The Gambler (14 page)

Her eyes widened as she read the sign. “The world’s largest hairball?” She looked up at him. “Is this a Guinness World Records tour?”

He grinned and lifted his shoulder into a half-shrug. She read parts of the sign out loud. It been removed from a cow’s stomach, and had originally weighed over fifty pounds instead of its current twenty pounds.

“I’d like to remind you,” he teased, pointing to the bottom line of the sign, “that you are not to play with the giant hairball.”

“Ewww. Disgusting.”

She cringed and giggled at the same time and Noah felt a fizzy happiness float through him. He’d been with literally countless women, but while those easy dalliances had been fun, they’d left him feeling empty and unfulfilled, ready to look for the next bright young thing. He’d only ever felt this . . . contentment with her.

“How did you find this place?”

Her question pulled him back into the moment. He unfolded his arms and let them hang at his sides. “The Internet. You can find anything there.”

They parted ways and wandered around the museum. Noah was checking out an exhibit about some old cowboy at one side of the museum, while Libby was squatting in front of the skeleton again. A young woman approached Libby with an apologetic grimace. “I’m so sorry. My associate should have told you that we’re closing soon. You and your husband will need to leave in ten minutes when we close.”

Libby stood. “That’s okay. We’re almost done.”

The woman leaned closer and winked. “Your husband is really hot,” she said in an undertone he could just barely hear.

Libby’s face reddened. “Oh, he’s not my husband. He’s just a friend.”

The museum employee looked stricken. “Is he gay?”

Libby laughed. “No. Definitely not. But Noah . . . he’s not husband material . . . if you know what I mean.”

The woman nodded. “Too many of them aren’t nowadays.”

Libby flashed him a smile before returning her attention to the skeleton, but Noah was too caught up in her words to even pretend to pay attention to anything else.

Not husband material.

Somehow it was worse that she hadn’t hesitated to say it in front of him. Well, it was sort of true, wasn’t it? Up until recently, that’s exactly how he’d wanted it. Unencumbered. Unattached.

Unloved.

How come he’d never realized he was lonely? Libby was like a warm ray of sunlight, and he wanted nothing more than to bask in it. He wanted more than one-night stand after one-night stand, but he didn’t want just anyone. He wanted Libby. He just had to prove to her that he was suitable, that he was the type of man who could be her partner.

But first he had to get his job back. Even if it meant crawling back to his brother with a peace offering.

The Abrahams account.

He pulled out his phone and responded to Tiffany’s Facebook message.

I hear your boss is on a work trip this week. Any hint where he might be?

She responded within seconds.

Las Vegas. At that stupid machine convention. I’m going with him. We arrive Monday afternoon.

Noah knew exactly where they were going next.

Vegas.

“Las Vegas?” she grumbled in disgust. “Why are we going to Vegas?”

He shrugged as they pulled onto the highway. “It sounds like fun.”

“You told me you hate Vegas as much as I do.”

He grimaced. “I thought we could see Hoover Dam. Remember we watched
When Fools Rush In
, that stupid movie with the guy from
Friends
? You said you wanted to see the dam after that.”

“True . . .” But that wasn’t why he really wanted to go to Vegas. She had no idea how he’d managed to snow so many women. She found him so transparent. He was up to something else, she just didn’t know what yet.

“It’ll be fun.”

“If you say so.” But she had to admit that anything with Noah was fun. If he wanted to go to Las Vegas, she was willing to give it a shot.

They stopped for the night in Liberal, Kansas, only an hour away. She suggested they continue driving, but Noah said he needed to plan out the next day’s adventures.

“I thought it was Vegas,” she said over dinner at a barbeque restaurant.

“That’s the final destination,” he said, typing into his phone. “We can still have an adventure on the way.”

He’d spent more time on his phone in the last fifteen minutes than she’d seen him do in the five months she’d known him. That was one of his appealing traits. She’d gone through a ton of men who seemed more attached to their phones than they were to her. Noah was always totally engaged with her. Except tonight. Then the obvious reason hit her square in the face. He didn’t want to be there.

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” she said without accusation. “You can take me home. Or even put me on a bus.”

His face jerked up, his eyes wide with alarm. “Why would you say that?”

“Noah,” she leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Where would you be right now if you weren’t here with me in Liberal, Kansas?”

He placed his phone on the table and sat back in his chair. “If you had gotten married, probably in a hotel room in Kansas City.”

“You weren’t planning to take a flight back to Seattle today?”

“No.” He frowned. “Josh and I were supposed to have a meeting tomorrow.”

Guilt washed through her. “We need to go back. You have to go to that meeting.”

He shook his head, his eyes hardening. “No we don’t. Josh can handle the meeting and I was owed some vacation time.”

“Just last month you told me that you’d used up all your vacation time.”

He groaned, then leaned closer. “Libby. This is where I want to be. With you.”

“Because you feel sorry for me.”

He laughed. “
Sorry
for you? Why would I feel sorry for you? Well, other than the fact you’re wearing clothes from Walmart.”

The way he was blowing off her concerns irritated her. “Noah, I’m serious.”

“Libby. So am I.” He sighed, then put his hand over hers. “Are you having fun?”

“Well, yeah. But that’s not the point.”

He smiled, that dazzling megawatt smile that usually won him any woman he wanted. She’d been immune to it. Until now. Her insides warmed and her breath caught in her chest as she stared into his deep brown eyes.

“The point is,” he continued, apparently unaware of the impact he had on her, “
this
is where I want to be.
With you.
There’s no self-sacrifice involved. You should know me well enough by now to know that I’m incapable of
that
particular trait.” He gave her a wry grin, and she decided to let it drop even though she didn’t agree with his assessment of himself. But she also knew him well enough to know when it was pointless to argue with him.

