Richard

“Two,” I tell Ryan and toss the cards I don’t want back at him.

Shifting his eyes from his own cards, he pushes two more over to me, and I fit them into my palm and examine the new hand. It’s shit, but I do have two sevens, so it’s not a complete loss.

Not that I care. I’m not a competitive man—at least not when it comes to poker—but hosting these get-togethers once a month at my house gives us something to do while we talk. I dart my gaze up to Ryan and then flash my eyes around the table, seeing Sonny, one of my foremen, as well as James, John, and Wilson either exchanging or rearranging cards. Everyone puts a few bucks in the middle, and Sonny raises us by three more. Everyone takes the bluff…hoping it is a bluff.

“I am not excited about my…