Page 48 of All Bets Are Off

She laughed. “That sounds perfectly healthy.”

“Yes, well … we’re a work in progress.”

“But you don’t think he’ll help?”

“Probably not.” I shook my head. “He’s too afraid of his dad.” I probably shouldn’t have said that part out loud. Once it was out, though, it was out. “Don’t ever repeat that,” I pleaded in a low voice. “He won’t like it.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” She jerked up her chin. “He’s heading this way, though, so you should probably get it together.”

Panicked, I swiveled to look over my shoulder. Sure enough, Zach was walking—no, stomping was a better word—in my direction. “Uh-oh.”

Halley arched an eyebrow. “Is this about to turn ugly?”

Her version of ugly and mine were likely vastly different. “Loud,” I countered. “It’s about to turn loud.” Despite my worry, I pasted a bright smile on my face. If I could stop Zach from losing his cool in public, it would be the best thing for all of us. “There’s my Snookums,” I drawled.

Zach’s eyes promised murder as he closed in on us. “And there’s my Shortypants,” he replied in an icy tone.

I hated that nickname. It was only marginally better than when he called me Squirt, which wasn’t saying anything. Still, a public fight wasn’t what I was going for. “Did you miss me so much that you tracked me down?”

He looked caught off guard by the question. “Obviously,” he replied after several seconds of contemplation. “I can’t make it without my Squirt for more than a few hours. You know that.”

Next to me, Halley was calm. I could feel her drinking it all in. Was she suspicious or amused? That was the part I couldn’t ascertain. “You know, in my circle, if you call someone Squirt it has an entirely different meaning.”

Zach finally looked at her and really registered who she was. His eyes immediately went to her cleavage, which was still impressive despite the fact that I’d spent more time with her. I really couldn’t blame him and yet, weirdly, I wanted to claw his eyes out.

It was rude. That’s why I wanted to do it. Right? I wasn’t entirely certain, and that was annoying. It couldn’t be for any other reason, though. I simply wouldn’t allow it.

Zach smiled, but it was an odd gesture. He almost looked as if he was caught between amusement and horror. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He extended a hand toward me. “You should come back with me.”

I eyed his hand, then shook my head. “I’m not done yet.” I went back to looking at my notebook. “I’ll be back at the casino later.”

“Or you could come with me now.” There was something pointed about his tone. “I’ll buy you a late lunch.”

“Yeah, I’m good.” I shook my head. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

“Olivia.” That was all he said. My name. It was obvious he was agitated, but I couldn’t figure out why.

“Zachary.” I matched his tone and shot him a challenging look. “What’s your deal?”

“People know you’re down here.” He said it as if it should mean something to me.

“Um … okay.” I turned my attention back to Halley. “So Operation Beached Whale is in full swing,” I said. “We need to come up with another operation that is going to hurt the businesses in the area. That’s what’s going to get them to capitulate.”

Zach remained in front of me. “What is Operation Beached Whale?” he demanded.

I blinked. “Don’t worry about it.”

Frustration was obviously clawing at him because he made a growling noise. “Are you the reason the whales can’t get strippers?”

“Exotic dancers,” I automatically corrected. “You take away their agency when you call them strippers. It’s derogatory. They’re performers. When you talk about them that way, it sounds as if you think you’re above them.”

“Actually, I have a great deal of respect for the exotic dancers in the city.” He flashed a pointed smile toward Halley. “I have a business to run, though.” He glared at me. “As my wife, I would think you would understand that.”

He had to be joking. “Listen?—”

“No, you listen.” Zach’s eyes were on fire as he regarded me. “The people at the casino know you’re down here. They’re gossiping about it.”

“So what?”

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