She flashed him a smile. “Okay. You’ve sold me. You want to be here. I want to be here. We both want to be here. What are we doing tomorrow?”

He pushed out a breath, looking more relaxed. “It’s a surprise, of course.”

“Why? Today was my day. Tomorrow can be yours.”

He shook his head. “No can do. You don’t have a license, so you can’t drive.”

Well, shit. He was right. “Where are we staying in Vegas and when will we get there?”

“Caesar’s Palace. I made reservations for Tuesday night.”

She reached her hand across the table. “Let me borrow your phone.”

“Why?”

“I need to call Blair.”

He hesitated. “Why?”

“Since when did you start giving me the third degree? I’m going to see if she’ll send some things to me at the hotel.”

“Okay.” He tapped on his screen before handing it over. “Do you need some privacy?”

“No,” she released a mock laugh. “That went so well with Megan last time. I need a witness in case Blair figures out a way to reach through the phone line and strangle me.”

“You don’t have to call her, Lib. I can get you anything you need.”

“Like a driver’s license?” He shrugged. “Yeah, exactly.”

She tapped in Blair’s number, her back tense as she waited.

“McMillan,” Blair answered. “If you do anything to my best friend, your balls are mine.”

Libby couldn’t help but grin. “What’s Garrett going to say about you taking another man’s balls?”

“Libby,” her friend said, her voice thick with relief. “Garrett won’t say a thing. I have a whole trophy case full of men’s testicles.”

Libby had no doubt about that. Blair Myers Hansen had made a name for herself as a hardass divorce attorney, which was paving the way for the new practice she’d opened with Garrett.

“Where are you, Libs?”

“Ah . . .” She glanced out the window. “Billy Blue Duck BBQ.”

“Maybe not
so
specific.”

“Liberal, Kansas.”

“When are you coming home?”

She glanced at Noah, but he was staring out the window. “I’m not sure yet. Probably not until later in the week.”

“You’re spending a week in
Liberal, Kansas?
”

Libby chuckled. “No. We’re on our way to Vegas.”

“
Vegas?
You hate Vegas.”

“Yeah . . . well . . .” She swallowed. “Noah’s taking me on an adventure. He’s planning it all and I’m letting him.”

“So you’re okay?” Blair asked in a quiet voice that caught Libby by surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah,” she answered. “I am.”

“You know we’re here for you, no matter what, right? Megan feels terrible about what she said.”

“It’s okay,” she said, almost meaning it. Megan had hurt her deeply, but she couldn’t exactly blame her for the things she’d said.

“Talk to us next time, okay?” Blair sounded insistent. “No judgment, no matter how much Megan spouted off.” Not giving her a chance to respond, much less protest, Blair continued. “You did it because of the curse, didn’t you?” She paused. “Your birthday.”

Libby shot a glance at Noah, who was thankfully still looking out the window. She suddenly wished she’d asked for privacy. “Yeah.” She saw no reason to deny it.

“I know you believe in it, but it doesn’t mean anything, Libs. You can still meet an amazing guy and fall in love. You were never in love with Mitch.” She hesitated. “I was too caught up in Garrett and setting up the new practice to see what was right in front of my face. I let you down. I’m sorry.”

Libby gasped at Blair’s confession. Her friend really
had
softened. “You don’t need to be sorry. It’s done. Now I’m spending the week with Noah.”

He flashed her a grin, then motioned toward the restroom with his thumb.

Libby nodded. 

“Be careful with him.”

Libby shuddered, suddenly grateful Noah had just left the table. “What’s
that
supposed to mean?”

“We both know what he’s like, and you’re vulnerable right now. You were seeing Mitch when you met him, but now you’re available. And sometimes you don’t make good choices after a breakup.”

Libby would have gotten angry if Blair had said it in a haughty tone, but her friend sounded genuinely scared. And Libby had to admit it was true. She was notorious for making stupid decisions after a breakup.

“I know you like Noah, but I don’t trust him for one minute.”

Libby laughed, but it sounded harsh. “You think he plans to take advantage or convince me to sleep with him?”

Blair’s voice hardened. “The thought had occurred to me.”

“News flash: he could have totally taken advantage of me last night. We slept in the same bed and I only had on his shirt and my panties. But no worries. He was a perfect gentleman.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s an oxymoron when used in conjunction with Noah McMillan.”

Libby sighed, not wanting to have to defend Noah to her friend. “Look, I appreciate your concern, but there’s absolutely
nothing
to worry about.” At least Blair didn’t seem to be picking up on her disappointment. Still, Blair’s worries corroborated Libby’s original misgivings about her attraction to Noah. She shook her head. She could mull that one over later. “I need a favor.”

“What is it?” There was a hint of the old Blair, guarded and wary.

“Do you know where my purse is?”

“I have it. We didn’t know when you’d be back, so I seemed like the logical person to hold on to it.”

“Then that’s perfect. Can you dig out my driver’s license and express ship it to Caesar’s Palace? And put my credit cards in it too.”

“What?”

“Look, I know it’s an inconvenience for you—”

“It’s not an inconvenience. I have it in my possession. I can ask my assistant Melissa to ship it. The question is why you
need
it.”

“Do you really think it’s a good idea for me to be traveling around the country with no ID?”

“When you put it that way . . . But why are you traveling around the country at all?”

“Why not? This is like my last big adventure. I turn thirty in two days and then I’ll be old and boring. Let me have one last fling before I leave my youth behind.”

“I’m not even going to comment on the fact that I’m already over thirty. But old and boring? You?”

Libby chuckled. “Well, I’ll give it a go.”

“Be careful, Libby. Just don’t let your heart get hurt, okay?”