One of the Guys

by Jessica Strassner

  “Tell her good luck!” Kate said. Lucy grabbed her iced coffee and her purse and scurried to the door.

  “Congratulations!” Danielle called after her.

  “That’s so exciting,” Candy said.

  Kate had to agree. The group of three enjoyed their iced coffees and listened to an older gentleman playing an acoustic guitar for awhile before Danielle asked where they were going next.

  “We could always go grab a drink somewhere,” Kate suggested.

  The three girls walked back to their cars and drove to the Sand Bar. Heads turned as Kate and Danielle followed Candy to a table. Danielle went to the bar to get the first round of drinks. When she returned, she came trailing Max, Chris, and Kevin behind her.

  “Well, this is a surprise!” Candy exclaimed, getting up and giving Max a hug. Max sat down in her chair and pulled Candy into his lap.

  “We called off the poker game,” Kevin explained, pulling up a chair next to Kate. “Jackson went to the hospital to be there with Lucy’s family for the baby.”

  Chris dragged a chair next to Kate and nudged her. “I thought you said you had a date.”

  “I did. With the girls,” she beamed.

  *

  The following day, Kate and Candy floated lazily on rafts in the pool. Candy had called early in the morning to see what she was up to, and Kate was glad to line up plans with her. Candy showed up with sandwiches for lunch, they changed into their swimsuits, and spent the afternoon in the pool.

  They made small talk and got to know each other, discussing their families, their jobs, and their mutual friends. When it came to talking about Max, Candy awkwardly inquired if it would be okay to ask a personal question.

  “Shoot,” Kate said.

  “Did you and Max… You know, ever go out?”

  Kate cringed. She’d been wondering if this topic would ever come up. She paddled her raft over to the edge of the pool, climbed the steps, and stretched out on a lounge chair. “Well,” she said, deciding it was best to be honest. “We sort of… hooked up. But we never dated. We were never serious.”

  Candy was wearing sunglasses, but Kate could still see that her expression had changed and that her lower lip was trembling. “Oh,” she said. Kate couldn’t believe it. Candy seemed upset. Was gorgeous Candy with the smoking hot body… threatened?

  “But that was awhile ago. And it was before you guys,” Kate said. “And it was stupid.”

  Candy slid off the raft and ducked under the water, swimming the length of the pool and surfacing near the ladder down at the far end. She climbed the ladder and took her time walking back to the lounge chair next to Kate. “I couldn’t help but wonder,” she said. “He talks about you a lot.”

  “It was nothing, really,” Kate said. “I swear.”

  Candy nodded, sitting down on the lounge chair and hugging her knees to her chest. “It’s just hard to hear your boyfriend constantly talking about someone else.”

  Kate didn’t know what to say. “I promise, it was nothing,” she repeated.

  “It was obviously something to Max,” Candy said. “I kind of thought something had happened with you guys because he talks a lot about how you’re not as close as you used to be. He said you used to be one of his best friends. Like you were one of the guys.”

  “We were pretty good friends,” Kate said.

  “The thing is, it really bothered me at first,” Candy said. “I couldn’t help but worry about why he was talking about you so much. But now that I know you… Now that we’re friends, I can see why he talks about you. He misses you. He misses your friendship.”

  “We never should have gotten involved,” Kate sighed.

  “I don’t know what all went on between you,” Candy said, “and I don’t want to know. It’s none of my business. But I think you guys should try to fix things. You guys should be friends. He wants to be friends again.”

  Kate nodded, promising to try to put the past awkwardness behind her once and for all. She wasn’t sure how, but she would try.

  *

  Over the next few days, Kate couldn’t get the conversation with Candy out of her head. She called Lucy on Thursday night to discuss it with her.

  “Honestly, Kate, I don’t see what the big deal is anymore,” Lucy said. “It was awhile ago. Max and Candy are very happy. Chris and Danielle seem to be very happy. Both of those guys have moved on. Maybe you should, too.”

  “I know. You’re right. Candy’s right,” Kate finally said.

