Chapter 3
Sage
They say New York is the city that never sleeps, but I don’t think Frankie is planning on getting much shut eye in Vegas while we’re here.
She’s been in the hotel bathroom for at least an hour getting herself ready while I sit crossed legged in front of the window soaking up the sun.
Although my eyes are closed, I picture the brownish red mountains in the distance, and the cloudless blue sky.
When Frankie asked if I wanted to go to Vegas this weekend, I agreed right away. It’s been too quiet at home lately and I never thought I’d miss video games or loud shouting at nine on a Saturday morning, but I do.
The wind chime next to the open hotel window brings me back to the present. I hung it up last night when we arrived, along with a lemon garland I made. I didn’t like the energy in this space when we first walked in. It felt depressing, so I was glad I’d brought the lemons with me.
“What are you doing?” asks Frankie.
Slowly, I open my eyes. She’s wearing a white strapless dress, and her vibrant red hair falls loosely over her shoulders. I smile. “You look pretty.”
“Thank you.” She tosses her hair back and eyes me skeptically. “Are you ready?”
I stand up easily and brush the wrinkles out of my long flowy skirt. “Yup.”
As I approach, she tilts her face. “Aren’t you going to put on some makeup?”
“Oh, yes. I almost forgot.” I grab my lip balm from my crochet purse and apply it on my lips. “Thanks. The heat really dries them up.”
Frankie laughs and puts her arm over my shoulder. “You really are a gem, you know that?”
“I do,” I say. “And so are you.”
“What are we going to do first?”
“Well, I was about to suggest the Yoga and Meditation Center just off of the strip.” I look down at her dress and long earrings. “But I don’t think you’re dressed for it.”
“No,” she laughs. “I’m not.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Let’s find a nice place to eat and then hit one of the casinos.”
Gambling isn’t my thing, but we are in Vegas, so I agree. “But we’ll do the Meditation Center tomorrow, right?”
“Fine,” she says, putting on her sunglasses. “But we’re not here to work.”
“That’s not work.”
“If I’m sweating, then I’m working.”
I wink at Frankie. “I can think of something that makes me sweaty and isn’t work at all.”
Frankie frowns. “Lucky you. Lately, that’s been work, too.”
*
Frankie chooses a high-end restaurant for dinner and I order the stuffed red pepper with quinoa, and she orders the steak.
By the time our waiter sets down two chocolate cakes at our table, another server appears behind him with two glasses of champagne.
“These are from the gentleman at the bar,” he says.
Frankie looks over and smiles at a group of men smirking with their elbows on the bar. I’m about to tell the server to take them back when Frankie picks up her glass and takes a sip.
“How does it taste?” I ask.
“It’s terrible. But the gesture is nice.”
Two of the guys walk over to our table. The one with curly blond hair speaks first. “We couldn’t help noticing you fine ladies from across the room and had to do something about it.”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes, but Frankie is smiling and I don’t want to ruin her good mood.
Besides, I haven’t allowed fun into my life in some time, and we’re in Vegas. I grab the champagne flute and take a sip. Frankie is right. It’s terrible, and the waiter is wrong. This isn’t champagne, it’s more like sparkling wine.
“Thank you,” I say once I manage to swallow it down.
“My name is Daniel, and this is Dave. Can we join you?” asks the dark haired one. He’s tall and has a nice aura about him, but something seems off to me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say.
I look over at Frankie but she’s emptying her glass in one large gulp. “Sorry. We’re headed out.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the casino.”
“Which one?”
I kick her chair to let her know that we don’t need to give them any further details, but she ignores me. “The one inside this hotel. No need to travel any further. They’re all the same, anyway.”
“I disagree. Some have more beautiful women inside them than others.”
I sputter and grab a napkin to cover my mouth. Surely, Frankie won’t fall for—
“Why don’t you join us?”
“We really don’t need company for the slot machines,” I say.
“Slot machines? You didn’t come all the way to Vegas to play slot machines, did you?” asks the blond.
I didn’t come to Vegas to gamble at all, but Frankie interrupts me before I can explain.
“What did you have in mind?” she asks.
“Have you ever played Blackjack?”
“Not in Vegas, I haven’t.”
“Well, then, let me help you pop your cherry.”
I groan. “Our cherries have been popped a long time ago.”
This time, Frankie kicks my chair, and I reluctantly follow her after we pay for our meal. As we walk toward the lobby, I pull her aside.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to have fun,” she hisses. “What’s your problem?”
