Page 31 of All Bets Are Off

“And they just accepted that?”

I shrugged. “Weirdly, the dinner went better than I was expecting. I thought for sure Mom and Dad were going to melt down, but they were kind of ‘meh’ on the entire thing.” I swiveled on my stool so I was facing her. “It was a bit anticlimactic if you want to know the truth.”

Tallulah snorted. “Only you would be disappointed that your parents didn’t melt down. How did his parents take it?”

“His dad didn’t believe it at first. When my parents didn’t freak out, though, he seemed to come around.”

“And that’s a good thing, right?”

Was it? I wasn’t certain. I’d been so fixated on getting the surgery I’d been waiting a lifetime for—okay, that was dramatic, I can admit that—I hadn’t really thought through the rest of it. “I have no idea. He’s already being bossy, though, and I can tell you that I don’t like that.”

“Nobody would like that,” she agreed. Her expression was thoughtful. “How is this going to work?”

“Well, he already got me out of my lease. Apparently, the Stone Group owns my apartment building. While I was sleeping off the surgery, he put all my furniture in storage and moved my stuff to his place.”

“Wait … so you’re going to live with him?” She was incredulous. “Oh, you’re definitely going to see him naked.”

“No, I’m not. We have separate bathrooms.”

“I don’t care.” She waved off my statement as if flicking a fly. “I bet you see him naked before the week is even out.”

“I’m not seeing him naked.” I was firm on that. Well, mostly. If I caught a glimpse of him naked through an open door or something, I was definitely going to look. How could I not? I mean… I was an adult now. I wasn’t an idiot. Nothing else would happen, though, and I wouldn’t be returning the favor. “I can’t decide if this was a stupid idea or not. I need you to be honest with me.”

“I think it was a great idea.” Her response came way too fast.

“And if I never see him naked?” I prodded. I knew where her mind was going, and it wasn’t pretty.

She shrugged. “I still think it’s a good idea. You were worried about being out of work. This gives you as much breathing room as him. How much does he expect you to pay in rent?”

“Nothing, and I didn’t even have a co-pay for the surgery.”

“Wow. So … you have your entire severance package still intact. You no longer have to pay rent or bills. Well, except for your car. You can take your time and find the right position.”

“His father said they can find a job for me at the casino if I want,” I mused, more to myself than her. “When he realized I was the one who took down Bucky Junior, he actually seemed to warm up to me.”

Tallulah burst out laughing. “That makes sense in a weird way. What sort of job?”

“Cage counter was the first thing he suggested.” I frowned at the memory.

“Which you promptly shot down,” Tallulah assumed.

“Yup. He said Zach could find me something.”

“Are you going to take it?”

“If it’s a decent job, I don’t see how I can turn it down. I mean … if this goes well, I could have a huge nest egg saved up by the time the year is over.”

“Year?” Tallulah’s brow furrowed. “You guys set an expiration date on your marriage?”

“It seemed prudent.”

“Ah, yes, prudent is the exact word I would use to describe this arrangement.” She laughed into her cocktail. “Wow. This is just … wow.”

“I know.”

“It’s kind of exciting,” she said after a beat. “Like … I think it’s going to be okay.”

It wasn’t what I expected her to say, but it was what I was hoping for. “So, you don’t think I screwed up my life so badly that I’ll never recover?”

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