  On Saturday, she decided to drop in at the poker game. She didn’t mention her plan to Lucy or any of the girls, in case they might have said something to one of the guys. She just showed up at Kevin’s apartment with a case of beer and knocked on the door. She could make out Max and Chris talking loudly about a baseball game. She knocked again, and heard Jackson say, “Hey, Kev! I think the pizza’s here!”

  The door opened and Kevin stood in front of her, opening his wallet. When he realized she wasn’t there to deliver a pizza, his face broke into a smile. “Holy shit,” he said. “Are you playing?” Kate nodded, and Kevin threw the door open wider. “Hey, guys. Look who’s here!”

  Kate stepped into the apartment. “And I brought beer!”

  “Hey!” Chris said, getting up off the couch and coming over to give Kate a hug. Max was right behind him. Kate hugged them both and handed Max the case of beer.

  “Glad you’re here,” Jackson said, giving her a squeeze. “Kevin has won three weeks in a row. Someone needs to knock him down a peg or two, and you’re just the guy to do it.”

  “Girl,” she corrected.

  Kevin nudged her. “I keep asking your dad to come. You should bring him with you sometime.”

  “Why? You want to take her dad’s money, too?” Chris asked, laughing. “That’s just wrong.”

  There was a knock at the door again and Kevin left to pay for the pizza. Chris pulled another chair up to the poker table and gestured for Kate to have a seat. She pulled out a twenty dollar bill and placed it with the other money in the middle of the table. Then she sat and reached for the deck of cards. She shuffled while the guys helped themselves to pizza and beer. When they’d had enough, they sat down around the table and Kate dealt the first hand.

  It felt like forever since Kate had last played, so she was trying her best to concentrate and ignore the small talk going on around her. They’d have time to talk after the game. Right now, she was playing cards, and she was on her way to winning the first hand. She had pocket aces and had dealt another ace on the flop. She checked; when Max raised, she called along with everyone else. Looking at the cards she had dealt on the table, felt pretty confident in her three of a kind. She ended up winning the hand and raking in a decent-sized pile of chips.

  Kate started off strong and played smart. She took Chris out of the game early and he assumed duties as dealer. It wasn’t long before Kate took Jackson out as well. “Still glad I showed up?” she asked, winking at him.

  “Yes!” Jackson said, dealing the next hand. “It’s good to have you back.”

  “And besides that, you brought beer!” Kevin said, raising his bottle in a salute.

  She smiled at them briefly and then turned her attention back to the game. She had a significant chip lead over Max, but it looked like she and Kevin were about equal. Two hands later, Max went all in. She studied the cards on the table, knowing that her pair of tens probably wouldn’t do her any good with the two kings and two aces on the table. Rather than try to bluff and do something stupid, she folded. Kevin, however, called him. They both flipped their cards over, and Kevin’s full house beat Max’s three of a kind.

  “That’s it. I’m out of here,” Max said, standing up and stretching.

  “Gotta get home to the little lady?” Jackson asked, shaking Max’s hand.

  “Yeah, I’m crashing at her place tonight. We’re going out on the boat with her dad tomorrow so we have to get up pretty early.” Max bent down and wrapped his arms around Ka
te’s shoulders. “Glad you came back,” he said. “And I hope you kick his ass,” he added, gesturing across the table to Kevin.

  “I’ll do my best,” Kate said, watching as Kevin straightened up his pile of chips. They were definitely pretty even now. It could be a long night.

  They played for hours; Kevin won a hand, then Kate won a hand. They played back and forth like that, and their chip counts didn’t really change all that much. At midnight, Jackson suggested they raise the blinds in the hopes of making the game go by a little faster. An hour later, Kate’s pile had grown significantly, but the game was still far from over.

  “I need to get going,” Jackson said. He got to his feet and massaged Kate’s shoulders. “You got this,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

  “Thanks,” Kevin said.

  Jackson jokingly punched him in the shoulder. “And you’ve made how much money the past three times we’ve played?”

