when I said I’ve only played once.”

“Beginner’s luck,” he denies as Theresa hollers again. She doesn’t even care that she lost too- she only cares that he didn’t win.

“Beginner’s luck, my ass. She cooked you. Twice!”

“Thank you, thank you.” I bow and smile when Jimmy finishes clapping.

“She got you good.”

Crew smirks, leaning back in his seat, apparently content with his loss. “She did.”

“How does it feel to lose?” I tease, staring at him head-on.

Theresa merely laughs. “I think I love her,” she whispers as she offers a double-high-five.

He stands slowly, leaning across the table until we’re less than a foot apart. “I didn’t lose.” He draws back, taking his coffee cup to the sink as I gape after him.

I won two games. Fair and square .

“What does that mean?” I gape.

He shrugs as he leans against the sink. “It means you have a tell.”

“I do not,” I avidly deny, but… the truth is that I probably do.

Theresa laughs at our banter, moving to stand behind Jimmy. She squeezes his shoulders gingerly, and he leans into her touch lovingly. “Alright, you two. We’re gonna call it a night.”

“Of course,” I say smiling as I grab their dishes. Jimmy stands, and Crew crosses the room, offering his arm to his Dad. Jimmy glances at the help but accepts it begrudgingly.

“I got it, Ma,” Crew says, and when she moves toward the sink to do the dishes, I move to stop her.

“Please, let me. It’s the least I can do.”

She sighs happily, stepping back. “Would you look at that? Princess treatment. Thank you.” She leans in to hug me quickly. “See you in the morning.”

Crew helps his dad to the door before offering an appreciative glance my way and disappearing with them.

It doesn’t take long to clear the sink and wipe the kitchen until it’s sparkling clean. By then, they’re still upstairs, so I decide to flip off the lights and head to the guest house.

The chilly air is crisp, but I welcome the sight of the inky night sky as I step onto the porch. The pine trees loom like giants on the skyline, the wind blowing my hair over my neck.

When I step into the guest house, I decide to shower, rinsing off and quickly scrubbing my hair. Crew still isn’t back by the time I change into a long tee-shirt and shorts. I make a routine of washing and drying my face and then lacing my hair into a braid as I settle in bed.

I still don’t know how this… sleeping arrangement is going to work, but I pause as the door opens downstairs. Crew checks the whole house before I hear his footsteps on the stairs. He appears just as I tie a pretty pink bow off in my hair.

“Hi,” I sigh.

“Hey.”

When he steps fully into the room, it suddenly feels a hundred times smaller. Even more so when he walks to his duffle and reaches inside for a change of clothes. I see him casually unlatch his holster, hiding the gun beneath a couch cushion almost out of habit.

It makes me wonder whether he always sleeps armed.

“Your mom asked if I could help with the garden tomorrow morning.”

He chuckles. “You’ll probably be at that all day.”

I smile, looking down at my hands. “I don’t mind.”

“Think I might try to work on some of the reno for my Dad. He’s got an appointment later this week too. So I have a feeling I’ll keep busy.”

I nod slowly, scratching at the bandage around my hand. “I’ll take the couch, Crew.”

He sweeps his hair back, eyes glowing with amusement. “Goodnight, Liv.”

Liv . He hasn’t called me that before.

Before I can react, he steps into the bathroom, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I have a feeling he’d move me if I tried to sleep on the couch, so without another thought, I lift the duvet and crawl into bed, switching off the light before allowing exhaustion to pull me under.