Her question takes the bravado out of my annoyance. “I don’t know. They seem young, I’m guessing no more than twenty-one.”
She wrinkles her brow, then turns away and shouts, “Dave?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you in college?”
“Yeah, I’m a senior at the University of Nevada.”
She turns back and smiles. “There. Better now?”
“Marginally,” I sigh.
Frankie cozies up to the blond while I hang back with the darker haired one named Daniel.
“Sage, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you come to Vegas often?” He smiles and it’s boyishly charming.
“No,” I say. “It’s only my second time. How about you?”
“We live about an hour’s drive from here, so we come down at least once a month.”
“Wow, doesn’t it get exhausting?”
His eyebrows push together. “Exhausting? Not at all. It’s awesome.”
I exhale slowly and realize that the idea of partying every weekend and driving down to Vegas regularly is something I would have enjoyed in my early twenties, but at twenty-nine, it’s starting to feel like a lot.
After scouting a few of the tables, Dave chooses one. “The dealer doesn’t look hot at this one. And there’s two chairs open.”
“Oh, but that means Sage and Daniel can’t play.”
I wave her off. “Oh, I’m good to stand here and watch. Don’t mind me.”
Dave pulls out a chair for himself and sits down, but Frankie hesitates. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I don’t like gambling, anyway.”
“Okay, we won’t be long.”
I look around the room and try to distract myself.
“Would you like another drink?” asks Daniel.
“No. I’m good. Thanks.”
He rocks back and forth on his white sneakers. They’re expensive, but they make him look like a high school senior. I’m all for women dating younger men, but I’ve always considered myself an old soul.
A sultry voice and an acoustic guitar grab my attention. There’s a musician playing in the back and there are tables open. “I’ll go sit over there.”
Daniel moves in the same direction as me, but I stop him with a smile and a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to stay with me. I’ll be fine on my own.”
I see a rebuttal in his eyes, but before he speaks the words I cut in, “In fact, I prefer to sit alone. It’s been a long day, if you don’t mind.” While he seems nice enough, the energy is wrong between us.
He blinks a few times, confused. It only lasts a few seconds before relief washes over his face. “Are you sure?”
I smile. “Absolutely.”
“Okay, I’ll come check up on you a little later.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Ok. Bye.”
He leaves without so much as a backward glance and I’m glad.
I spot a small table near the back of the room and drop into one of the upholstered chairs.
The singer’s voice is low, but her tone is smooth.
She closes her eyes every time she hits a high note and smiles down at the guitarist sitting on a stool next to her.
Their energy is electrifying, and I get goosebumps when he strums a high chord.
A server approaches. “Can I get you something, Miss?”
“Uh, I’ll have peppermint tea, please.”
She leaves and returns a few minutes later with a steaming mug. “Thank you.”
I wrap my fingers around the cup, letting the warmth seep through my hands and into my chest. Closing my eyes, I feel the heat rush through the rest of my body.
The duo performs four more songs before someone taps me on the shoulder. “Sage?”
Turning, Frankie’s big brown eyes are blinking down at me. She appears to be out of breath. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just couldn’t find you and then ran when I finally spotted you. I need a favor.”
“What is it?”
“Can you stay down here for a while? I… um… I want to take Dave back to our room.” Her cheeks redden, but she smiles. Through the corner of my eye, I spot the musicians packing their things. “Uh, how long?”
I hate to put a time limit on her fun, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself.
“Not long. I promise.”
“I don’t mean to rush you. Why not go back to his hotel?”
“He’s staying at a friend’s place and isn’t sure how the parents will feel about me.”
“Are the parents there?”
She shrugs and I get the impression she either didn’t ask or doesn’t want to tell me.
“Fine. I’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“You definitely do.”
She squeezes my hand and runs off. I sigh and wait for the next performance.
The next group is a rock band, and while I don’t hate it, the music doesn’t make me feel any special way. So, after about twenty minutes, I leave.
Surprisingly, I look for Daniel. I sort of like that he gave me space and I’m curious to see what he’s gotten himself into. But I don’t see him inside the casino. I check the bar, but he isn’t there, either.
Walking through the hotel lobby, I spot his white sneakers. He’s standing outside, talking on his phone. Suddenly drawn to talk to him, I walk through the lobby doors. He’s speaking, and I catch the words, “…home soon, Mom.”
