Jayne
I woke up to the delicious smells of coffee and pancakes. Sin was in the kitchen, humming something. He sounded very happy.
That made me very happy. I grinned and snuggled deeper into the covers. The RV’s bed was incredibly comfortable, and I was perfectly content wrapped in the warm covers. Not to mention Spider was curled up on my pillow beside my head and Sugar was somewhere near my hip. The cats were clearly content as well.
From my cocoon, I called out, “Are you bringing me breakfast in bed?”
“Would you like breakfast in bed?”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “Only if it comes with the chef.”
He laughed. “I’ll talk to management and see what I can do.”
A few minutes later, he came in with a cup of coffee and plate of pancakes, heavily doused with butter and syrup, just the way I liked them.
I sat up a little. “You really are the world’s best husband.”
He nodded with deep self-satisfaction. “I really am, aren’t I?” He bowed. “Your breakfast, madam.”
I tugged the covers up, playfully covering myself. “My husband will be back at any moment so don’t try anything funny.”
Sin laughed. “I hear he’s an incredibly handsome man with a terrible temper, so I’ll be on my best behavior.”
I exhaled a hard breath as I looked up at him from under my lashes. “Well, that’s disappointing.”
Sugar stretched, and behind me came a sleepy meow followed by, “Breakfast, Mama.”
I shook my head at Sin. “I’ll throw my robe on and come out.”
He nodded knowingly. “Probably better than getting syrup all over the bed. I’ll meet you at the diner.”
That’s what we’d taken to calling the booth in the kitchen.
He walked back out with the coffee and pancakes. “Come on, Sugar. Come on, Spider. Breakfast.”
“Chicken Party!” Spider tore past me like his little butt was on fire. Sugar followed.
I pulled on my robe and a pair of fuzzy socks. Not that I needed them. One of the nicest things about the RV was the heated floors. Winter elves might do just fine in the cold, but that didn’t mean we didn’t like creature comforts. I wound my hair up into a clip, then straightened the covers. Not exactly making the bed, but I hadn’t had coffee yet either.
I slid into my side of the booth. My coffee and pancakes were already there. Sin joined me with his own as soon as he finished splitting a can of Chicken Party between Sugar and Spider.
As they dug in, we did too. I loved pancakes, and Sin was especially good at making them. They were kind of doughnut-adjacent, after all.
I stretched my right leg out and stuck my foot under his thigh as I gave him a grin. “Thanks for breakfast.”
The corner of his mouth hitched up, and his eyes had a dreamy, faraway gleam. “You’re welcome.”
I knew what he was thinking about. Last night. It had been good. But then so had everything lately. I was more than happy. I was blissful. And all while in an RV. Who’d have thought? “How many hours of driving are left?”
“About six.”
“You want me to drive for a while?”
He pursed his mouth like he was suppressing a laugh.
“What?” I added a little more syrup to my pancakes. You could never have enough. And this was really good maple we’d picked up in Canada. “I said I would last night. And I can drive, you know.”
“I know you can. But driving a rig this size…do you want to drive?”
To be honest, it wasn’t exactly a burning desire. “I’d like to know I could.”
“How about when we get to my parents’, you drive around there a bit and see how it feels? You can make sure you’re comfortable with the beast there. They have lots of space without much danger of you hitting something.”
I smirked at him over my coffee. “You think I’m going to hit something?” For all my teasing, he was probably right. At least at his parents’ wide-open property, there was a lot less chance of that.
His brows lifted. “Not necessarily, but have you ever driven a vehicle this size? I’d just want you to be confident with it, that’s all.”
“Good plan. I’m down with that.” I ate another bite of pancakes. Syrup dripped off them in golden strings of sugary deliciousness. “I just feel a little bad that you’re doing all the driving.”
He gave my leg a squeeze. “Don’t. I don’t mind it one bit. I love driving. Especially this coach. It’s really nice.” He picked up his coffee. “I’m sure you’d be great at it once you get the feel of it.”
“At your parents’, then.”
“Yes, definitely.”
Spider hopped up on the seat beside me and immediately settled in to clean himself. Sugar was still eating.
Sin patted my leg for me to move it. Once I did, he got up to refill our coffee. “Tomorrow evening we do the shop visit, right?”
“Yes. Then we’re free and clear. I can’t wait to see your parents’ new finale.”
He sat back down. “Same here. They’ve been so secretive about this new trick. I can’t imagine what they have planned.”
“Maybe your dad is going to saw your mom in half.”
He laughed. “That’s pretty old-school, but it could be a version of that.”
“Are you nervous about the shop visit?”
He shook his head. “Not nervous but… I don’t know exactly. Still seems weird to me that anyone would want to meet me just because I married you.”
I chuckled. “The closer you are to the throne, the more fascinating you become. My dad taught me that when I was a little girl, and it’s only gotten more true with every year.”
He winked at me. “I’m as close to the throne as I ever want to be.”
“You know what?” I leaned in slightly. “To be perfectly honest, so am I. Right now I feel like I could do this forever. I mean, sure I miss my family a little, but living in this coach and getting to spend so much time with you has been way better than I thought it would be. It’s like a working vacation, if that makes sense.”
