CHAPTER THREE
“I’ll take two,” Jeffrey said, removing two cards from his hand and laying them facedown into the discard pile.
“Two it is,” Frank said. Performing his due diligence as dealer, he plucked the first two cards off the top of the deck and slid them over to Jeffrey. “And to the lady?” he asked.
“Just one,” she said. Working on a flush, she removed the one off-suit card and tossed it into the discard pile. Frank handed her one card back, a diamond that did not complete her heart-flush.
Ava sat across from Jeffrey, eyeing him suspiciously. On the other side of the kitchen table, Jeffrey sat beside Frank. Jeffrey was holding five playing cards in his hand and Frank was leaning over to whisper something into his ear. Frank managed to also eye Ava the entire time he whispered to Jeffrey.
Jeffrey had been asking to learn how to play poker for a few days now. Apparently, some kids at school had picked the game up from their fathers and the idea of a card game that could be played by both grown-ups and kids was very appealing to him. It was evident in the cunning smile on his face as Frank helped him to work on his hand. Smiling subtly, Frank finally backed away from the boy’s ear.
She looked over to Jeffrey and learned right away that her son did not have a poker face. He was grinning from ear to ear and nudging Frank conspiratorially. Frank then whispered into the boy’s ear again and they both regarded the small pile of buttons they were using for their wagers.
“All in!” Jeffrey said, pushing all of the buttons they’d taken from the sewing kit to the center of the table.
Knowing that it was nearing his bedtime, Ava grinned and matched him. “Oh, I think you’re bluffing.” She pushed her buttons to the center of the table as well. “What do you have?”
Jeffrey cheerfully laid down his hand to reveal that he had a full house—three jacks and two nines.
“Well played!” Ava said, showing her busted flush. “Now when you get caught up in the gambling scene later in life, hopefully Mr. Frank will be there to bail you out.”
Jeffrey swept all of the buttons up and brought them over to his side. “Sorry to take all your buttons, Mom.”
“Eh, I’m a good sport about losing. No big deal to me. Now, enjoy your winnings and get to the bathroom and get ready for bed.”
“Okay,” he said with a tone of disappointment. “Thanks for the help, Mr. Frank!”
“Any time!”
Jeffrey made his way slowly out of the kitchen, sighing deeply as a last complaint that he wasn’t ready for the night to be over. Frank reached across the table and took one of Ava’s hands in his. “Are you really that bad at poker or did you just want to get him to bed?”
“Both,” she said.
“That’s sweet. Hey…can I tell you something?”
“Of course.”
“I feel strange being here without your father here. Especially with Jeffrey about to go to bed.”
“There’s no need to worry,” she said. “I don’t intend to let you take advantage of me.”
“No, no, it’s not that—though that is a little disappointing. I don’t know…I know it’s your apartment and he’s only living here, but still. I mean, you’re his daughter and if he’s under the same roof as you…”
“Well, if you like, you can run that by him when he gets home. Although I don’t think it’ll be much of an issue for much longer. This new fighter he’s training has the goods to go all the way. A real tough bruno, from the way Dad tells it. He’s being paid really well for his training.”
Jeffrey came rushing back into the room. He came around to Ava’s side of the table and leaped up into her lap. He was getting big, getting heavy. And as he was going on nine years of age, she ate these moments up. Who was to know how much longer he’d find it acceptable to sit in his mother’s lap?
“Head on back, and I’ll be there in a second, okay?”
He nodded, kissed her cheek, and got down. When he passed by Frank, Frank gave him a manly pat on the back, which seemed to send Jeffrey off happy. Ava followed Jeffrey and they went through their nightly routine: Ava crawled into bed with him for a few minutes, he said his nightly prayers, and Ava tucked him in.
“Hey, Mom?” Jeffrey asked as she made her way to the door. “Is Mr. Frank going to be living with us soon?”
“No, sweetie. Why would you think that?”
“I dunno. He’s here a lot now. I was just wondering.”
“Is it okay with you that he’s here all the time?”