Page 19 of Gamble
Reagan looked up into the smiling face of the man who’d helped her during check-in just as he removed his hand from over her mouth.
“I’m sorry if I scared you, grabbing you like that, but I got the impression you could use a bit of help to escape.”
“That obvious, eh?” she confessed, embarrassed. This guy must think she was a hot mess.
“Naw. I’m just pretty good at reading people,” he said, and she had to agree. So far, he’d done a better job of paying attention to her than her own boyfriend had been.
Reagan didn’t have time to respond. An older woman in a flowery dress rushing up to them interrupted her. “Welcome to The Chapel! No need to stand back here near the door. Come in and I’ll show you around.”
Reagan took her eyes off her companion long enough to glance around and realized they’d somehow fallen down a rabbit hole straight into a gaudy wedding chapel. She didn’t even have time to protest before the woman took each of their hands and started pulling them toward the makeshift altar where a thin man in a too-big suit stood looking bored.
“Oh no…” she countered, trying to pull her hand free. “I think you’ve misunderstood. We don’t even know each other! We’re not here to get married.”
Her companion wasn’t helping. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he was in on the joke because his only reaction was a low chuckle. Reagan glanced at his face to see him grinning, and she burst out giggling. It really was ridiculous.
It wasn’t until they came to a stop that he stopped laughing long enough to set the lady straight.
“I’m sorry if we intruded, but I’m afraid the young lady is correct. We only met a few hours ago. We ducked in here to hide from her very obnoxious friends who were chasing her down.”
The smile on the older woman waned. “Darn. I’m sorry to hear that. I saw you two laughing together, and I took that as a good sign that you were a couple.”
Reagan shared a quick glance with her savior, sure he would regret getting dragged into yet another drama on her behalf, but the grin on his handsome face had only grown, lighting up his grey eyes in a way that felt warm and welcoming.
Why couldn’t Tristan look at me like that?
Coming to her senses, Reagan teased, “I have a strict rule. I don’t contemplate marrying a man until I at least know their name.”
Even the woman from the chapel laughed at her comment.
“My apologies,” he offered with a slight bow that she suspected would have felt condescending had Tristan done it, but for this older, mature man, she knew he meant it as a sign of respect. “Elijah Keaton, at your service.”
“Well, Elijah Keaton, you’ve already proven you are a man of your word since you’ve come to my aid twice in a matter of hours.” She had reached out to take his warm hand, and their handshake lingered as she added, “Reagan Murphy.”
“Murphy. That might explain the red hair. Irish?” he asked.
“By way of Seattle. I still have some distant cousins in Dublin, though.”
“Just one more thing to like about you. I love Ireland. I’ve traveled there several times for work in the past,” he added before a slight pause in their conversation felt awkward.
“Well, I guess—” she said just as he asked, “Where were you heading?”
They each chuckled before she answered, “I was heading out to grab some ice cream near the pool.”
“Is that your dinner or dessert?” he asked.
She could feel a blush as she admitted, “That ice cream is the best dinner in town.”
“Maybe… but I was going to grab a steak. Care to join me?” he asked before adding, “I promise to order you ice cream for dessert.”
Reagan’s regret was illuminating. It didn’t bode well for her relationship with Tristan that she wanted to say yes to her new friend.
Her face must have projected her thoughts because Elijah smiled again. This time she sensed his disappointment, which only made her wish she could go even more.
“Let me guess… Mr. Goodrich may not be here yet, but he’s your fiancé?”
“Close… well,” she was flustered. “…not that close, I guess—he’s just my boyfriend.”
“Hmmm… just your boyfriend… Well, he’s not a very smart one, leaving you to fend for yourself in Vegas. If he’s not careful, someone…” he paused, broadening his smile again before adding, “…will try to steal you away.”
