Page 16 of One Night Gamble
“She’s all the feels that you keep hidden away. I wonder if that’s the appeal for you,” Nick said.
“Stop trying to analyze me.”
“Fine. Shall we let the cards decide?” Nick said.
“Yes, but my deck, not yours.” Nick was a master illusionist and his deck was always marked.
“I’m wounded.”
“As if.”
Casey walked over to the credenza and pulled out a fresh deck with the Jokers Wild logo on the back. He broke the seal, tossed the box aside, and took a deep breath. He loved the way new cards smelled. He cracked his neck and then started shuffling the deck. The sound of the cards folding into each other soothed him and he freely admitted to himself that shuffling was his panacea.
He’d learned to play from one of his mom’s boyfriends when he had been five or six. The guy had shown him how to shuffle and then taught him the rules of the game. When Casey looked back on the time with his mom, those moments—when that guy, Joe, had taken time to play with him—were always his best. Of course, Joe had always allowed Casey to win, though it was only when he was older that he’d realized it. But it had started him thinking that cards might be his way out of poverty. And he’d been right.
“High card decides if she gets the job or not,” Casey said.
“If that’s what you want, then okay,” Nick said.
Casey looked at the intensity in his friend’s silvery eyes, then shook his head and turned back to the cards in his hands. Nick wasn’t above playing him. And Casey was confident he’d get the high card. He’d always been lucky at cards.
And unlucky at love. But that could be as much about the fact that he didn’t trust emotion, that he’d never let any woman close to him.
The words whispered through his mind as a reminder of the few times he’d struck out. He’d sort of half-heartedly tried relationships once or twice but he’d needed his space and frankly, he hadn’t met a woman who could compete with cards.
Last night had been about heat and passion. Today was about getting the best person in place for the job.
He pushed the deck to Nick and his friend lifted a section of the cards. Casey reached out and did the same.
“What’d you get?” Casey asked, looking down to see he’d pulled the Jack of Hearts.
“Eight of spades,” Nick said.
“Jack,” Casey said, showing his card. “She can start on Monday.”
Rio came back in and confirmed that he, too, wanted Talia on board. He’d discussed her with Darien as well, so it was unanimous. Casey left the boardroom and went to his office, pulling up the security camera footage. He clicked around on the different camera views and saw a familiar brunette walking through the maze behind the casino. She was still here. His luck was holding when it came to Talia, and he wasn’t one to ignore something like that.
…
He sat down next to her and she caught a whiff of his cologne. She remembered how much stronger the scent had been, right in the dead center of his chest. She closed her eyes and then fumbled in her purse for her shades. She should have hightailed it back to the Glen View, instead of staying here trying to collect her thoughts.
She could be doing Hot Zumba with Gran at a Silver Sneakers session, working out her frustration at herself and the karmic universe that seemed to be always having a chuckle at her expense. But instead, she was sitting next to Casey and reliving everything they’d done the night before. And if she was totally honest, she didn’t regret a second of it.
“So…obviously last night, I didn’t know who you were,” she said. “I mean, in your publicity photo, you’re wearing a hoodie and dark glasses.”
“I know. It never occurred to me that you were anyone other than Brown Eyes.”
She flushed. It was a silly nickname and last night she’d liked it. Okay, she still did. “Yeah. I wish…I could regret everything but to be honest it was fun, and I needed it. I’m guessing I didn’t get the job.”
Casey leaned back, spreading his legs. “We want you for the role. You are definitely qualified, and we like your ideas as well as the social media plan you brought to us. I don’t want you to let last night stand between either one of us making a solid business decision.”
Business decision… She looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on here. Had she really gotten the job?
“Me either,” she admitted. “I’d really like to work for the Jokers Wild. You guys are creating something that’s so much bigger than just a normal casino.”
He nodded. “I have to be straight with you, Talia. I don’t know that last night was a one-off. I still want you.”
“Is that part of the job offer?” she asked.
