But he had to because he wasn’t ready to move on. That was the saddest part of all. He’d helped her. She was ready to step out of that terrible moment and move on with her life and he wasn’t. She hadn’t done the same for him. In the end, she wasn’t the woman who could bring him out of himself.

Her sister’s words came back. She’d loved him. He hadn’t loved her the same way. That wasn’t his fault. “It’s going to be okay. If we try, we’ll get through this and we’ll be able to look at each other and not feel bad.”

“I’ll always regret losing you.”

She turned because there was nothing left to say.

•   •   •

“Hey, Armie. You going to play or sit there and look at your cards?”

Armie came out of his misery long enough to stare down at the cards in his hand. King, queen, suited. He glanced at the three cards on the table. A queen and an ace and a two of clubs. Nice hand, but the ace made him nervous.

It didn’t fucking matter. He mucked his cards and sat back. “I’m out.”

It had been four days since he’d spoken to Lila. He saw her regularly. She’d taken to walking Peanut around the town square during her lunch break. He found reasons to be outside the station house during the noon hour so he could nod as she passed by. Her walks were getting longer and longer as people around town stopped and asked her questions. He was certain that was what they were doing because they inevitably pointed to some body part and then Lila would get that look on her face that let him know she was being patient.

When would he stop thinking about her every second of the day?

Rene stared at him across the table. It had come down to the two of them in the hand. Major and Remy had already dropped out. “Either you are getting very good at reading me or your head is not in this game.”

Rene flipped over his hand and showed him the ace and queen that would have cost him three dollars.

They never played for much. This monthly poker game was more about friendship and having a night out than making money. He’d played once a month since he’d come home and Rene had decided they all needed a boys’ night out. Of course, it wasn’t a night out for Rene, since they almost always played at his place, but the Darois mansion had ten bedrooms, a large room devoted entirely to wine, a movie theater, two different kitchens, and a wing for servants’ quarters. Armie supposed that getting to the pool house could be considered a vacation for Rene.

They sat around the custom-made poker table, but Armie’s head was miles away.