Page 45 of Reno

I accepted the deck and shuffled them thoroughly.

“When you think they’re shuffled really well, give them back,” she said.

I handed her the cards.

She grinned and gave them to Peyton. Then, she arched her eyebrow playfully.

“Are you going to guess my card?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“That wasn’t much of a trick.”

“It wasn’t?”

I laughed. “Not really.”

She gestured toward me. “Why don’t you look under your shirt.”

I snatched my shirt up. Much to my surprise, there was a card stuck in the waistband of my skirt. I pulled it out and looked at Ally with an open mouth.

“Is it your card?” she asked.

I turned it over. Sure enough, it was the three of hearts.

Not only had she guessed my card, she somehow slipped it beneath my skirt without me knowing it. I was flabbergasted.

I looked at Peyton. “Can I see that deck of cards?”

She shrugged. “Sure.”

I flipped through the cards only to find out that it was, in fact, a normal deck of cards. It was missing one card, the one in my hand. I handed Peyton the cards and shook my head. Ally’s display was much more than a card trick, it was truly magic.

“That was amazing,” I said.

“She’s a slickster,” Cash said.

Ally rolled her eyes. “He’s not impressed with anything I do.”

“Well,” I said with a smile. “I am.”

She curtsied. “Thank you.”

I’d quickly gone from not wanting to be there to enjoying myself immensely. I felt bad for expressing an attitude when Reno asked me to come with him. Although I didn’t know what the emergency was that he was involved in, I felt comfortable knowing that while he was gone, I was going to be in good company.

The door that led to the garage opened. Pee Bee and Reno came into the kitchen. Upon seeing me, Reno smiled. “Having fun?”

“I am, thank you.”

He stepped right in front of me and placed a hand on each of my shoulders. “I’m leaving now.”

I was shocked that he was touching me in front of everyone. It wasn’t where he touched me that seemed strange. It was how he did it.

It was intimate.

“Okay,” I said, looking him in the eyes while trying to hide my excitement. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

In complete contrast to the agreement we’d made, he leaned forward and kissed me. Not a friendly I’m leaving kiss, but a full-on you’re mine, and I don’t want you to forget it kiss.