He catches my eye and immediately turns his back. A tingling sensation in my fingers and toes tells me something is wrong. I walk up to him, but he’s hung up the phone. “Who was that?”
He looks around. “Huh?”
“Who were you talking to?” I stare at him, but he’s looking past me at the traffic on The Strip. His eyes bounce from car to car.
I normally don’t interfere with other people’s lives, but my gut is simmering. “Daniel, were you talking to your mother?”
He swallows. “No.”
“You’re lying.”
He bites the inside of his cheek but says nothing.
“What’s going on here? It’s not a crime to be talking to your mom, but you’re acting really strange.”
He presses his lips together. “What did you hear?”
I raise my eyebrows, as though I were Jane dealing with one of her sixth graders… and then a thought hits me, and my gut explodes.
No.
It can’t be.
You need to be twenty-one to enter a casino in Vegas and both Daniel and Dave showed the guard their ID. I shake off the idea, but it won’t go away. I blurt out, “How old are you?”
He licks his lips. “Like Dave said. We’re seniors in college.”
Horror strikes me immediately. Anyone over the age of twenty-one would have told me his age, not that he’s a senior. My hand flies over my mouth. “Please tell me you’re at least eighteen. Please, Daniel.”
His leg shakes and I want to scream. Then I remember what Frankie said. “Oh, my God. I’ve got to stop her.”
“Wait!”
I keep running, but I hear him yell, “Dave is eighteen. He’s legal, don’t worry.”
I jam my finger against the elevator button and contemplate running up the twelve flights of stairs to get to Frankie sooner.
Turning toward the emergency exit, I sigh in relief when the elevator doors open. Unfortunately, a group of guests enter with me and choose two floors before mine. I don’t hide my groan or refrain from tapping my foot.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I run out into the hallway and toward our room. “Frankie,” I yell while pounding on the door. “Open up.”
It’s silent on the other side. “Frankie!” I shout and pound harder. “If you don’t open this door, I’m going to use my key and walk in.”
When there’s no answer, I shove my hand in my purse, reaching for the room key, but before I can use it, Frankie opens the door.
She’s wearing the same dress, but I spot Dave on the bed in only his shorts. I pray I’m not too late.
“Oh, God, Frankie,” I moan.
“What? What happened?”
“Did you? Did you…?” Seeing the confusion on her face, I regret my question. “It doesn’t matter. Dave needs to leave now.”
“Did something happen to Daniel?”
“Yeah, his mommy called.”
Her brow furrows. “What?”
I swallow, and inhale slowly before I say the rest. “Frankie, they’re just seniors.”
“I know.”
I close my eyes. “They’re seniors in high school.”
When I open them, Frankie’s face is frozen. “No. That can’t be. They wouldn’t be allowed inside the casino—”
“They must have fake IDs.”
A look of horror crosses her face and then she screams. “Oh, my God.” Turning around, she yells at Dave. “Is this true?” Dave scurries to put on his T-shirt.
“Are you a fucking teenager?” cries Frankie.
“No. I’m eighteen. I swear.”
Her face turns purple. “I’m going to kill you.”
Frankie lunges at Dave, but I stop her. The last thing we need is Frankie getting arrested for punching a teenager in the face. Although, the fact that Dave is eighteen and a shithead makes it only slightly better.
“Get the hell out of here,” I say. He scrambles to pick up the rest of his clothes and runs out. The door slams behind him and it’s the only sound in the room as Frankie sits on the bed with her head in her hands.
“Oh, God. I can’t believe it.”
“It’s okay. I don’t think it’s illegal.”
“I didn’t sleep with him.”
“You didn’t?” The weight on my chest lifts immediately.
She shakes her head. “It felt awkward when we got inside, and I regretted taking him back to our room. I was just about to tell him I changed my mind when you knocked on the door.”
She runs her hands through her hair. “God, I feel so gross. To think I almost had sex with him.”
I put my arm around her shoulder. “But you didn’t. And he lied to you.”
“Why are men such assholes?”
“I don’t know, Frankie,” I sigh. “I don’t know. And worst of all, I don’t know why we still want to be with them.”
“It’s because of men like Austin and Caleb that make me believe it’s possible to find a good one out there.”
“Too bad Caleb doesn’t have a brother,” I say with a grin.
With her head still in her hands, Frankie mumbles, “But Austin does and he’s a major league ballplayer.”
“Yeah, but he’s an asshole, too.”