Page 76 of Full Tilt
Maybe I was supposed to be guarded or wary, but I was just happy.Tonight, I’m trying it Dena’s way. Be happy. Be normal. A part of the circle, not alone in the center.
“I would love the company.”
Kacey’s cheeks reddened prettily, and she turned back to Oscar. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Don’t thank me until you’ve crapped in the woods and heard mountain lions outside your tent. This is your initiation, kid.”
“Bring it,” Kacey laughed.
And her smile was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
“So, who’sup for a little bit of gambling?” I said as we left the restaurant. “I’ve got forty bucks burning a hole in my pocket.”
Dena exchanged a look with Oscar, then yawned. “I overdid it on the crème brûlée,” she said. “My pillow is calling.”
“Yeah, me too,” Oscar said, glancing at Jonah. “Why don’t you guys go ahead without us? We’ll do it again some other time.”
“You sure?” I said.
“Next time,” Dena said, hugging me.
“I’ll gamble,” Holly said. “I haven’t in ages.” She tugged on Theo’s arm. “You want to?”
Now Theo ricocheted a glance between Oscar and Jonah and shook his head. “Don’t feel like it. Calling it a night.”
Holly pouted before hugging me goodbye. Theo slid stiff arms around me and bent his mouth to my ear. “Try to keep it under an hour in the casino. He shouldn’t be around the smoke.”
“Got it,” I said.
Theo seemed to hesitate, his eyes flicking toward Jonah then back to me. “Have a good time,” he said. He turned abruptly, leaving Jonah and me alone.
I watched Holly jog to catch up to him.
“Have he and Holly been together long?” I asked.
“By his standards, yes.”
“Oscar and Dena are wonderful people.”
Jonah made a face. “They’re like a bad Vaudeville act.”
I laughed. “Come on. I promised Theo we’d only stay an hour in the casino.”
“Jesus, he’s ridiculous.”
I slid a hand into the crook of his elbow. “He’s his brother’s keeper.”
The casino was a short walk from the restaurant. We stepped inside the slightly dim space where most of the illumination came from slot machines, row upon row of them. A legion of glowing, flashing lights. Cones of bright light blared down on the blackjack tables, reflecting off the dealers’ white shirts and the white cards on green felt.
“What’s your poison?” Jonah said. “Blackjack? Roulette? Poker?”
“Blackjack,” I said.
The casino was crowded, and we had to amble far down the line before finding a table with one open seat, immediately to the dealer’s right.
