Page 71 of Tell Me All Your Lies

He takes a sip of his own drink and sets it back down on the table.

“Cordelia won’t expect you to know everything. We’ll make it clear that you and I met through the circles if needed, but you aren’t a card expert.”

“Right.”

“She will expect you to have a basic understanding of how counting cards works.”

“That’s not something everyone can do?”

Grant laughs lightly.

“No, love. That’s not something everyone can do and certainly not well.”

There’s that nickname again.

“As long as I’m not expected to know how to do it well in this time frame.”

“Someone like you will have no issue picking up this skill. Watch.”

My heart flutters from the compliment, but I don’t show any reaction. He’s right; someone in my line of work and at the caliber he and I operate should have no issue picking this up.

I shouldn’t be taking it as a compliment specific to me as a person. It’s my job to learn things like this quickly.

“Okay, ready to watch and learn.”

“You did really well.I’m just as impressed as I knew I would be,” he says.

We’re both sitting on the couch after hours of him running through counting cards, mucking cards at poker, and other tricks.

“Thank you,” I say with a sigh.

“Tired?”

“A bit. It was all good to know. It’s just…”

Grant lets his arm leaning at the top of the couch fall, and his fingers graze the tip of mine.

“It’s what?”

“I get that in our line of work, we deal with these types of people. It just seems like all of this is more work than becoming proficient at playing the different card games, that’s all.”

Grant pulls his arm back slightly.

“You’re not wrong about that.”

“But, I know this is the surefire way to win. And that’s all they’re thinking about.”

“Especially when you play in casinos like the ones Cordelia owns.”

“Right.”

I chew on my bottom lip.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s an interesting one. I wouldn’t have assumed the person I was chasing all this time would be her. She just doesn’t fit the profile of the Kingpin I’ve been trying to find.”

Grant nods in understanding.

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