Love's Wager

by J. M. Jeffries

  “Don’t worry, dear, you’ll find love again,” Miss E. said with a sympathetic pat on Nina’s hand.

  “I know,” Nina said with a sigh. “I like to think of him as my training-wheels husband.”

  “At least you found a husband, unlike some people I can name.” Miss E. directed a gaze at Kenzie.

  “Granny, don’t even start,” Kenzie said, warning in her tone, one finger held up.

  “I was referring to your brothers, Scott and Donovan.”

  “Miss E., Hunter is getting married. That’s the best we can do at the moment.” Kenzie shook her head with a sigh, though her lips quivered with laughter.

  “You guys are just a funny as ever.” Nina grinned widely at Kenzie and Miss E. She’d always felt comfortable around Miss E. and Kenzie, despite the tragedy in their lives. Kenzie and her brothers had Miss E. to fall back on. Nina’s family wasn’t so different. Her parents shared the same values with Miss E. “I need to juggle some things around. I can be in Reno on Wednesday. That gives me enough time to flesh some ideas.” She could do this.

  “I know you’ll come up with a powerful campaign.” Miss E. rubbed her hands together. “I can barely wait.”

  “I hope you’ll be pleased.” Nina’s fingers itched for her iPad, but she’d left it in the car. “What about your brothers? I know Hunter has already taken charge of the new spa. What about Donovan and Scott? I’ve never met Scott in all the years we’ve known each other.”

  Kenzie leaned her elbows on the table. “Donovan is taking over the restaurants and updating the menus. Scott is done playing army man and is taking over security. He’s back in DC right now, packing up his condo and getting it ready to be sold. He should be back in another week or so.”

  “And what about your job at Saks?” Nina queried Kenzie.

  Kenzie grinned. “I’m working for the family now.”

  “I can’t believe you’re leaving Manhattan.”

  “Already done. Sold my apartment two weeks ago and I already have a lot of ideas for updating the boutiques.”

  Mama Torres returned to the table, a plate in her hands.

  “We’re spiriting your daughter away to Reno, Grace,” Miss E. said.

  “Good, she needs to get out of this town for a while.” She set the plate on the table. “And now for dessert.”

  “Chocolate,” Kenzie said reverently.

  “Share,” Nina warned.

  Kenzie frowned. “If you insist.”

  Mama Torres distributed the tiny chocolate brigadeiros. Kenzie looked like she’d just died and gone to heaven. Her eyes practically rolled back in her head as she took a delicate bite of one of the candies. “Oh. Oh. This is... Words just aren’t enough.”

  “Heavenly,” Nina finished for her.

  * * *

  Scott Russell stood in the center of his empty living room, looking around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. He owned very little. Military life did that to a person. Scott had never been someone to accumulate possessions. Everything he had was currently packed in a half dozen boxes, sitting in a stack by the front door ready to be loaded into his car. He wasn’t coming back.

  The apartment was small, but he liked it. The living room opened to a balcony overlooking a tiny courtyard he’d shared with the family in the apartment below.

  Danny Esposito opened a closet and looked inside. Danny was a tall, lean man with wavy black hair, deceptively calm brown eyes and olive skin showing his Latin parentage. They had met in Iraq and been friends ever since. When Danny jumped from military security to private security by starting his own firm, Scott had gone with him.

  “Looks like you have everything,” Danny said closing the closet door.

  “Not much to show for three years in one place.” Scott wondered how his footprint could be so small in such a large world.

  “I’m the same way,” Danny replied. “You ready?”

  “Yeah.” Scott opened the door and Danny maneuvered the dolly, piled with the boxes, through the door.

  “I’m going to miss you, Scott,” Danny said.

  “Yeah, me, too.” They reached his SUV parked in the carport to the side of the apartment building. Scott unlocked it and opened the rear hatch. The two of them shoved boxes in. After he closed the rear hatch, he and Danny leaned against it for a moment.

