Page 53 of High Roller

I ignore him and throw the towel on the ground as Grace escapes to open the shop.

“Don’t distract her from her work and don’t send her on errands. You can eat from the shop or starve.”

I plop onto the bed when I’m done cleaning up the mess. “Someone’s in a pleasant mood this morning. What crawled up your ass after you let us here yesterday?”

He just scowls, so I fill the silence. “If you must know, I didn’t ask her for anything. She told me that’s where she was stopping on her way to work this morning and asked if I wanted anything before she left last night. It seemed easier to ask her to get me something than have her make me something here. You really shouldn’t involve her in this.”

“Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do.”

I want to slap him or fuck him. Maybe both. The bit of relief the vibrator gave me is long gone. Dammit Lili, get a fucking grip.

“Is there a reason you’re in here other than to ruin a perfectly good breakfast?”

“Your husband isn’t looking for you yet. Why is that?”

I laugh. “Phineas is too self-absorbed to notice me missing. My mother-in-law will, however, miss me at a gala tonight. I’m supposed to introduce her.”

Victor nods and turns on his heel and leaves the room. As if my answer explains everything. His mood is surly, and a complete one-eighty from when he left yesterday. I’m not sure what to make of it. My instinct is to ask Grace if he’s prone to these mood swings the next time I see her, but who knows when that will be.

I stare at the door for a long time after he leaves and try to figure out what my next move should be.

The gala tonight is for the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, a cause that I actually believe in. My mother-in-law thinks it’s ridiculous but knows it’s good for her numbers to act like she gives a shit about homeless people, so she’s giving the keynote. I wanted Trinity Novak, but Phineas threw a fit when I tried to offer it to her instead of his precious mother. The relationship those two have is… odd and toxic. If I’d realized that before I agreed to the marriage, I never would have gone through with it. My mother-in-law controls my life, but we’ve developed a decent relationship over the years. She’s also the reason I haven’t had children with that monster yet, so I’m grateful for small miracles.

I’ve always wanted a large family, but it doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me. As I stare at the closed door, I wonder what is in the cards, and whether it includes me living to see my thirty-seventh birthday.

Chapter 17

Grace

“Thiscan’tberight.”I stare at the email on my phone as I sit in the back room and eat a sandwich on my lunch break the next day.

You’ve been awarded a scholarship for the semester and will receive a refund check after the add/drop period has passed. Please fill out the attached form so we can process your payment and avoid any unnecessary delays.

I don’t remember applying for any other scholarships than the ones I’d already received a decision for. I check for any signs that it’s SPAM or a phishing scheme. Then I call the bursar’s office at UNLV.

“That’s correct, Ms. Marsh. When you applied for financial aid, it looks like you were automatically qualified for consideration for this scholarship. The decision was made late this year due to a change in the terms.”

I thank the woman and click back to the email and open the form. I can choose to have the refund deposited into my bank account or have a paper check sent in the mail.

It seems way too good to be true, but this means I can add another two classes and get to my degree one semester sooner. The refund will be enough to cover my living expenses so I can cut my hours at the sandwich shop if I want.

I’m not sure I love the idea of being here less, and I don’t know how the owners will react, but Victor fully supports me going back to school, so I think he’ll advocate for me in his grumpy way. Although he seemed pretty pissed at me this morning.

I haven’t seen him since he found me eating with Lili, so I’m not sure how mad he actually is, and I’m not entirely eager to go looking and find out.

The subject of my thoughts steps into the back room and looks me up and down.

“What’s wrong?” he demands.

“I’m not sure. I got a scholarship letter for a scholarship I didn’t apply for. And I called the school to make sure it’s legit. Apparently, as long as my GPA stays up it’s mine until I graduate. It’s a full ride and then some.”

Victor grins, a sight I don’t see often, and reaches out to tousle my curls. “Congratulations, Grace. You deserve it.”

I’m not sure what I expect, but this isn’t it. Grumpy is his usual demeanor, and this morning he was even more so. Chipper is not a word I’ve ever used to describe him, but it applies right now.

“I guess. But good things like this don’t happen to me. There’s going to be a catch somewhere down the line and I’ll owe whoever gave me this my first born or something.”

Victor raises one eyebrow as he twirls his keys on his finger. “You really think a state-funded university would have a first-born child clause in their scholarship requirements?”

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