Triplets Make Five

“We’re staying at a casino in Vegas,” Sam told Charlie. “That’s all you’re allowed to know.”

“Well, shouldn’t I at least know what to wear?” Charlie asked.

“Wear an old tin can,” Brady suggested. “That will be easy to take off in a hurry, and you won’t have to worry about keeping it clean.”

“You have more to worry about keeping clean than he does,” I chimed in. “You’re the filthy one around here.”

Charlie gasped. “Vic!”

“I have a better idea,” Sam added. “Wear a necktie and nothing else. Then all the girls will be able to judge you by your assets.”

“We could make you a necktie big enough to cover you,” Brady interjected. “We could tie a bowtie around your pecker, so everybody knows what they’re getting.”

The guys laughed, but I couldn’t stand Brady’s jokes. I had to find a way to cut him down. “Why don’t you tie a bowtie around yours? Maybe you could sell it on eBay or something.”

Charlie winced. “Don’t pay any attention to her, man. She’s probably had one too many.”

Brady leered at me. “I’ll give her one too many. We’ll see how she likes that.”

“And I’ll give you one too many uppercuts to the jaw. Maybe then you’ll get your head unstuck from your zipper.”

Charlie shook his head. “Vic, give it a rest. I’m going to get some of that ice cream over there.”

Sam and Charlie left. I started to turn away when Brady’s voice touched my ear. “Hey, Victoria, I was wondering if you could help me with a little problem I have. I can’t get my head unstuck from my zipper. Would you give it a little tug and see if you can get it loose? Maybe when I get the blood rushing to my brain, I’ll be able to think straight again.”

I rounded on him in a rage. “Will you shove those stupid jokes where the sun doesn’t shine? Do you really think I want to stand around shooting the breeze with you all day? Can’t you see I’m trying to ditch you? When are you going to get the message?”

The goofy smile vanished off his face. “I’ll never get the message, Victoria. I’ll never get the message that you don’t want me, because you do.”

“How dare you!”

Just at that moment, a waiter stopped by with a tray of hors-d'oeuvres. He was an old man with grey hair. He smiled at both of us. “I remember when I first met my wife and we used to get into tiffs like this all the time. How long have you two lovebirds been together?”

I turned away to hide my burning cheeks, but Brady smiled at him. “Seven years yesterday.”

The old guy nodded and went on his way. The minute his back was turned, I confronted Brady. “What did you have to lie to him like that for? We have not been together seven years. We’re not together now, and we never will be.”

He cocked his head at me, but he didn’t joke or even smile. “We were together before, and as far as I’m concerned, we were never apart. Yesterday was just a warm-up. We used to be really good together, and we could be that way again. Did you really think it was all over between us because I never did.”

“You shithead!” I snapped. “You dumped me. You left me flat, and you never even answered my texts when I asked you what was going. How do you expect just to waltz back into my life now like none of it ever happened?”

He frowned. “What are you talking about? I never did anything like that. I certainly never dumped you.”

I threw up both hands. “Oh, just forget it. It’s ancient history, and it’s never going to happen again.”

“What about yesterday?”

“Yesterday was a mistake, a tragic mistake—nothing else. Just forget it ever happened.”

I started to walk away, but his voice made me freeze in my tracks. His words caressed me all over, so I couldn’t ignore them. “Is that what you want, Victoria? Do you really want to forget it ever happened?”

I spun around to face him, but the moment I locked my eyes on his face, that old familiar feeling started to take over. “Why do you have to be so insufferably irritating?”

He glanced around the hall. No one gave us a second glance. He lowered his voice just a little bit more. “Come on. We’re getting out of here.”

He seized my hand and led me out of the hall. He strode all the way back to his car and opened the door for me.

He gunned the motor and threw the car into gear. I gulped down the rising adrenaline burning through my guts. “Where are we going?”