Too late. Now she'd be watching him even more closely, looking for hints he might actually like her. And what would she do with that, anyway? She knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of unwelcome attention from someone you worked with.
"Eh, you're probably right. He's a massive grouch." Lucinda gasped. "Wait—oh my god. You're in a romance trope! He's the grump and you're the sunshine."
A loud thump came through the phone, followed by Lucinda's laughter.
"Luce? You okay?"
"Yeah, sorry. I laughed so hard I fell off the bed."
Claire rolled her eyes. "Just so you know, you are not making me feel better." Time for a topic change. "Okay, forget about Mr. Raines." She sat up straighter. "Are you coming for Thanksgiving or not? The Crawford Cookers are doing a Friendsgiving. Brinnie's organizing it, and there's gonna be a ton of food."
Lucinda's laughter trailed off. "I really wanted to, but we're supposed to roll out a major update the week after and aren't anywhere near ready. We're all working around the clock to get there. This is my first night off in weeks. I'm afraid I have to miss this year. Say hi to your dad for me, though. And Miss Brinnie!"
Claire frowned. It would have been nice to have Lucinda over for the holiday. But she knew how crazy it was when rolling out new versions, and she felt bad for her friend. "I will. Sorry you can't come. We'll plan something for another weekend. Hopefully Christmas."
"Sounds good. Now get to bed. I can hear the yawns you're trying to cover up."
"Night, Luce. Love you."
"Back at ya. Sweet dreams about Mr. Grumpy Pants."
Claire opened her mouth to respond, but Lucinda had already hung up.
"Full house." Noah laid down his cards and reached for the pile of chips. He grinned when Larry threw down his cards in disgust and Rick got up to refill his drink.
"You're lucky tonight," Larry griped.
Noah snorted. "Or you're unlucky. You've been folding hand after hand." He grabbed the deck and shuffled for a new round. Technically Rick was the next dealer, but he could start the shuffle for him while the man got the drinks situated.
Jenny, her legs draped over the arms of the easy chair in Rick's temporary living room, chimed in. "Larry's perpetually unlucky." She turned another page of her book.
"Hey, at least I'm still in the game. You flamed out half an hour ago." He patted the pockets on his shirt and grinned when Jenny flipped him off. "I need a smoke break. Five minutes?"
"Yep. Bio break, everyone." Noah stood and stretched. "Hey, Jack, thanks for joining us tonight. I didn't know you played poker." He addressed the big guy from the Houston IT department whom he'd met before, but never spent time with.
"Yeah, we've held tournaments before at my place. When Larry told me y'all play regularly, I thought I'd see if you guys wanted to join us the next time we have one."
Rick handed him a beer, and he nodded thanks. "How does a tourney work at your house?"
"Similar to here with the twenty-dollar buy in. We set up several tables and randomly assign you to one, then you play until you're out. Once someone wins each table, we go to round two."
Noah moved to the kitchen, where everyone had chipped in for snacks. The layout in Rick's place matched his. Monthly rent for corporate housing was cheaper in Houston than paying weekly hotel rates for the group, so they all had one-bedroom apartments at a complex in the Galleria area. Their living quarters were within walking distance of eating places and other conveniences, and—because not everyone got a rental car—they carpooled to work every day.
Five minutes later, Larry was back, and the next hand was in play. Noah folded and watched Rick take Larry's remaining chips.
"When are we going to invite the little hottie to our poker night?" Larry asked.
Here we go, Noah thought as he glared at Larry. It happened every time. Once Larry was out of the game, he grew bored. And when he was bored, he liked to stir up shit with everyone. Most days, it was all good fun, but sometimes he picked the wrong person or the wrong topic to poke at.
Jack's brows lifted in surprise and Del grunted as he dealt the next hand.
"I'm already here, darling," Jenny spoke up from the couch again, then giggled. Noah spied her empty margarita glass on the floor and realized she'd practically inhaled her last drink.
"No more tequila for you, Jen," he said.
"Yes, father." More giggles sounded from the couch and Noah shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips.
"I'm talking about the redhead. We should invite her. I'd like to take some of her money." Larry waggled his eyebrows.
