Page 17 of Play to Win

The responsibility I’ve had to learn over the years, looking after my mom, looking after Chris, finding jobs and paying bills and cooking meals, is instilled in me enough that I hesitate.I don’t even know this man.This could be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve done some dumb things.

The allure of it is irresistible, though.A chance to chuck my problems, leave them behind me and escape.Even if it’s just for a while.

“Okay, if you don’t want to be a pretend girlfriend, here’s something even better ...you can be my real wife.”

My mouth falls open again, my eyes bugging out wide.“Wife?”

“We’re in Vegas.A quickie marriage totally makes sense.Right?”

I laugh.“Absolutely.”Now I know he’s not serious.

“How do we do that?”He pulls out his phone and starts swiping at the screen.

“Stop.We don’t have to get married.”

“Sure, we do.I have to make an honest woman of you.”

Laughter bubbles up inside me again.“You’d only have to do that if we’d slept together first.”

“If you insist.”He’s still looking at his phone, but his lips quirk.“Damn.We need to get a marriage license.”

“Oh well.”

“No, we have time.They’re open until midnight.Let’s go.”

I’m laughing and protesting as he grabs my backpack.I nearly trip as I try to slide my feet into my pumps, one hand in his as he tugs me out of the pool party.This is not happening.

Out in front of the hotel, I try to reason with him, even though my blood is racing with excitement.I haven’t done something this wild in a long, long time.There hasn’t been a lot of time for fun in my life for a long, long time.

“Look,” I say.“If you’re not the kind of guy to jump into a pool with your clothes on, you’re not the type of guy for a quickie Vegas marriage.”

“Ididjump into the pool with my clothes on.”

“Um ...okay, you got me there.I’m just worried you’re going to regret this.”

“It’s just temporary.You need to get out of town.I need a girlfriend.Er, wife.Right?”

I shove a hand into my hair, rub the back of my head and then down through my hair.Then I grin.“Right.”

He grins back.A taxi pulls up and we jump in.He gives the driver the address on Clark Avenue.“And hurry,” he says.“We have to make it there by midnight.”

“You got it.”

It takes us about ten minutes to get there.As we drive, Théo is on his phone again.“Okay, I found a chapel that’s still open.”He makes the call and books us in.

We arrive at the courthouse.Théo asks the taxi driver to wait for us, which seems extravagant to me since we have no idea how long this will take.Actually, it can’t take that long, because they close in ten minutes.As we run up the steps, I take in the sign above the door:marriage license bureau.

I know it’s crazy.I just don’t care.

It’s not busy at all there; in fact on this Tuesday night, we’re the only ones there, so it doesn’t take long to get the license.Then we’re back in the taxi, on our way to Las Vegas Boulevard.

I’ve been to one of these weddings before; my friend Karine and her husband did this.Only they planned it a little more than we did.She at least had a white dress and flowers and me there as her maid of honor.I have nobody.I’m wearing a dress I just wore in a pool, smelling of chlorine, and I bet my mascara is smudged under my eyes.

I don’t care.

The neon sign above the door of the wedding chapel glows hot pink and blue.I laugh out loud at the flashing bulbs around the sign.Ridiculous.

We cross the terra-cotta tiles past some potted palms and bright flowers, and enter the building.Again, at this hour, we’re the only ones here.

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