“Not that it matters, because it isn’t going to happen—”
“But?”
“She’s twenty-five.”
“Ooh, that’s pretty perfect.”
I roll my eyes and chuckle. “It isn’t perfect. She’s an employee, nothing more. Get your mind out the gutter, you old perv. Don’t try living vicariously through me because you won’t be able to keep up.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Let’s have a drink, shall we? Then we should take a walk around the casino so I can see if it’s still standing.”
“You say that like you don’t just want to take a walk around to admire how far you’ve come. The rags to riches story.”
“It was just a set of good investments.”
Some decisions made on a whim after my marriage fell apart, when she cheated on me with a rich older guy I believe she might still be with now, which resulted in me really improving my life and my mom’s life. Perfect. Of course, my father got nothing, but that’s because he’s living in Europe somewhere with one of the girls in my high school classes.
That was a fun graduation ceremony, to say the least. Finding my father with a cheerleader. In hindsight, maybe that’s why I got hitched in such a rush.
“As if you don’t love it. You have every right to stroll around proud as punch. That’s exactly what you should be doing.”
“Oh, alright then. Let’s do it. Let’s get some whiskey and admire me and my achievements. Sounds like fun.”
But I know I won’t be able to get Jodi off my mind, probably not all weekend. She’s only been gone for a short while, and I miss her already. Her spark is dangerous—it could ignite a fire that spreads rapidly. There’s no telling where this is going to end, but I’m excited to find out.
2
Jodi
“How did the interview go?” Millie crosses her fingers hopefully. “Did the guy seem nice? Is the job good?”
“Oh my God, Brock Stanton is everything.” I flop down onto her couch and mock-swoon. “He’s handsome. Honestly, he’s even better in real life than he is in pictures. I fell for him hard.”
“He’s not a blind date. He’s a potential employer! I more mean about the job anyway.”
Millie laughs as she hands me a steaming mug of coffee. Then she sits opposite me and smiles, but I can see the worry there behind her eyes. She’s scared that this will be another temporary mess that leaves me with no financial security. Little does she know that I kicked ass and I’ve sorted out something epic.
“I know, and not potential. He gave me the job already.”
“He did? That’s incredible news. Oh wow, I’m so happy for you.”
“Yeah, so I’ll be out of your place before you know it. I have a deposit saved up anyway, so it won’t be difficult for me to get a place now that I’ll have a regular income. But thank you for the room. You’ve been a star.”
“It’ll be weird with you gone! I don’t know how I’ll cope.”
“At least we’ll be in the same state again. I’m not going back to New York.”
“Thank God. I wouldn’t be able to relax knowing you’re in the same city as him.”
“You can say his name, you know. It doesn’t bother me as much as it did. I’m away from Thomas King, the asshole I used to work with at the stock market, the guy I went on one date with after my relationship with Harry broke down, and who decided it was a good idea to stalk me
when I didn’t want him.”
Maybe I can talk about it with ease now, but it was a dark time. He hacked into my computer, he would leave me a string of psychotic messages, he often broke into my home . . . it was a nightmare. It took me a while to build up enough evidence to get a real case against him too, during which time it took everything I had not to crumble. But even when I got the restraining order against him, it didn’t feel like enough, so I came to Vegas to stay with my high school best friend for a while, just for a break. I didn’t think it’d end up permanent.
“I think it’s time you find a new guy. It’s been a long time since things ended with Lucas.”