Read Online Heart's Desire by Laura Pedersen - Free Book Online Page B

storeroom last month so Grandpa can sell seats to a Friday night poker game.”
    “Cappy’s running a game right
here
? On Friday nights?”
    “Yeah, that’s one of the reasons he hired me to help out. A bunch of rich guys want to play this new kind of poker from Tennessee or somewhere.”
    “Texas Hold ’Em?” I don’t bother trying to hide my excitement. It’s a game where knowing the odds and how to play them can make or break a person.
    “Yeah, that’s it,” says Auggie. “I even bought some really cool black-and-white-checked cards. But Grandpa said we couldn’t use them.” His frown indicates bruised feelings as he points to a deck that looks like a stack of miniature M. C. Escher paintings.
    “You really want to use red diamondbacks in a clean game or everyone will think it’s a marked deck,” I say.
    “That’s
exactly
what Grandpa said!” Auggie appears briefly mystified.
    “Did Cappy say anything else about the game?” I ask.
    Auggie thinks for a moment, apparently sorting through all the new terminology he’s been hearing. “Oh yeah, that it’s nickel-and-dime poker.”
    “Wow!” I say. “He must be attracting some out-of-towners.”
    “Who doesn’t have fifteen cents to bet?” asks Auggie.
    “
Nickel
means five hundred and
dime
means a thousand,” I explain in a nice way.
    “Oh right—
high-rollers.
” Auggie demonstrates that he is indeed working on his lingo. “Anyway, if you want to place a bet or something, Cappy’s going to phone in soon and—”
    “Thanks, but actually no.” I unconsciously wince at the idea of going to a bookmaker to place a bet. I mean, hitting the racetrack or playing in a friendly game of poker is one thing, but being one of those people constantly on their cell phones laying action and then more often than not trying to hide losses from their families isn’t exactly the life I’ve envisioned for myself. Because if you’re on the betting end, and not the booking end, eventually the percentages are going to get the best of you. Or as Cappy likes to say in private, “You may as well waste your time voting.”
    “Over the winter Cappy called me about setting up a shop to offer rebates on bets,” I explain. “But I’ll catch up with him when he gets back.”
    “Okay,” says Auggie. “He’s coming home tomorrow night. But maybe you want to leave me some digits in the meantime.”
    Digits? As in a finger or two? Certainly Cappy hasn’t gone into
that
end of the business? And besides,
I
certainly don’t owe him any money.
    Auggie quickly notices my confusion. “You know, a phone number.”
    “Oh right,
digits
!” I can’t tell if I’ve been away from the pool hall too long, or more likely, that Auggie doesn’t sound very convincing slinging his grandfather’s slang.
    “Cappy’s got my
digits,
” I say. “Tell him that I’m back staying with the Addams Family.” At least that’s how Cappy refers to the crazy assemblage at the Stockton place.
    Auggie moves a step closer and says, “Uh, well maybe I could have ’em, too.” He flashes that stellar and completely paid-for grin and his brown eyes sparkle. “I’d love to take you to dinner some night.”
    “Oh! Sure then, okay.” I write the Stocktons’ number down on his scratch pad and head back out through the poolroom a little lighter on my feet. A man in a cowboy hat practices alone at a table near the door and it’s pleasant to hear the solid crack of a good break followed by the low thunk of balls dropping into pockets.
    And why not go out with Auggie? Ray and I never said anything about not seeing other people. In fact, I’m pretty sure that Ray
does
date other women. He always made it clear that some Saturday nights he had “business” to attend to and wasn’t interested in being asked to elaborate on what exactly that might entail. And since I hadn’t yet decided to sleep with him I didn’t exactly feel that I had a right to request monogamy.
    Besides, Auggie