He laughed and swung her out and back in.
“Well, you’re the brains in your company, right?”
She laughed. “Jeff is great. He’s a follower. It’s not his fault that I happen to know a lot more than he does. But! He can be really charming when it comes to social media—and on how to show others enthusiasm when they’re working on self-promotion. Everyone has their place, right? Ah! Except maybe that’s why you and Chloe get along so well—you both have your own businesses, you’re not doing the same thing.”
Wes smiled at that, clutching Celia when she almost made a misstep.
“Who knows? We’re all separate personalities, right? Some of us are tougher, some of us are driven and some of us are more tender,” Wes said.
“That’s it! Jeff is a tender soul,” Celia exclaimed.
The music was coming to an end.
“One of those cool finales you were doing with your wife!” Celia begged.
“Sure,” Wes told her, allowing them to end with a sweeping turn and a dip.
As the song ended, he looked around the room, as did Celia.
“There they are!” Celia said, pointing over to the bar where their two “spouses” sat on stools.
Wes wondered if Chloe had learned anything from or about the man in their private chat, but he was also still wondering if he’d learned anything from Celia.
Other than reinforcing their certainty that Celia found her husband to be weak.
If something was going on, she was the one pulling the strings. How to prove it? Prove that she might have slipped into a meeting, managed to get a drug into half a dozen people.
And shoot them at just about point-blank range.
In his mind, looking at the logistics, it had to have taken more than one person to pull it all off. Maybe not the earlier deaths, but getting a paralyzing drug into a party of six in order to have them sit nicely to be shot?
He and Celia reached the bar as the band moved on with a waltz.
Wes didn’t wait for any suggestions. “Casino!” he said.
“Just for a bit!” Chloe told him. “Come on, my love, it has been a long day!”
“And the casino isn’t going anywhere,” Jeff said, laughing. “Hey, we’re at sea all day tomorrow. A time beloved by the casino—players are stuck with a place to play!”
“Casino, casino, casino!” Celia said. “Come on!”
“So, Celia, happy? You got a great dance in with Mr. Fred Astaire Junior here,” Jeff said to his wife.
“You need to take lessons!” Celia told her husband.
Jeff groaned.
“Hey, there are no football teams for has-been high school cool boys!” Celia said.
“I was good!” Jeff protested.
“But you’re an adult man now,” Celia told him.
“So, that means I have to dance?” Jeff demanded, groaning. “Wait! I am one hell of a poker player. I’ll go redeem myself!”
They all laughed as they reached the casino. Wes saw thatBroderick McClintock was at the craps table along with Edward, his new friend, the silver-haired Sally and Amelia Swenson.
Daniel was at the roulette table.