“It does.” He smiled, obviously happy. “Do you think part of that feeling is because you’re anonymous again?”
I thought about that a moment. I couldn’t go anywhere in the NP without being known. It was literally impossible when you were next in line for the throne. “It is nice not to be recognized or treated differently because of who I am. No one else here or at any of the campsites has a clue I’m royalty. They just think I’m some chick with blue hair.”
“Which is thankfully long enough to hide your ears.”
I cut more pancakes as I nodded. “I realize we live in interesting times, but that might make some people do a double take.” I shrugged. “Or not. Hard to tell. I guess I could wear my bracelet and hide myself from people. Although, let’s be honest. Some of these RVers are a little off-center themselves.”
“I don’t want you to wear that bracelet unless you want to.” Then he snorted. “You’re talking about Chip, aren’t you?”
We’d met him two nights ago. “That handlebar mustache! And come on, who travels with a monkey? Amazing guitar player, though.”
Sin shot me an amused look. “Sweetheart, we travel with two talking cats.”
“But no one knows they talk.”
Almost on cue, Sugar burped. “All done.”
We burst out laughing.
I shook my head. “Yeah, you’re right. Strange is in the eye of the beholder. I’m sure Chip’s talking about us right now. Or at least talking about you, the normal guy with the weird, blue-haired wife.”
Sin bobbed his head back and forth. “Mmm, pretty sure he would have said hot but weird blue-haired wife.”
I giggled. “Well, your hot but weird wife needs to shower and get moving or we’re never going to get to your parents’ house.”
“About that. There’s a place along the way where we could stop and look at some ancient petroglyphs.”
He nodded. “I realize it’s no giant ball of tin foil, but what do you think?”
“I think I’d rather go straight to your parents’. Unless you have a burning desire to see these things.”
“Nope, I’m good. I just didn’t want you to miss out on any of the local wonders.”
“Is it weird that I really want to get to your parents’? I’m excited to see them.”
His grin went ear to ear. “Not at all. Makes me happy you feel that way.”
I got up, taking my plate and cup to the sink to rinse. The RV had a dishwasher, so I planned to pop them in there when I was done. “You have great parents. Seriously, I couldn’t have asked for better in-laws.”
“I feel the same. You going to shower now?”
“Yep.” I glanced outside through the little window over the diner table. The sky was streaked with pink, and the day looked like it was going to be beautiful. “I should be ready to hit the road in half an hour or so.”
He came up behind me and kissed my neck. “You need any help?”
I smiled and played dumb. “Rinsing my dishes?”
“No.” His kiss went lower to the curve of my shoulder.
“Getting ready?”
“Not that either.”
I turned the faucet off and twisted around to face him, pinning myself between him and the sink. “In the shower?”
He planted a hand on either side of the sink behind me and stared down at me with those dark, dazzling eyes of his. “I just thought we should preserve water.”
“Is that what you thought?”
“That and two people could probably shower faster than one.”
We already knew that wasn’t true. “Sure, anything is possible.” I cupped his face between my hands and kissed him. “But if you use up all the hot water before I get the conditioner out of my hair, you’re cleaning the cat box for the next week.”
He laughed. “Deal. Maybe you should get a head start.”
I slipped under his arm. “See you in there.”
Chapter Nine
Sinclair
My parents came outside as we arrived. They had a long, slightly curvy drive that led to the front door, then went around to the side of the house, where it split. One side disappeared beneath the house, which was where the garage was.
The other side went around to the guest quarters.
Their home might not have been a palace, but by Las Vegas standards, it was a showplace. And well it should be. My parents’ show was as popular as any Vegas act had ever been. Probably more popular than some of them and certainly well-loved for its mix of funny, creepy, sexy magic.
There was nothing else like it, and fans were rabid.
Which was partly why their estate was gated and had great security. Of course, I’d just punched in my personal code and opened those gates. But no one else would have been able to get through so easily.
With fifteen acres of land, eight thousand square feet for the main house, and another twenty-eight hundred for the guest house, Oasis Grand, as their estate was known, was almost a resort unto itself. They’d named it after the Oasis Casino, because their show there was what had made the house possible.
Jayne waved from the passenger’s seat. “Did you tell them we were bringing the cats?”
“Yep. But I also told them we were just going to stay in the RV, so I don’t think they set up anything in the guest house.”
Thankfully, Spider and Sugar were passed out in the back somewhere, so we wouldn’t have to tell them they couldn’t come out. I parked, the soft hiss of the hydraulic brakes reassuring me that the bus was secure.
Jayne was already at the door. She practically hopped down the steps as they extended from the coach. “Hi!”
My parents were smiling, which made me smile. I followed my wife, who was already hugging my mom. “Hey, Dad.”
“How was the trip?”
“Really good.”
He gazed up at the coach. “That’s quite a ride you’ve got there.”
“Yeah, it’s something else. You want the tour?”
“I’d love it.”
I’d already known he would. He loved cars, but vehicles of any kind interested him. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
“Great. Then we need to get going.”
I stopped in my tracks. “For where?”
