I give him a small smile. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
Shaking his head, he returns my smile. His is a little more genuine than mine. “You don’t need to apologize. I know how hard last night had to have been.” He glances into the cabin at the small group of passengers before returning to his task. “I’m not butting in, but that hunk of a man seems unusually interested in you.”
“I told you yesterday, that’s very unlikely. Besides, even if he is, that would all change when he realizes what he’s signing up for.”
Cade sends me a pitying stare, making me even more sad. “I know you’ve been with some dicks in the past, but I hope you don’t write off men forever just because of Benny. You’re a fucking catch.”
I laugh humorlessly. “I appreciate that, Cade. I’ll try not to. Just feels like a lot after last night.”
He stares at me for a heartbeat before deciding to accept my answer. “I guess I can’t blame you for that, lovey.” Pushing the cart toward me, he says, “Let’s go drop off this before that grumpy, stuck-up singer complains again. She’s in a mood today.”
As I push the cart down the aisle, I steel myself to deal with Jenny and to face Nate again. I start at the back and serve Jenny and her entourage food. Ignoring the glare she hurls in my direction, I hold my breath as I set her plate down. I’m relieved when all she says is an annoyed, “Finally.”
Walking backward up the aisle, I stop to serve Nate andIan. They switched seats since I last saw them, so Ian is nearest the aisle, with Nate next to the window.
I avoid Nate’s eyes, even though I can feel his bore into the side of my head as I lean over and place his plate on the small table in front of them.
“Olive, you smell amazing. I love your perfume.”
I’m caught off guard by the compliment from the man closest to me. I straighten and smile at Ian. As I sit his plate down in front of him, I don’t really know how to respond, so I say, “Thank you, it’s probably my shampoo.” I immediately mentally kick myself. He doesn’t care. I should have just said thanks and left it at that.
“Wow, shampoo that smells that good and gives you gorgeous hair like that. Must be good stuff,” Ian compliments with a huge smile as he takes a bite of his food.
I’m unprepared for Nate’s intensity when I notice him staring at his friend, his mouth hanging open slightly. He looks utterly shocked and somewhat pissed.
“Dude, what the fuck?” Nate says quietly enough that only Ian and I can hear him.
Ian glances at his friend with a slight shrug, a wide smile locked in place. “What? You know it’s true.”
Nate doesn’t look up at me. He turns to his plate and aggressively plucks his fork off the tray. Keeping his stare locked on his food, he mumbles, “Of courseIdo, butyoudon’t get to say that to her, you fucker.”
My cheeks flare when Ian barks a laugh as he winks in my direction. He slaps his friend on the shoulder the way guys do. “Whatever you say, buddy.”
I chance one last glance at Nate before I leave them. He’s watching me cautiously, a small smile playing on his lips, and exhilaration flashes through my body.
Even as I battle with the urge to shut down any furtheradvances from him for fear of being hurt again, there’s no denying the look on his face warms my heart. Returning his smile is impossible to resist.
10
Olive
Iadjust the towel holding my hair on top of my head as I kneel next to my suitcase to find something to wear. I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I don’t want to just sit in my room and wallow. It’s only a little after five. Cade is meeting up with some high school friends tonight, so I’m on my own.
We arrived in Las Vegas a few hours earlier, and on the drive from the airport to the hotel, I talked to Benny. He sounded depressed, but otherwise okay. He was going to go home for the night, but I repeatedly made him promise to call James the second he felt like he might be slipping back under. I also called James to make sure he would keep an eye on Benny. It makes me feel better that he seems optimistic about my brother.
After getting to the hotel, I took my time in a long, hotshower. I washed and shaved every part of myself, and now I feel like a new woman.
Even if I’m going to go out alone tonight, I still want to look cute. It’s Vegas, after all.
It takes me about an hour to get ready, and as I stand in front of the mirror, I look over my appearance. My dark-wash skinny jeans hug my voluptuous hips, the black peplum top accentuates my waist, and the square neckline shows the perfect amount of cleavage. I paired the outfit with black wedges that give me a little extra height and confidence.
I smile at my reflection.I look pretty freaking good, if I do say so myself. I wonder what Nate would think.
My hands freeze where they are smoothing down my shirt, frustrated with myself. Whenever I’m around him, it gets more difficult to tell myself that letting him in is a bad idea.
Grabbing my purse, I shake off those thoughts and head downstairs to enjoy my evening.
I wander through the casino, absorbing all the sounds and sights. I’ve been here once before, but it’s been a while. It’s fun people-watching, if nothing else. I don’t have a lot of money to gamble with, but I have a twenty-dollar bill that I plan on taking a chance with.
