Free The Reunion by Grace Walker

the cards face down.  Spread them out slightly with his fingers, still face down. "Two pair, threes and nines.” Flipped them over and that’s what they were.  “Three of a kind, fours.  Three of a kind sixes.  full house, queens and twos.  Dealer has four aces."
    "How'd you get Mae's cards?" Carole asked.
    "She left them to me."  Toni's eyes filled with tears.  "Sorry."  She got up and Em followed her into the bathroom.
    "You would think she'd leave them to Stacy.  Toni's a step."  Jeff said.
    "Yeah but she's like Em and me.  She was always one of us."  Josh reminded him.
    "That's true."  Tommy confirmed.
    "Mae was their mother."  Mike pointed to Pete and Tommy.  "Uncle Joe's third wife and Ryan and Stacy's mom.  Nick was her first husband and Toni is Nick and Palma, his second wife's, kid."
    "And you remember all this?"  Brockton was impressed.
    "Sure.  It's easier when you can put the faces to the names.  Like Jeff is the one from Atlanta I told you about at dinner."
    "You told him about me?"  Jeff sounded guilty and looked at Brockton.
    "Not by name, I said I had cousins in Atlanta."  Mike looked indulgently at Jeff.  Jeff was as nervous around this boss guy as his mom was, Mike thought. They reshuffled and continued to play and drink.  Doing more of the latter and less of the former.
    "Carole?"  Josh asked, pulling a sixth card out and making it disappear just as quick.
    "Sure I'll drag them out.  But if you need anything, any little thing just whistle.  You know how to whistle don't you?" 
    "To Have and Have not."  Pete said.
    "That can't be right that doesn't sound like a movie."  Jeff called.
    "Bogart Becall, her first movie.  She was Slim, he was Steve, you know… put your lips together…"  Tommy laughed.
    "Yeah but that can't be the name of it."  Jeff tried to remember.
    "Hoagy Carmichael was the piano player."  Brockton mumbled, getting the other's attention.
    Carole went after Em and Toni who were both sitting in the lounge area laughing.  "Come on we're drinking to Mae and Ty's buying."
    "Liar."  Toni laughed.
    "Ok I'll buy."
    "We're there."  Em smiled.  The three of them exited the bathroom.
    "This round is on Carole."  Toni announced.  Josh instantly looked pissed knowing how these people could drink.
    "Another bottle of Chivas.  Please." Ty ordered from the waitress who appeared magically when he signaled.  She was being tipped well for being observant.  She had brought snacks, drinks and cleared quickly.  The group weren't grabbers and were having fun.  Even with a kid there, she observed.
    "Someone look out for Connor, I ain't sharin' with the bloody fool this time."
    "He's at the show with Mom."  Josh told Ty. "She's working her way up the strip trying to see every show she can."
    "Perfect."  Ty poured.  "To my darlin' Mae, our inspiration for this exercise in insanity."
    "They came up with the plan for this reunion at Aunt Mae's funeral two months ago."  Mike explained to Brockton.
    "You did this in two months?"  He continued to drink the whisky with the others. 
    "It seems like a logistical nightmare but these guys are really organized."  Mike smiled and pointed to the brothers and then his mother, then to her brother and his wife.
    "Mouse here did communications follow-ups and website updating."  Ty grabbed Mike's hat and put it on his own head.
    "To the family.  God bless 'em every one."  Tommy laughed in his best cockney accent and they drank again.
    "A Christmas Carole."  A couple of them shouted and they all laughed.
    "Very Tiny Tim."  Carole laughed.
    "Whose driving?" Jeff laughed.
    "No one, Mouse can keep his hands to himself this time."  Pete smiled at Mike.
    "That's right you lifted Connor's keys at the airport."  Brockton looked at Mike.
    "No DUIs."  Em stated.
    "To No DUIs."  Toni lifted her glass, laughed and they all drank again.
    "Are you sitting on his lap all night?"  Tommy smirked.  "My turn Em."  Tommy stood up and danced