Luck Be a Lady (Tahoe Tessie Mysteries) by Gemma Halliday, T.Sue VerSteeg Page B
Book: Luck Be a Lady (Tahoe Tessie Mysteries) by Gemma Halliday, T.Sue VerSteeg
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Authors: Gemma Halliday, T.Sue VerSteeg
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for him. He made sure he knew each employee, their family, their needs. Why do you think I was always here? Mom couldn't afford a babysitter after Dad bailed. The staff became my second family." Tate forced a smile to his face.
I wavered between loving and loathing my father but jumped at the chance to make Tate smile for real by changing the subject. "How about we toast to the fabulous individuals we are now despite our jacked-up childhoods." We raised our glasses, clinked them together, each enjoying a big sip. Okay, so mine was more like a chug, but I'd earned it.
"Oh, fun fact!" Tate blurted. "Did you know this very table was your dad's favorite? He came up here almost every evening for a cigar, a drink, and to enjoy the fabulous view."
I turned just in time to watch the last deep orange glimmer of daylight fade behind the mountain. Had my burger not showed up at the same moment, it might have prompted some deep connection with my past. As it was, my stomach won out, and I practically dove into the plate.
Tate stared across the table as I devoured my burger, his eyes wide and a slight Elvis tic tugging at his upper lip.
"What?" I asked between bites.
"Oh, just that I've never seen anyone as small as you put food away like that. I mean, I've watched a show on television where piranhas dissected a whole cow. I'm getting the same vibe here, sweetness. I hope you don't eat this way on a date."
I put the remaining few bites back on my plate and swallowed what was left in my mouth. I pondered retaliating with some of his more embarrassing moments that I'd witnessed once we had hit puberty. The slumber parties where I'd woken to see his hair pre-product-enhanced, the breakups I'd helped him through with red snotty noses and lots of tissues, the time he thought a Speedo was a good bathing suit choice and I had to warn him that his junk was on the loose. The options were nearly endless. I opened my mouth to rehash the highlights, but his cheeks were already rosy. He'd obviously just hiked the same memory lane.
"Touché." He raised his glass, tossed me a playful wink, and took a sip. "You always have been more like family to me. You know, I think we need a girl's night before you leave."
"Sure, why not?" I finished my burger slowly, pondering what the week would hold for me as temporary owner of a casino.
"Omigod." Tate's eyes rounded, and a smile lit his face. "There's a male revue show at the Deep Blue tomorrow night. We are so going."
"I don't know…"
"We don't have to close the place down. We'll just go check out the man-meat and make an informed decision on whether it's worth wasting our whole night."
"Well," I tried to piece together a reason to decline, but the truth was, I did need a girl's night with Tate. And the fact that it was at the Deep Blue might give me an excuse to question Weston about his odd appearance here at the bar tonight. "Okay, it's a date." I finished off my drink and stifled a yawn.
"Girl, you must be wiped out after the day you've had."
"Yeah, I think I'm going to have to head up to my room."
Tate stood and extended his arm. "Allow me to escort you to your elevator, m'dame."
"Why, thank you, kind sir." I stood and slid my arm through his. With the medieval theme of the casino, there had been many nights where Tate had played the knight in shining armor for me. If only he'd been straight. Or I'd been a guy.
Tate prattled on about the dancers at the Deep Blue Revue. Apparently he knew a few of them and had high hopes of us going backstage. I liked a half-naked man just as much as Tate did, but I wasn't quite sure I wanted to go behind the scenes. Sometimes when you lift the veil, and the mystery is gone, there's just no going back. He kissed me on the forehead and pushed me into the open elevator.
"Get some rest, girl. You've got darker circles than most raccoons." We air kissed as the doors closed.
The elevator rocketed me to my suite, and I was never so grateful to see my bed turned
I wavered between loving and loathing my father but jumped at the chance to make Tate smile for real by changing the subject. "How about we toast to the fabulous individuals we are now despite our jacked-up childhoods." We raised our glasses, clinked them together, each enjoying a big sip. Okay, so mine was more like a chug, but I'd earned it.
"Oh, fun fact!" Tate blurted. "Did you know this very table was your dad's favorite? He came up here almost every evening for a cigar, a drink, and to enjoy the fabulous view."
I turned just in time to watch the last deep orange glimmer of daylight fade behind the mountain. Had my burger not showed up at the same moment, it might have prompted some deep connection with my past. As it was, my stomach won out, and I practically dove into the plate.
Tate stared across the table as I devoured my burger, his eyes wide and a slight Elvis tic tugging at his upper lip.
"What?" I asked between bites.
"Oh, just that I've never seen anyone as small as you put food away like that. I mean, I've watched a show on television where piranhas dissected a whole cow. I'm getting the same vibe here, sweetness. I hope you don't eat this way on a date."
I put the remaining few bites back on my plate and swallowed what was left in my mouth. I pondered retaliating with some of his more embarrassing moments that I'd witnessed once we had hit puberty. The slumber parties where I'd woken to see his hair pre-product-enhanced, the breakups I'd helped him through with red snotty noses and lots of tissues, the time he thought a Speedo was a good bathing suit choice and I had to warn him that his junk was on the loose. The options were nearly endless. I opened my mouth to rehash the highlights, but his cheeks were already rosy. He'd obviously just hiked the same memory lane.
"Touché." He raised his glass, tossed me a playful wink, and took a sip. "You always have been more like family to me. You know, I think we need a girl's night before you leave."
"Sure, why not?" I finished my burger slowly, pondering what the week would hold for me as temporary owner of a casino.
"Omigod." Tate's eyes rounded, and a smile lit his face. "There's a male revue show at the Deep Blue tomorrow night. We are so going."
"I don't know…"
"We don't have to close the place down. We'll just go check out the man-meat and make an informed decision on whether it's worth wasting our whole night."
"Well," I tried to piece together a reason to decline, but the truth was, I did need a girl's night with Tate. And the fact that it was at the Deep Blue might give me an excuse to question Weston about his odd appearance here at the bar tonight. "Okay, it's a date." I finished off my drink and stifled a yawn.
"Girl, you must be wiped out after the day you've had."
"Yeah, I think I'm going to have to head up to my room."
Tate stood and extended his arm. "Allow me to escort you to your elevator, m'dame."
"Why, thank you, kind sir." I stood and slid my arm through his. With the medieval theme of the casino, there had been many nights where Tate had played the knight in shining armor for me. If only he'd been straight. Or I'd been a guy.
Tate prattled on about the dancers at the Deep Blue Revue. Apparently he knew a few of them and had high hopes of us going backstage. I liked a half-naked man just as much as Tate did, but I wasn't quite sure I wanted to go behind the scenes. Sometimes when you lift the veil, and the mystery is gone, there's just no going back. He kissed me on the forehead and pushed me into the open elevator.
"Get some rest, girl. You've got darker circles than most raccoons." We air kissed as the doors closed.
The elevator rocketed me to my suite, and I was never so grateful to see my bed turned
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