Page 32 of Love or Leave

He shook his head with a laugh. "I thought you'd lost your mind when you blinked twice. I had the left bauer, a nine, a ten, and a queen off suit."

She laughed and stood. "I know."

He stood and shook his head. "You gotta teach me."

"I will," she said. "But we have one more round before—"

A loud double ping went off, stopping her train of thought. What the hell?

"Was that both of our phones? At the same time?"

What were the odds?

She pulled her phone from her purse as Antonio took his from his pocket, and they realized what had happened.

"Adam started a group chat," Antonio said, looking up at her with wide eyes.

She winced and accepted the invitation, then read the message.

Adam: Where is everyone? Can you come to Chelsea's? We've got news. Also, how do we not have a group chat yet?

Shit.

She glanced at Antonio, who'd paled to a shade whiter than the cards.

"It's okay," she said. "We can play cards together, can't we?"

Antonio shook his head. "I promised your brother I wouldn't go anywhere near you."

She narrowed her eyes. "I want to know why he doesn't trust you."

He ignored her demand and started walking toward the doors. But she stayed firm.

When he realized he'd been walking alone, he turned and came back with his shoulders drawn. He looked around, then leaned closer.

"He thinks I'm a douchebag for cheating on Sara."

She pulled back from him as her eyes doubled. "Sara? Your neighbour?"

Antonio nodded, regret marring all of his features. "For the record, I also think I'm a douchebag."

Cara folded in on herself a little. "You cheated on her?"

Antonio gave another solemn nod.

"Why did you do it?"

He winced and gave a hard, obvious swallow. "Fran showed up at my place one night and told me she was having second thoughts, and I…"

He trailed off, but she got the gist.

She stared at him for a long moment and put herself in his shoes. She didn't think he was a bad guy, but obviously she agreed with the consensus. It was a douchebag move.

It now made more sense why Sara warned her away from Antonio in the hallway. But she didn't need a warning. She and Antonio were only friends.

Barely even that.

"You think I'm awful now, don't you?"

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