Page 62 of Finally
“That we are. I’m glad you found someone who adores you. You deserve it.”
“Even if he doesn’t adore you?” he teased.
“This is beyond not adoring me. I’m pretty sure he’d like to deck me. But yes, even then. The guy’s completely nuts about you, which makes him perfect in my book.”
The times of worrying about whether Gray actually wanted him were in the past, but it was still nice to hear someone else point out what Jack now saw every day.
“He’s perfect for me,” Jack confirmed.
“I really am sorry, Jack.” He squeezed Jack’s hand. “Love you.”
“Love you back.”
Epilogue
“I don’t know why everyone loves coming here so much.” Gray turned his head from left to right, taking in the flashing lights and overlapping sounds of the casino. “People are packed in like sardines, there’s a faint scent of cigarette smoke everywhere, and the cost of this building should be enough to clue in everyone at the tables that they’re going to lose because their money is what’s paying for this”—he waved his arm around—“over-the-top faux luxury.”
“I can’t argue with those points.” Jack smiled at him. “But we’re here for the conference anyway so let’s make the best of it.” He handed Gray his glass and then lifted his own. “We can enjoy our overpriced drinks and then go back to the room.”
Gray rolled his eyes. “That’s a two-mile walk through an indoor maze.” He sipped his cocktail. “Next time I’m speaking at one of these things, I’m going to skip the comped room in the conference hotel and find somewhere to stay that’s a tenth of the size and doesn’t have a casino. Surely there must be better hotels in Las Vegas.”
“We’re at the Venetian. I’m pretty sure it’s considered one of the better hotels here.”
“Alright, you convinced me, I’ll never agree to present at a conference in this city again. Problem solved.”
“I’m sure it’s great client development. You couldn’t get a moment alone with all the people approaching you earlier about representing their companies.”
“I have more work than I want, and I fill up the hours of more associates and junior partners than I can manage. I don’t need to develop more clients.” He finished his drink. “I’m wasting your limited time off in a bar inside a casino slash shopping mall in a city that consists of a cluster of ostentatious buildingsmasquerading as other cities when we could have gone to the real Italy instead.”
“It’s not that bad.” Jack laughed.
Before he could respond, he surged forward because someone bumped into his chair. He looked up at a very clearly drunk man and his…date. She was half his age, half undressed, and hanging out of her top and all over him.
“You were saying?” he asked Jack.
“One second, honey, my wife’s calling.” The man fumbled with his pocket, teetered to the side and against Gray again, and then lifted a phone to his ear. “Hi, Karen. I won’t be able to talk to the kids tonight because the meeting’s running late. I’m still there.”
“No, he’s not, Karen,” Gray shouted, hoping he was loud enough to be heard over all the other ambient noise.
The guy pressed the phone to his chest and gave him a scathing look.
“What?” Gray asked. “Nobody lies to Karen in front of me and gets away with it.”
“Do you know my wife?” he asked, his expression terrified.
Turning his attention to the woman beside the stranger, Gray said, “Did you know he has a wife?”
The man grasped the woman’s shoulder and started pushing her. “Let’s get out of here. He’s crazy.”
“I don’t need this.” She shook him off and hustled away.
“Your wife’s still on the line,” Gray pointed out before the conversation could continue.
“Fuck you.” He hurried away too.
Gray raised his empty glass in the man’s direction. “Cheers.”
“Uh.” Jack looked to the spot where the couple had been and then at Gray. “That was an experience.”