  By two-thirty, Kevin’s pile of chips had dwindled down to about what they had each started with. Kate looked down at her cards. An ace and a ten. Chris dealt the flop – a king, a queen, and a jack. She had a straight. Not bad. If she played it right, the game could be over.

  Kevin checked, so Kate checked too. Chris dealt the next card – a six. Kate studied the cards. She wasn’t as good as the guys when it came to reading the cards, so she couldn’t even begin to guess what Kevin might have in his hand. He sat for a long time, debating what to do. Finally, he checked. Kate checked, too. Chris dealt the last card – a three.

  Kevin abruptly pushed his chips forward. “I’m all in,” he said.

  Kate raised her eyebrows. Now she really didn’t know what hand Kevin could possibly have. Glancing at the clock, and then at Kevin’s measly pile of chips, she figured it didn’t really matter. She was tired and ready to call it quits. She called and they flipped their cards over. Kevin had triple threes. Her straight beat his three of a kind. Smiling, he pushed his chips into the middle of the table. “Good game,” he said.

  “Thank God that’s over with,” Chris groaned. “You guys can clean up. I gotta get out of here,” he said. Kate got to her feet, pocketed her winnings, and started gathering up the chips. Chris gave her a hug. “I’m glad you’re back,” he said.

  Kate nodded at him and smiled. “That was fun,” she said.

  She and Kevin scooped up the poker chips and put them back in their case. Then they went into the kitchen, where Kate rinsed out empty beer bottles and Kevin wrapped up the leftover pizza. “Thanks for staying to clean up,” he said.

  “No problem,” Kate yawned. “But I really need to get home.”

  “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  In the parking lot, Kevin gave her a big hug. “I’m so glad you came tonight. Even if you beat me,” he said. Kate giggled. “Are you playing next Saturday?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I might have a date with the girls. We’ll see,” she said.

  *

  The following day at work, Kate was extremely sleepy, but she managed to get all of her paperwork done in time to meet Lucy and Danielle down the street for brunch.

  “There’s the big winner!” Lucy said, waving her over to their table.

  Kate collapsed into a chair. “Brunch is on me,” she grinned.

  “Chris said he didn’t get home until almost three o’clock last night!” Danielle said. “How was the game?”

  “She won, didn’t she?” Lucy giggled. “That’s awesome. Jackson was so glad that you beat Kevin.”

  “I think Kevin might have gone all in just to get the game over with,” Kate said.

  “Doesn’t matter. You still won!” Danielle said.

  “I know the guys were really glad to have you back,” Lucy said. “Just don’t make a habit of it. We need to have our girls’ nights, too.”

  “Without a doubt!” Kate said. She had enjoyed playing poker with the guys again, but she definitely wanted to plan another evening with the girls.

  When the waitress came around, the girls all ordered waffles, orange juice, and coffee. They sat and chatted about the poker game, Lucy’s brand new niece, and the stack of thank-you cards that Lucy still had to finish writing. They also started making plans for next Saturday.

  “We should do karaoke,” Kate suggested. “I’ll invite my mom. And Julia.”

  “That would be fun. We should get a big group of people together,” Lucy agreed. “I’ll ask my mom and Aunt Janet if they’d want to come.”

  “That’s settled, then. I’ll call Candy and make sure she knows,” Danielle said.

  *

  Kate spent the rest of the week looking forward to karaoke with the girls. When Saturday night finally rolled around, she and her mother headed out to Fifteen Minutes to meet everyone. Lucy, her Aunt Janet, Julia, and Danielle were there and they had pushed two tables together to accommodate their group. Candy was already on stage, singing “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with an older gentleman that Kate didn’t recognize. While her mom went to the bar to order a drink, Kate helped herself to a beer from the bucket in the middle of one of the tables.

  Candy and her partner finished the song to a great round of applause from the crowd. The gentleman bowed to her and thanked her for joining him. Candy bounced down the stairs and hurried back over to the tables where everyone was waiting to give her a high-five. “Who was that guy?” Kate asked.

  “I have no idea!” Candy laughed. “He came right up and asked if one of us would join him, so I just went up there with the guy!” Kate shook her head in amazement.