  The day was warm, but overcast. Scott heard the distant rumble of thunder and knew the predicted storm was on its way. A few tentative drops splashed the asphalt.

  “Reno is the ends of the earth, man,” Danny said.

  “No,” Scott replied. “The Hindu Kush is the ends of the earth.”

  Danny chuckled. Silence fell between them. Scott listened to the sounds of traffic on the roadway outside along with the distant roll of thunder.

  Washington, DC, was a city that didn’t sleep. In a way, Scott would miss the energy, the sense of history being made and the undercurrent of power pervading the city. He wouldn’t miss the traffic, the crowds or the politicians who too often made his life miserable.

  “Why Reno?”

  “Because you’ve never met my grandmother.” Scott pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “When she wants something, it happens.” And right now she needed him. After spending the last few weeks at the casino, studying it, looking for ways to improve security, Scott could almost understand why his grandmother wanted it. “Reno and Miss E. have a lot in common. Reno has this sense of being wild and untamed. My grandmother is sort of the same.”

  “I don’t know, Scott.” Danny shook his head.

  “Come for a visit and take a look at the city. You’ll see. Reno is just different. And I like it. I didn’t think I would, but I do.” The pace was different and the people were different. Reno had no illusions about what kind of city it was. Washington, DC, was all about illusions.

  A rumble of thunder sounded again. The rain increased in intensity until the sound of it on the metal roof of the carport sounded like gunshots.

  Scott didn’t regret quitting his job. He was tired of self-important senators who thought they could get away with anything. He was tired of the political games that made the government look like Saturday Night Live. At times he felt like he was dealing with five-year-olds in ten-thousand-dollar suits. And watching their bratty, over-privileged children was like riding herd on Chihuahuas.

  Suddenly he was anxious to get on the road. The drive to Reno would take four days, driving ten hours a day. He planned to make it in three.

  He and Danny shook hands. Scott watched Danny climb into his SUV and drive away. Scott stood in the alley looking up at his apartment. He’d made his decision to leave. He’d lived a gypsy lifestyle long enough. The time had come to settle into something more stable. He’d felt for a while that something was missing in his life, he just wasn’t sure what.

  A Cadillac Escalade roared down the alley and slammed to a stop in front of him. Water sprayed his shoes and he glanced down in irritation. The driver’s door opened and Anastasia Parrish jumped out.

  “My father told me you quit your job and you’re leaving Washington.”

  Scott’s eyes narrowed. Twenty-five-year-old Anastasia Parrish, daughter of Senator Richard Parrish, was tall with pixie-cut brown hair, brown eyes with a touch of green and skin the color of braised almonds. She was also crazy. Scott had been hired to keep her out of trouble while her father ran for re-election. Keeping her out of trouble had turned into a job and a half.

  “How do you know where I live?”

  She shrugged elegant shoulders. “I looked you up on Google.”

  “Then Google your way home.”

  “How can you leave me? I’m in the middle of a crisis.” Drama poured off her in waves.

  “Of your own making,” Scott said.

  “Bu
t Scott, I need you.” She touched his arm.

  Scott stepped away. “Get back in your car and go home, Miss Parrish.” Pretty as a picture and crazy as a loon, that was Anastasia Parrish in a nutshell.

  “Let me come with you.” She looked dejected. “You’re the only one who understands me. You saved me from that stalker.”

  “And your stalker is in jail, you’re safe, and my job is done.”

  “What do I do if he escapes?” She turned desperate eyes on him.

  “Tell your dad and he’ll hire protection. The company I used to work for will be happy to help you again.”

  “But I want you.”

  “I don’t work for them any longer.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. “You can work for me privately.”

  A lot of the guys he’d worked with would have been happy to be Princess Anastasia’s sex toy. Scott wasn’t one of them. Behind that gorgeous face, beautiful body and designer wardrobe was a lost little girl with major daddy issues and his job wasn’t to find her.

  “But, Scott,” she pleaded.

