“You know I hate that.” Yes, Chance had the money, but I hated when he used it. We didn’t all have rich families and could reciprocate.
“Hope, you’re my best friend. Let me take this one.”
We stared at one another.
He tipped his head to the side and tried for puppy dog eyes, giving me a pleading expression.
I bit my cheek. Vegas sounded fun, and I’d always imagined going.
Chance made the puppy dog eyes bigger. He really wanted this. “Pleaseeee.”
I sighed. It really wasn’t that horrible for me to say yes. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Chance wrapped his arm around my neck and spun me around. “Great, let’s go.”
“What’s the rush?” I asked, following him. I wanted to buy some of those smelly French fries.
He tugged me forward. “The plane boards in twenty minutes.”
I kept pace with him as we passed the restaurant with the smelly fries, trying to get Chance to take a detour. “And…”
“It’s on the other end of the terminal.”
I jerked toward him with widened eyes. “Shit, Chance. Get a move on it.”
We’d never make it in time.
2
CHANCE
“Holy shit, Chance.” Hope pushed a chair away from the large window and stared out at the fountains in front of the Bellagio fountains. “This room is next level.”
I dropped my bag on the floor by the second bed and watched her. Hope’s face always lit up when she got excited, and right then, it glowed. She’d swept her long hair over her shoulder and toyed with it by wrapping loose strands around her index finger—a signature Hope move.
“You like it?” It wasn’t the best room at The Bellagio by far, but if it made Hope happy, it made me happy. “Better than the cupcake?”
Hope turned, putting her back to the fountains, and grinned. “The cupcake always wins.”
“Better not,” I said and let her return to inspecting the room. She stopped in front of a large painting of a wave behind the beds.
In fifth grade, I’d won Hope’s friendship heart by trading her one of my mother’s cupcakes for a bag of crackers. She’d been my lunch mate ever since, and we’d used the original cupcake as a barometer for my awesomeness level. Nothing was ever as good as the cupcake. I just couldn’t regain my original cool factor, no matter how much money I threw at it.
Hope returned to the fountains and shrugged. “Hopefully one day you’ll be able to top the cupcake, but not today, Chance Jones.”
“It’s our last year of college, so I’m running out of time.” It also meant Hope deserved an amazing trip to Las Vegas. She deserved the world. I just wish she’d let me give it to her.
She sighed. “Don’t remind me. I’m not ready.”
I wasn’t ready either, but if she needed someone strong to get her through the last few months of school, I’d be the one to help her. Soon she’d figure out how she wanted to work at Oceanview Orchards, and I’d take a position at my family insurance agency. Selling insurance wasn’t exciting, but it’d been in the family for three generations and the money was decent. I didn’t regret my decision to follow in my father’s footsteps, but I’d have to find adventure in something other than work.
Like my friendship with Hope.
She sagged against the window, sitting on the small ledge.
“You’re freaking me out. Use the chair, Hope.” I pointed at the light blue love seat only a foot from her.
She laughed. “The ledge is fine.” The fountains kicked up behind her and water shot into the air, giving her a halo. “In a few months, we become adults. It’s crazy.”
