In Spades (The Beaufort Poker Club, #4)

by Maggie C. Gates

There weren’t many things I was great at, but if holding grudges was an Olympic sport, I’d be a gold medalist. The chip on my shoulder could win a world record.

“It’s a guest room, not my bedroom.” “Then what—” “A while back, I asked you a question,” he said, gently squeezing my biceps. “Do you remember when I asked you if you could have anything in the world right now, what would it be?” I nodded. “Do you remember your answer?” “Yeah,” I said, noticing that the bed was turned down. A bottle of wine and a glass sat on the nightstand. “A nap.” Will handed me the overnight bag and nudged me through the threshold. “The door locks from the inside.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m gonna head downstairs and make dinner. In about an hour, we’ll eat. Figured it’ll give you a little time to nap and relax. Have some wine if you want.”

“You’re walking around with your heart boarded up like you’re waiting for a storm to roll in.” Our noses bumped and brushed, and her eyelids fluttered shut. “The storm is over, Sunshine," I said softly. "It’s time to take the boards down.”

Hannah pointed to Erica. “She and Steve get it on so much they literally made a new person.” Erica laid her hand on her growing baby bump and shrugged. “A girl can only swallow so many times.”

“Just because you’re resilient doesn’t mean you’re not hurting.”

“Me and Will together makes a relationship. You and someone Luca's age makes a felony.” Kylie smirked. “My favorite color is morally gray.” “Oh Lord,” I muttered while Will stifled a laugh.

“Check your price tag. You’re not on clearance. You are top shelf, sweetheart.”

“You kids these days wait too long, thinking you need to have your whole life figured out before you let yourself fall in love. The point is to fall in love, then figure the rest out together.”

“Don’t bother yourself with the opinions of unimportant people. Unimportant people are quick to criticize and slow to support. It's a pity that people are so concerned with cramming love into a one-size-fits-all box instead of just celebrating it.”

“Love isn’t about what you have to offer; it’s about who you are.” I pulled her closer, tipping her chin up until she locked eyes with me in the dim light. “You’re worthy of love.” I leaned down and kissed her. Kristin’s lips were soft and supple. “All five of you. And before you say it’s too soon, let me tell you something, Sunshine. People are too stingy with saying I love you. There’s nothing mature or enlightened about withholding love and not telling someone how you feel. The only person who loses out is you because you don’t get their love in return.”

“C’mon, Sunshine,” Will said, lacing his fingers through mine. “I pre-gamed with a handful of Tums. If I don’t get something deep-fried soon, it’ll all be for nothing.”

“You’ll never be too much for someone who can’t get enough of you.”

No one ever wandered into being a better version of themselves. You have to take control of your life instead of being a bystander in your own story.”

“Three tablespoons of apple butter … two ounces of bourbon … quarter ounce of Fireball…” He put everything in a shaker and mixed it over his shoulder for a few seconds before setting it aside. “…cinnamon sugar rim on your glass…” He ran an orange slice around the rim of the rocks glass, then turned it over into a dish of cinnamon sugar. “…apple butter liquor goes in over ice…” He grabbed a ginger beer from the cooler and popped the top, filling the glass to just below the sugar rim. “Ginger beer on top, and a cinnamon stick and apple slice to garnish.”

Women had a way of dropping into your life, turning everything upside down like a tornado, and then magically making everything ten times better. They could repaint a gray existence in technicolor.

What the hell was I supposed to say… Nice to meet you? See you at the office on Monday? Kristin doesn’t know we used to share a bed? Thanks for giving the ring back, Ellie? Please die in a ditch?

“Love is a natural disaster. The moment we think we’ve got our lives all figured out, love comes in with an unexplainable divine force and turns everything upside down. It’s one of the few things in life that can’t be calculated or controlled, and that’s the point. You just have to go with it.”