Page 69 of About That Pact

“I don’t regret it,” he told her, leading her to the elevator to go back down the forty-six stories. “I ordered us an Uber to New York, New York so we can go on the roller coaster.”

She jumped with excitement. “I can’t believe after we go on the ride, we only have The Chandelier Bar, then I completed everything on my list.”

“Such a wild list,” he said before kissing her on the casino floor. She wasn’t worried who saw them. The atmosphere in Vegas was having that effect on her. It was freeing to kiss him just because she wanted to.

They got into the Uber, and it was a fast drive to the next hotel. Charlotte and Rafe walked around New York, New York, taking in all the scenery. The wait time for the Big Apple was thirty minutes, so they bought tickets and got in line.

“Do you even like roller coasters?” Rafe asked since he was unable to ever remember a time when she got on one.

She took a deep breath. “Not really. I’m ignoring that this one has a two-hundred-foot drop.”

Maybe this shouldn’t have been something on her list. Who still went on roller coasters in their thirties? She surveyed the line, and apparently, the answer was a lot of people. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she reasoned it would be a fast ride and she could keep her eyes closed.

“I can tell you’re not a fan of this, so why are we doing it?” Rafe prodded gently, his hand massaging her lower back.

“I only take risks at work. You have no idea how many times I hear the phrase live a little. This may seem like a small risk, but it’s something.”

It was their turn to load into the cart. He still double checked with her. “Are you sure?”

She nodded and buckled in. In an instant, the coaster took off, reaching speeds of sixty-seven miles per hour. Screaming the whole time, Charlotte understood people who were adrenaline junkies. This one ride had her heart racing in the best kind of way.

The ride was over, and as soon as they got off, Charlotte leapt into his arms. “We have to buy the picture from this. It was exhilarating.”

He agreed, and they both couldn’t stop laughing once they saw the picture. Rafe was smiling, pointing at Charlotte. Charlotte had her eyes closed with her mouth wide open while she screamed.

They left the hotel and still had two hours before dinner. With no plan, they aimlessly walked around outside.

Rafe asked, “Why do you only take risks at work?”

“Because I can calculate the risk at work. I can do a side-by-side comparison model and weigh out the good and bad with each option, then take the risk with the highest pay off. I can’t do that all the time in my actual life.”

Her response put a gleam in his eyes. “I am ready to cash in the last favor you owe me—the big one.”

In between all their fun the past few months, Charlotte had completely forgotten this had all started with a bet. And she did, in fact, owe him one more favor.

Chapter 24

20-some Years Ago

RAFE WAS WARNED if his parents saw him on his bike while they had company at their house, he was grounded for two weeks. Two weeks in the summer to a ten-year-old was eternity. His neighborhood friends were all outside trying tricks on the new ramp, while he was stuck inside.

He took a glance at his dad, who sternly shook his head no.

Just great.

He was stuck with all the grown-ups. His two little sisters were playing in the backyard, but he didn’t want to go out there. His plan was to sulk until one of his parents gave in and let him get his bike. Normally, these parties didn’t bother him. He was friends with all the kids, but none of them came today.

Rafe walked into the kitchen. “Mom, can I please, please, please ride my bike?”

She ruffled his hair. “We talked about this. No bike today because I don’t want you disappearing when we have friends over. Why don’t you check on your sisters?”

He made a face and walked off. Checking on his sisters was like asking a teacher for summer schoolwork. No way was that fun.

The Madison family arrived, and Rafe stopped whining. Maybe Jason or Charlie came with their parents. Jason was his age, and Charlie just turned eight. Whenever they were together, they always had fun.

“Where is Jason?” he asked.

Charlie came from behind her parents as they joined the other grown-ups. “Grounded, so a babysitter came over.”