Raising the Stakes

“So,” he said, “are you from Vegas originally? I mean, is this home?”

“It is, now. But nobody’s actually from Vegas. Well, nobody I’ve met, anyway.”

“Yeah. I guess it’s the same as New York. There must be people who were actually born there but I’ve never met any.”

“Is that where you’re from? New York?”

“Yes. I clerked for a judge there, after law school, and—”

“If you take the next right, we can avoid the traffic. Sorry. I didn’t meant to interrupt. You clerked for a judge in New York?”

Gray made the turn. “Uh-huh.”

“But you were born in…Texas?”

He shot her a startled look. “How’d you know that?”

“I have a good ear for accents. I guess it’s from living here and talking to people from different places.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have an accent.”

“Well, you do. Just a tiny one.”

“So do you, now that I think about it. I just can’t place it. Is it California?”

“Take the next left—”

“Utah? New Mexico? Arizona?”

“—and just pull in here, into this parking lot, and stop.”

“That’s not fair. You pegged me as a Texan. Don’t I get the same shot at you?”

“Thank you for all your help,” Dawn said. She opened the door and stepped out. “And have a wonderful vacation.”

The door closed. Gray hit the window control. “Hey,” he shouted, as she ran across the lot toward a white building, “aren’t you even going to tell me your name?”

She turned toward him, waved and went inside the building. That was when Gray saw the sign and realized he was at the back entrance to the Desert Song Hotel.

CHAPTER SIX

DAWN was exhausted by the time she tottered into her apartment at eight that night. It had been a long day, but at least things had worked out better than she’d expected.

For openers, she had her car back.

She’d taken a few minutes to make herself presentable after she’d arrived at the Song in the afternoon. Then she’d hurried to her office and found Keir waiting for her. She’d started to apologize for being late but he said Jean had already explained.

“Things like that happen to everyone,” he’d said pleasantly, “but it might be a good idea if you have your car checked over to make sure it’s reliable.”

She knew it was a polite way of telling her that getting to work on time was part of her job. The raise she’d just gotten was significant. She could set some money aside each week and, eventually, either repair her old car or trade it in on a newer model, but it would take a while. She couldn’t explain that, not without explaining, too, that she had expenses nobody knew about because she had a son and she was paying a pretty hefty tuition to keep him in a small private school not too far from Vegas but far from any possibility his father would ever find him.

All she could do was nod at Keir’s graciously worded reminder of her responsibilities and assure him she’d have the car fixed and that she’d be on time from now on.

“Fine,” he replied, and then he’d stunned her by saying he’d have someone take a look at her car, tow it in, if that was necessary, and fix it. When she stammered a protest, he reminded her that the hotel had its own small fleet of vehicles, that it had a contractor who serviced the fleet and that it was simple enough to send one of his men to do the job. He said he’d tell the contractor to charge her the special rate he charged the hotel, and to bill her separately.

Dawn knew the O’Connells had a reputation for fairness to employees but Keir’s kindness amazed her. She’d wanted to say so but she was afraid she’d cry and embarrass them both, so she just smiled like an idiot and choked out a thank you.

A little while later, a man in coveralls came to get her keys. A few hours after that, when he returned them, he said her car was in the employee lot, all fixed and ready to go.