Nessa’s suggestion about stepping out of my comfort zone blares in my head. This is the kind of thing she was talking about. Maybe not exactly this, but something similar—something I’d never think to do.
The cafeteria door is open, but no one is paying me any attention.
I scribble down the web address on my ordering pad before I can talk myself out of it, and climb the stairs to the casino.
Chapter Four
A few days later, Cali and I meet up with Nessa after work to hit the Blue club. By the time we arrive in the basement to change out of our uniforms, Nessa is already in skinny jeans, a flowing tank top, and gold heels. Her shoes are the length of a Twinkie to match her petite frame, and about the cutest child-sized adult shoes I’ve ever seen.
I rush past her to my locker. “I’ll be ready in a minute.”
“Take your time.” She pulls out a makeup bag the size of a compact car. “I need to freshen up.”
Cali changes and puts on lipstick in the amount of time it takes me to untangle myself from the Houdini bustier contraption I wear for work. I hand in my uniform to the seamstress counter. When I return to Nessa’s locker, she’s still applying eye shadow.
I’ll have no problem catching up now. The only makeup I carry is a tube of lip balm. Mascara and blush are applied in the morning, if I’m not in too much of a hurry. This morning I had time and splurged on my appearance. I’m wearing my cute fitted jeans and a silky, emerald short-sleeved trapeze top, though I’ve already received a disparaging head shake from Cali over it.
She thinks that if there’s no cleavage, it’s not appropriate going-out wear. The fact that I picked a best friend similar to my mom is some scary psychological shit I try not to overanalyze.
“Oh, by the way,” Nessa says, digging into her giant bag. She pulls out a small compact and lifts the lid, revealing deep violet eye shadow. One eye screwed shut, she sweeps the shadow above the smoky gray color already applied to her eyelid. “Do you mind if we meet up with Mira?”
I lean over the locker bench for my purse, using the metal locker door for balance. The edge cuts into my tight grip. Lewis’s Mira?
Mira attacked Zach when he asked me about school at the taco dinner party. Her pointed glares the next day at the beach barbecue didn’t leave much to the imagination. She hates me, and Nessa wants us to go out with her?
This is supposed to be a fun girls’ night, but Mira is Nessa’s friend and I can’t say no. Looking in the mirror at the end of the lockers, I stretch my mouth wide and smooth on the ruby lipstick Cali forced into my hand after she stealthily stole my lip balm. “Yeah, sure.” I rub my lips together and smile. The reflection in the mirror reveals a solid poker face. “The more the merrier.”
Cali’s eyes are wide as I return her lipstick. She tucks the tube in her purse and covertly squeezes my arm. She gets my distress without me having to say anything.
Nessa smiles shakily. “I’m glad it’s not a problem, because I sort of already invited her. She sounded down when she called.”
I pull my small purse with the long strap over my head and across my body. “Is she meeting us here?”
“She’s a dealer next door. She gets off in a little bit. I thought we could grab a drink and wait for her there, then head to the club.”
This should be an interesting night.
The walk to the other casino is entertaining. A hipster I suspect is either drunk or high sits in front of the drugstore we pass like he’s on his living room couch, while tourists with their Keep Tahoe Blue T-shirts swarm the sidewalk between the casinos. A lust for winnings, hookups, and general naughtiness permeates the air.
We enter the casino’s double doors and order drinks at one of the bars. It’s while I’m waiting for my drink that I see them: the beautiful couple off to the side of a pit, Mira still in her uniform, facing Lewis.
I thought I had purged him from my system. He’s nearly a stranger to me. But now I’m drinking in Lewis’s face, his body, the way he holds himself—careful but assured. My heart kicks up like I’m running a sprint, my breathing a choppy mess. The irrational urge to go to him has me squirming in my seat. What is it about this guy?
Across the distance, Mira’s voice rises above the clamor of noise. Which is saying a lot, because hello, we’re in a casino—that’s like talking over a wind tunnel. She thrusts her arms out angrily, spitting fire at Lewis, and he seems to be taking it.
Nessa and Cali follow my gaze. “Damn,” Nessa says. “I’ve never seen them fight like that.”
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Nessa lifts a shoulder. “No idea. Mira’s not easy, but they’re tight, you know?”
I shake my head. I don’t know. Seems more like they clash.
“I mentioned how Lewis, Zach, and Mira—how their families go way back?” I nod, remembering. “Well, Lewis and Mira sort of grew up together. He returned to town partly for her. He wanted to help his dad with the business now that his dad’s getting older, and he wanted to be closer to Mira. He’s protective of her.”
Sure, she’s his girlfriend, and Mira is obsessed with Lewis. I’m surprised she allowed any distance between them.
I have the worst attraction radar. Lewis is this protective, devoted boyfriend. He’s not available. Why won’t the fact stick in my head? It’s like I need it tattooed on my brain.
