Page 30 of Loving Kai

She left the room, and Abe sighed. “Dammit.” He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. “Quit being a wimp.” He left the room and went to the living room. Maggie was on the couch trying to read by the lantern light.

“I’m going to go shower, then I’m going to teach you how to play poker.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Brooding isn’t really working for me.”

“Poker sounds fun, but a shower? The water will be ice cold.”

He smiled. “A very quick shower.”

Chapter seven

“The situation is slightly awkward.”

The water in the shower was very cold, and washing his hair gave Abe a headache. He could only stay in it for a few minutes, and he was still chilled when he returned to the living room in track pants and a pullover hoodie. He put his back to the woodstove.

Maggie smiled. “How was it?”

“Refreshing.” He laughed. “Cold as hell.”

He spent a few minutes by the stove, then got a deck of cards and a rack of poker chips and brought them to the trunk in front of the couch. He dragged a chair over so he could sit across from her.

He shuffled the cards. “We are going to play Texas Hold ’em.”

They started out slow with Abe patiently explaining the rules and the subtleties of the game. Maggie caught on quickly, and when she started winning a few hands, she got excited.

She squealed as she won a hand and gathered up the poker chips.

Abe shook his head. “Beginner’s luck.”

“Maybe I’m just a really good poker player.”

“Too soon to determine that.”

“You should let me play with you on your Buchanan bro nights.”

“Not happening.”

“Why?”

“Two reasons. You’re not a Buchanan bro, and you’re a girl. No girls allowed.”

“So chauvinistic.”

“It’s just the way it is.”

“Fine.” She yawned.

“We should call it a night.”

“One more hand?”

He shook his head. “I’ve created a monster.”

They played one more, and then Maggie compared their piles of chips. Abe’s was bigger, and she scowled. “Next time, I’m going to beat you.”

“Maybe. It might take a few more rounds, though. I’ve been playing since I was a kid. But someday you might beat me. For tonight, though, hand over those chips, Scrooge McDuck.”