“That’s not the point of a fun game night.” I started to clear away the bowls and containers, loading them into the dishwasher. MeeMaw had gone to bed more than an hour ago, and I wanted to be sure she didn’t wake up to a mess. “A fun game night is supposed to be about camaraderie and a good time. No one has a good time if one person takes all the money.”
“That’s what poker is for, Shelly.”
“Poker is for people to tell funny stories. Maybe even tell some terrible jokes.” I pointed at him. “And that one you told about putting a little booger in a tissue, please don’t ever tell that one again. You seriously need some new material.” I cleared my throat. “But the point is that poker is about having fun, and this was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I was grateful, so I made sure that I didn’t win all their money.” I shrugged. “Thanks for letting me play,” I said quietly.
“But you could have won every hand,” he continued to protest.
I rocked my head from side to side. “Not every hand, but I could have won more than I did. I stopped counting after a while, and I played the same way everyone else does.”
He jabbed his index finger at me. “I knew you could count cards.”
“Do you think they liked me?” I asked, my voice so quiet that even I could barely hear it.
“What?” he said, still bustling around the kitchen.
“Never mind,” I replied. It really didn’t matter if they liked me.
Suddenly, the back door burst open and D’Shaun ran in. “I forgot my hat,” he said, out of breath.
Clark grabbed his hat from the counter where he’d left it and tossed it in his direction. It glanced off his forehead, but he caught it before it hit the floor.
“Thanks, dude.” Then D’Shaun stared at me for a long moment. I looked at Clark and he looked from D’Shaun to me and back.
“Dude,” Clark said. “Stop staring and go the fuck home.”
“I just can’t figure out how you got her.” He adjusted his hat, lifting and lowering the brim as he looked at me. “She’s beautiful and funny and smart, man. We all know you’re not worthy.”
Clark laughed. “Go home, D’Shaun.”
Suddenly D’Shaun grabbed me, wrapped his arms around me, and picked me up in the biggest hug I’d ever had. He laid a loud smack on my cheek, and then he disappeared out the door.
“They liked you,” Clark said.
Yeah, I guess they did.
“But I’m still disappointed you didn’t take all their money.”
I laughed. “Maybe next time. We’ll raise the stakes to make up for it.” I cleared my throat. “You’ve known D’Shaun the longest?” I asked. I was insanely curious about them all.
“He grew up next door to our old house.”
I pointed to the floor under my feet. “But not this house.”
“No, this is my house.”
“It’s not MeeMaw’s?”
He rolled his eyes. “No. My grandmother lives with me. I do not live with her.” He huffed out a breath. Then he
added, “Thank you very much.”
I laughed at how offended he seemed to be by my question. “What’s the difference?”
“MeeMaw fell about a year ago and broke her hip. She had to do rehab and came to stay with me. When she was better, I didn’t want her to leave.” He shrugged. “It’s not like she’s here all the time. Every few weeks, she gets tired of me and goes to visit a friend. And she spends the winter in Florida with her sister.”
“But you prefer for her to be with you.”
His voice grew soft and careful. “She took care of me when I didn’t have anybody. She didn’t even blink. She just took me in when my parents died in a car accident when I was twelve, and she never made me feel like I was a burden. I owe her everything. And I genuinely like having her here. I miss her when she’s gone.” He made that shrug again, and I was beginning to believe it was a signal that he was uncomfortable.