  “Go home, Miss Parrish, call your therapist and talk to him.” He opened the car door.

  “Please, don’t go. Daddy needs you. I need you. I think I love you.”

  What she needed was a good psychiatrist. Though he was probably better than the rock singer, the polo champion, the reality star or the football player she was frequently seen with—at least he wouldn’t take advantage of her.

  He took her by the arm and led her back to her car, rain pouring down on them. “Go home, Miss Parrish.” He opened the car door and pushed her inside. He closed the door and walked back to his car.

  She stared at him for a moment, then started the car, put it in gear and drove off.

  He stood in the rain watching her drive away. Water dripped down the back of his jacket, plastering his shirt to his skin. He felt sorry for Anastasia Parrish. She had everything money could buy, but she didn’t have what she needed, a father who cared about her and a mother who didn’t brush her off and tell her to make an appointment.

  He got in his SUV, started the engine and backed out of the carport. Time to get on the road. Miss E. was waiting.

  Chapter 2

  Nina had never been to Reno. The closest she’d been was Lake Tahoe, where her parents used to rent a cabin during the summer months for a family getaway. From the moment the cab deposited her in front of the hotel, she knew she was going to love Reno.

  The challenge of bringing a casino back to life excited her. She loved the thrill of new jobs. Though her previous jobs had been in the arena of up-and-coming actors or new movie releases, the idea of taking on a casino was another door opening in her career. Another opportunity that put her a step further away from her ex-husband who’d weighed in on not taking this job. Nina had ignored him. He had no say in her future, not anymore, not after he dumped her for Tiffani.

  As a media expert, Nina traveled the world, though her base of operations was Hollywood. Hollywood was home and she loved the energy and excitement the city had. In Hollywood or any other place she’d worked in before, she could just pick up a phone and invite a dozen people to lunch. But in Reno, she knew no one except her best friend, Kenzie Russell.

  At her feet her dog whimpered. The tiny affenpinscher had been a gift from Carl and she loved the little dog. King Kong pressed his tiny black nose against the mesh of his carrier. She reached down to gently stroke it.

  “We’re here.” She kept her tone soothing and calm as she walked into the cool hotel, happy to be out of the heat while the bellhop trailed behind her hauling a trolley piled high with her luggage.

  “Nina,” Kenzie called, waving.

  “It is hot here.” Nina placed Kong’s carrier on the floor next to her feet.

  “But you’re going to love it.” Kenzie laughed and reached over to hug Nina. “Welcome to Reno, Nevada, the biggest little city in the west. You look fabulous. That is an original Alexander McQueen.”

  Nina smoothed a hand down the black-and-white houndstooth pattern of her silk dress. “You look pretty fab yourself.”

  Kenzie wore a mint-green sheath with matching shoes that perfectly accented her dark brown eyes and mocha skin. Her long brown hair was swept up into a casual ponytail.

  “What do you think?” Kenzie asked, spreading her arms wide.

  “I’m still taking everything in.” Nina’s first impression of the Casa de Mariposa Hotel was one of sedate beauty of an old-world kind. It had good bones, but it needed something more. Something dramatic.

  As she walked through the reception area into the casino she studied the clientele. She was struck by the lack of people under the age of thirty. Most of the stools in front of the slot machines were occupied by older men and women.

  Nina tried to keep her mind open, but a stroll out to the pool showed only a couple families with young children, a few teenagers splashing in the deep end of the pool and older couples sunning themselves on the decks.

  She strolled back inside, her thoughts churning, only half listening to Kenzie’s chatter.

  After checking in and arranging for her luggage to be delivered to her suite, she allowed Kenzie to take her out to the pool. Nina parked herself on a stool at the bar. Kong whined from the depths of her tote bag. Nina absently patted him as she sipped the iced tea the bartender brought her. He also brought a small bowl of water for Kong.

  “I know you haven’t unpacked yet, but...what do you see?” Kenzie parked herself on the stool next to Nina.

