Page 58 of Chasing Sunsets

I turn to Tabby, who is seated at the table. “What shall we do now?” I ask.

She reaches for a fortune cookie and breaks it open. “Let’s see what the cookie writer has to say.” She pops one of the broken pieces of cookie into her mouth while retrieving the slip of paper. After stretching it out, she reads aloud the hidden message,“Keep chasing sunsets.” She looks up at me and smiles. “Sounds like a solid suggestion to me.”

I nod. “I’ll grab a bottle of wine and a cold beer and meet you on the deck.”

She sits across from me in one of the outdoor chairs, a small table separating us. Her legs tucked under her and she’s wearing one of my hoodies over her bikini. She looks effortlessly beautiful, her sun-kissed skin glowing under the porch lights. I reach for the bottle and pour the last of the pinot into her glass. We’ve been sitting here, watching the sunset, just enjoying the late summer night.

I stretch my legs out, cracking open a fresh beer. “All right, we’ve had a great day—painting, food, and our first coed shower.”

“It was literally just us scrubbing paint off each other,” she quips.

“But I think it’s time we make this night legendary.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Not sure Parker and Audrey can handle much more,” she says. And I smirk. “What are you up to?”

“One simple word—poker.”

She groans, “I’m not a gambler.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll teach you,” I say.

She gives me a look. “Right.”

“Bet I’m better at teaching you how to play poker than you are at teaching me how to paint.”

She huffs. “I can’t help you’re an impossible student. Besides, I don’t trust you, Anson Leggett. I’ve heard you cheat, and I’m not crazy enough to lose my money.”

I press a hand to my chest, feigning offense. “Wow. You wound me. But I was actually thinking”—I pause for dramatic effect—“strip poker.”

Tabby blinks at me. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack.” I give her my best roguish grin. “Think about it. A friendly competition, a little high-stakes excitement, and if I play my cards right—literally—you’ll be forced to remove that hoodie, which is a tragic crime against your bikini.”

Glancing around, she brings her eyes back to me. “You have neighbors who can see us.”

I shrug. “Nothing they haven’t seen before. Besides, I’ll take it easy on you.”

She smirks, tilting her head. “You really think this is going to go the way you want it to, don’t you?”

I nod. “Oh, I know it is.”

She sighs like she’s doing me a favor. “Fine.”

I rub my hands together. “Perfect. Prepare to be absolutely destroyed,” I say.

I run to fetch the deck of cards and throw on another layer of clothing. Then I deal the first hand.

Ten minutes later, I am sitting in nothing but my swim trunks.

Tabby, on the other hand, has lost exactly one article.

One.

An anklet.

That she deliberately chose to remove.

I blink at the cards in my hand, trying to understand how this has happened.

---