“For the show. Your mom and I have to get ready. You two don’t need to come until closer to curtain, of course. Your tickets are waiting at Will Call so no need to rush.”
“Jayne and I aren’t coming to the show tonight. We’re coming tomorrow when you debut the new trick. We have to do our official visit at the toy store this evening.”
“Oh.” My dad frowned. “I guess we got our wires crossed. The Vanishing Woman is debuting tonight.”
Like most magicians, my dad named all his illusions. “Tonight?” I really didn’t want to miss it.
“Don’t worry about it. You can catch it tomorrow.”
“The show is at nine, right?”
“Right.”
I glanced at Jayne, who was deep in conversation with my mom. “Jayne, what time is our visit to the store?”
She looked over. “It can be anytime. I just told them this evening.”
“Could we go early? The new trick debuts tonight, not tomorrow.”
“It does? Snowballs. We don’t want to miss that. Sure, we can go early. But that means we should start getting ready.”
My mom pressed her hands together in front of her. “Oh no! Are you sure that won’t mess up your schedule?”
Jayne shook her head. “Nope, it’s all good. One of the perks of being the princess is changing the schedule when you need to, and no one can say a word. At least not to your face.”
My mom laughed. “Wonderful. Maybe after the show we can all get together for dinner. I know it’s late, but we keep graveyard-shift hours here in Vegas.”
Jayne laughed. “I’m always available to eat.”
“This is true,” I said.
My mother shot me a look. “Sinclair, that’s not nice to say about your wife.”
Jayne patted my mom’s arm. “No, it’s okay, Lila. He’s right. I love food. I can pretty much eat anytime.”
My mom shook her head, smiling. “Nothing wrong with that.”
Jayne hooked her thumb toward the bus. “You want to see the RV before we hop back in there and get ready?”
She nodded. “I’d love to.”
“Hey,” my dad said. “What are you kids going to use for a car? You can’t drive that behemoth down to the strip and hope to find parking. Not easily anyway.”
I shrugged. “I figured we’d get an Uber.”
“An Uber. And waste money?” My dad made a face. “Take one of our cars.”
“You mean like the Lambo?” I teased.
“Sure, if you want.”
Jayne’s head whipped around. “Do you mean Lamborghini?”
My dad nodded. “Yep.”
Her eyes widened. “You have one?”
He grinned. “I have two. I have a few other fun rides if that’s not to your taste.”
“Wow.”
His grin got bigger. “Where do you think your husband got his love of fine automobiles from?”
She crossed her arms as her gaze took on a curious gleam. “So what else have you got in your garage?”
I snorted. “Now you’ve done it.”
My dad shook his head. “Sadly, we don’t have time for a full tour of the garage, but if there’s a different kind of car you’d like to take, just let me know, and I’ll see what I can do. But I promise tomorrow, I will show you all of them.”
Jayne was still smiling. “I’m good with the Lamborghini.”
“Then I’ll go bring it up. Blue or black?”
Jayne glanced at me. “Blue?”
“Blue is great,” I said.
“Good choice.” He put his hand on the small of Lila’s back. “Now show your mom the RV while I get the car.”
“Come on, Mom. We’ll give you the tour.”
“And,” Jayne said, “you can see your grandcats.”
We all went back into the bus. It wasn’t quite as impressive with the slides closed but still pretty amazing. My mom made all the appropriate appreciative noises at all the right times.
She cooed a little when we showed her the bedroom, but that had nothing to do with the bus. “Look at those sweet babies. Hi there, kitty cats. Remember me?”
Sugar and Spider were curled up together on the bed. Sugar only opened her eyes, but Spider lifted his head.
Jayne was all smiles. “They’ve been great travelers.”
Spider yawned, then blinked up at my mom. “Spider grandmama?”
My mom’s hand went to her heart. “Oh, I knew he could talk, but he never said a peep when we visited. Yes, Spider, I’m your grandmama. Do you remember me?”
I stiffened. I wasn’t prepared for either of the cats to talk. Especially because they approached conversations with the same lack of filter that toddlers did.
And my mother was a zombie. I was a little afraid of what they might say or comment on.
“Spider remember.” He got up and walked toward her, stretching along the way. “Grandmama brush Spider?”
Jayne laughed. “Maybe later, baby. We don’t have time right now.”
My mom scratched his head. “I promise to brush you tomorrow, okay?”
He leaned into her hand, sleepy-eyed once again. “Kay. Tomorrow. Treats now?”
Jayne rolled her eyes. “I’ll give you and Sugar treats before we leave tonight.”
“Speaking of,” I said, “I should pull the bus around by the guest house or dad’s going to have a hard time getting any cars out of the garage.”
“Go ahead,” my mom said. “Unless you need us to sit down and buckle up?”
“No, you’re fine. Just didn’t want to start driving if you weren’t expecting it.” I went up to the driver’s seat and moved the coach back to the guest house.
By the time I returned to the bedroom, my mom was holding Spider like a baby and he was purring his head off. Sugar was still asleep or pretending to be. Jayne was looking through her clothes, trying to decide what she was going to wear this evening.
Lost in Las Vegas Page 5