“Evelyn!” He sounded slightly out of breath. “I am so, so sorry I didn’t make our appointment.”
She stopped herself before she spewed platitudes and nonsense that he shouldn’t worry about it. It was time to change tactics. She’d been far too accessible in their prior conversations. He was a busy man, but she was no slouch.
“I hope everything is well,” she said neutrally. “I’m about to head into another meeting.” It wasn’t a lie, she’d be meeting plenty of people on her shift. And she did need to speak with the manager on the hospitality side of the casino operations about her recent proposal for team-building excursions and events. “Please, send me an email and we can reschedule. Have a great?—”
“Hang on.” His tone hardened. “My internet connection went out.”
“I hate it when that happens,” she sympathized. The weather was already draining the warm air from the car. Her ungloved hand was getting chilled. “Whenever it’s back up and running, send that email.”
“You promised me a tour of the area.”
Her cold fingers were quickly forgotten. He still planned to visit? He’d agreed to her outrageous price of a thousand dollars for a glorified walk through the woods, despite it being a snow-heavy season. They’d scheduled for the day after tomorrow and she’d assumed, especially after he didn’t make the onlinemeeting that he’d intended to delay the entire thing. “You’re in Deadwood?”
“Almost,” he replied. “Travel is interesting at best, but yes, I changed my plans to get ahead of the storm.”
“Holly is a beast,” she agreed as a gust sent snow swirling across her windshield. “And I’m afraid the last update said the storm was barreling straight for us. We really should postpone until the worst has passed.”
“If I can get in tonight?”
His tenacity, the press in his voice, surprised her. “I’m not available until tomorrow at the earliest.” Maybe not then if she had to cover for a coworker.
“What do you recommend?”
“With this storm?” She looked up at the heavy gray sky, gloomier still as evening deepened and the light faded. “I recommend you wait it out. The wilderness will still be here once Holly blows over and everyone can dig out.”
“Dig out?”
She hadn’t asked, but she got the impression Tate had been raised in a warm climate. “They’re predicting several feet of snow accumulation. Factor in the drifts and it could be difficult if not impossible to get around for a few days.”
“I didn’t realize.”
Loosely translated into business-speak, that meant she wouldn’t be getting an influx of cash anytime soon. Worse, she might have just botched the deal, giving him the impression this was winter every year. She scrambled to salvage something from the call. “A winter storm like this one isn’t something we see often, not even up here. As I explained earlier, the winter activities we want to offer won’t be interrupted by inclement weather any more often than we experience in other seasons.”
“I understand, Evelyn.”
Oh, she hoped he did. More importantly, she needed him to trust her lifelong expertise in the area and her innovative expansion plans. Tate Cordell had surprised her when he’d reached out, but to date his continued interest in Cottonwood remained the most promising solution to propel the family business into profitable and sustainable territory for the long term.
There was a rapid tapping noise on his end before he spoke again. “I’ll keep an eye on the weather and be in touch.”
The call ended before she could say thank you.
Chilled again, she shoved her cell phone into her purse and put her glove back on for the dash across the parking lot.
Stan, a friendly face from high school, was the security guard on duty at the employee entrance. He held the door open for her as she rushed toward the building. “Evening,” he said. “I hope you did all your storm prep before coming in.”
She smothered the scream building in her throat. “Sure did,” she replied. It wasn’t Stan’s fault that no one knew how to have a conversation about anything other than snowstorms right now. “Dad is all prepped at home and I have an overnight bag packed in the car, just in case I need to stay on and cover shifts.”
“You really are set,” he said with a smile. “Have a good shift, Evelyn.”
She returned the sentiment as she walked away. Back here behind the scenes, the casino had designed a pleasant-enough area, though the focus was on utility rather than creating the posh experience everyone maintained out front for guests.
Stowing her coat and scarf in a locker, along with her boots, she slipped into the heels that completed the uniform and prepared for her shift. There weren’t any new notices regarding players or problems, so when it was time, she strolled out to the casino.
It was her habit to take a circuit of the casino floor before taking her place at a table in the poker room. The routine helped her get a feel for the general vibe in and around the casino. Sometimes social events, big parties, or business groups amped up the energy and made everyone feel lucky. She had a similar habit when she guided tours with Cottonwood Adventures, always spending a few minutes by herself taking in the weather before loading gear or heading out.
Tonight, the guests seemed upbeat overall. She didn’t hear any chatter about the weather, not even around the slot machines. There were the usual grumbles about luck, but the staff worked together to make sure no one turned mean or disruptive. Although the casino wasn’t at full capacity, business was brisk, which was a good sign for her potential tips.
Evelyn opened her table for Texas Hold’em and the poker room host filled it immediately with four men she guessed were traveling together for business judging by the button-down shirts open at the collar and the khaki slacks that had probably been freshly creased this morning. The loafers were the big clue. No local in his right mind wore loafers in Deadwood at this time of year.