  The girls had a great time together. Kate’s mom and Lucy’s aunt Janet got up and did a few songs together. Much to her embarrassment, Kate agreed to sing a Lady Gaga song with Julia. Lucy was even able to coax Danielle up on stage to sing “I’m Just a Girl” with her.

  When the opening notes to “Ice, Ice, Baby” started, the crowd in the bar let out a huge cheer. Lucy rolled her eyes and groaned. Danielle stood up on the rungs of her stool to see who was going to be singing. “Oh my God!” she squealed. “You guys! Look!” She swatted Lucy on the arm and reached across the table to get Candy’s attention. “Look!” she said, pointing to the stage.

  Kate had to get to her feet to see what the big deal was. Four guys stood on the stage with their backs to the crowd. Then, right on cue, all four guys whirled around and started singing. It was Jackson, Kevin, Chris, and Max. Kate cheered loudly. Candy knelt on her stool and let out a long, loud whistle.

  “What dorks!” Lucy cried.

  “They’re hilarious!” Kate replied.

  When the guys finished their song, they came down off the stage and headed straight for the girls’ tables. Danielle hopped off her stool and gave Chris a big hug. Max planted a big kiss on Candy. Lucy couldn’t stop pointing and laughing at Jackson, who was blushing furiously but laughing about it. And Kevin…

  Kevin strolled right over to Kate’s mom and gave her a big hug. She laughed and threw her arms around his neck in a big, sloppy hug. Then she stood on her tiptoes to talk into his ear and make herself heard over the music. Kate sat back and sipped her beer, shaking her head and smiling. Kevin nodded at her mother and gave her a thumbs-up. Beaming, her mother headed for the stage. Kevin came around the table to stand next to Kate.

  “Your mom just asked me to sing a song with her.”

  “No, she didn’t!” Kate said, almost spitting out her beer.

  “Yes, she did. Sonny and Cher.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Swear to God.”

  Kate laughed. “You’re stuck with her.”

  When her mother returned from placing her request at the stage, Kevin drifted back over to her and resumed their conversation.

  “He’s so sweet,” Julia said, leaning over.

  “He’s a goofball,” Kate responded.

  “But he’s sweet.”

  Kate shrugged.

  “And cute.”

  Kate raised an eyebrow at that comment. Ju
lia just grinned.

  Jackson came up to her and playfully elbowed her. “Poker wasn’t the same without you tonight,” he said.

  “Oh? Why’s that?”

  “Because Kevin won again,” Jackson said. “I think you might be the only one who can beat him.”

  “You let him win again? Seriously?”

  Jackson shrugged. “I had shitty cards all night long.”

  “That’s no excuse!” Kate teased.

  “You’re coming back next weekend, right?”

  “As long as I’m not doing anything with the girls, I’ll be there.”

  *

  On Wednesday, Kate and Julia were having lunch in the office and rehashing the events of their trip to Fifteen Minutes on Saturday. They giggled over Candy’s duet with the strange old man. They laughed over the guys’ surprise appearance and their rendition of “Ice, Ice Baby.” And Kate had to agree that Kevin’s duet with her mom had been adorable. It had been a great time.

  Sitting there with her B.L.T and thinking about the fun times she’d had with her friends the past few weeks – girls’ night out, poker, karaoke – made her realize that things were really good. Things with Chris and Max had definitely smoothed over; they were all friends again and there wasn’t any awkwardness like she’d feared. She also had new friends in Candy and Danielle. She was really happy with how things were going.

  So, when she bumped into Kevin as she was leaving the office and he asked her if she was coming to the poker game on Saturday, she said yes without any hesitation.

  When Saturday rolled around, she showed up at Kevin’s a little later than usual. The wedding that she’d been working on had run a little longer than expected and she’d had to negotiate an extended price for using the venue after hours. Everything had worked out fine, though, and Kate was sure that the guys would wait for her.

  She was surprised when there was no answer at Kevin’s door. She knocked again and again and was just about to pull out her cell phone to call, when the door slid open a little bit. “Hey,” she said.