  Nina took her time answering. “I see a lot of people in their forties, fifties and older, but not many younger. If you want to make this hotel casino attractive to young, hip people you need to offer the activities they want.”

  “Which would be...?”

  “You’re young and hip, what do you want?”

  “To eat ice cream and not worry about my thighs.” Kenzie glanced down at her legs.

  “I’ve seen your thighs,” Nina said with a laugh. “You don’t need to worry about them.”

  “As a young woman racing toward thirty, I want to go to a nightclub. I want to have fun.” Kenzie frowned as she considered Nina’s question. “I want trendy shopping, high-energy shows with A-list celebrities, along with luxury, great food, glitz, glamour and cool.” Kenzie paused. “Everybody wants to be cool.”

  “In other words, Miss E. wants to keep the elegance while attracting a younger crowd without losing her over-forty regulars. She wants to be the epicenter of Reno.”

  “It needs glamour.” Kenzie pointed at Nina. “It needs you.”

  “Stop.” Nina held up her hand. “You don’t need to flatter me. I’m all in. You’re my best friend and I adore your grandmother. She knows there’s a winner beneath the stodgy façade of this casino. I have a ton of ideas.”

  “I know you are creative, but Miss E. did tell you that New Year’s Eve is the deadline. She wants to have the grand reopening then.”

  “I have her notes. Once we decide on a theme, I’ll have a whole campaign worked out and ready to implement in a couple days.”

  “The theme is the problem. Miss E. is having a difficult time thinking about a theme that will attract the guests she wants to attract.”

  “I have several concepts in mind that I think will fit her idea of elegant and classy along with fun, glamorous and sexy.” She dug her tablet out of the tote. A half-unwrapped ball of yarn, a knitting needle trapped inside it, came with it.

  “What are you knitting?” Kenzie asked curiously.

  “Still knitting booties for my friends’ babies.” Nina had started knitting as a way to keep her fingers busy while she thought, and found it relaxing.

  She rerolled the ball of yarn and tucked it back in her tote bag. She tapped her ta
blet where she’d already put together a couple slide shows. Nina had put together other campaigns in a shorter time with less to work with. She’d never done a casino before, but the structure of a campaign was generally the same. She came up with the ideas and found people to help her implement them.

  Nina turned her tablet computer to Kenzie so she could see some of her ideas. “Let’s take a look. Las Vegas offers luxury, glamour and cool at a number of different levels. Caesar’s Palace, Bellagio, Luxor and the MGM Grand offer luxury, high-end dining, entertainment and shopping. Circus Circus, Treasure Island and Excalibur offer family fun and activities. Hard Rock offers trendy with great headliners in the rock-and-roll arena. But what they all provide is different ways to play. People go to Las Vegas to eat too much, drink too much, shop too much, and basically they went everything at a too much level.” Nina tapped the tablet. “Reno doesn’t draw the same international crowd. It’s more difficult to get to. It has less variety than Vegas. But these are things that can work in your favor. If you give people what they need here, they won’t go elsewhere to experience it.”

  “What will we offer?”

  Nina thought for a moment. “Exclusivity. What Robert Redford did for Park City with the Sundance Festival, I’m going to do for Miss E., but with all-year-long activities.”

  “You are ambitious, girl,” Kenzie said, her eyes wide with amazement.

  “‘Ambition bites the nails of success,’ according to Bono.” Nina grinned. The bartender brought her another iced tea and a platter of fruit. She picked at the fruit. “You know, if we weren’t working, we’d be drinking mimosas.”

  Kenzie joined Nina in laughter.

  Nina’s gaze was caught by a man skirting the pool area. He wore khaki cargo pants, a white polo shirt and military boots. “Wow.” He was hot.

  “Hey, that’s Scott.” Kenzie waved vigorously, catching his attention.

  When she’d first met Kenzie, he’d been out saving the world and somehow in between they’d never been on the same schedule.

  She waved again, and the man veered toward them.