Chapter 1 #3
Eleven years of silence. No letters or calls. He’d simply excised himself from both Deadwood and her in one shocking move. She’d been shattered more than heartbroken. He’d been the one person she’d counted on and confided in and she’d thought…
Well, clearly what she’d thought had been irrelevant.
By some miracle her hands didn’t falter in the next deal. Muscle memory was a wonderful thing, she supposed. She should’ve been focused on the game and the other players, yet one question screeched incessantly through her mind: why was he here?
“What brings you to the Silver Aces this evening, Mr. Jameson,” she said, oozing professional courtesy. If they’d met on the street she might have tackled him. She indulged in a quick fantasy of wrapping her hands around his throat until that sexy half-grin disappeared.
“Mr. Jameson? That’s my dad’s name. You always called me Wyatt.” He smiled at the other players. “We went to high school together.”
That earned both of them a round of vaguely curious murmurs and glances from the others at the table.
Evelyn called for opening bets, motioning to him as she would any other overly-chatty player and moving the game along.
The casino only made money when the cards and money were flowing, and the casino was her priority, not unanswerable questions.
This time Wyatt lost. She mentally gave Lady Luck a high five.
Normally winning or losing only troubled her if a player was rude or belligerent about it.
Not this time. As soon as she reached the relative privacy of the breakroom, she was going to give in to the whoop of delight swirling inside her.
Her thoughts might be mildly inappropriate, but no one would know or care. Especially not Wyatt. If he’d cared about her at all, he would’ve taken a minute to say goodbye before walking out of her life.
Her replacement walked up, timing the changeover perfectly.
“That’s it for me, gentleman.” She smiled at each of the men around her table, including Wyatt, as she gathered her tips, including the chip from Wyatt.
“It’s been a pleasure and I wish each of you the best of luck here at the Silver Aces. ”
Doing the job well was far more important, and more mature, than indulging her childish vindictive streak and sticking out her tongue as she walked by her old flame.
Her father hated that she spent the off-season in the casino but without the seasonal work, they would’ve lost the business five years ago.
She’d long ago stopped pointing out that her expansion ideas would put an end to her days of dealing poker.
That line of thinking only created more resentment, one thing her personal life didn’t need more of, so she cut it short.
There was a petty victory cheer and a dance of joy in her immediate future just as soon as she exited the casino floor.
“Evie?”
She flinched at the sound of the nickname that was used so rarely these days.
Of course Wyatt had followed her. Of course he would revert to that old familiarity, sweeping her back to the days when they’d thought they were unstoppable and love would last forever. She walked on, refusing to turn around.
“Can we talk?”
“No.” No, no, no! The hurt and angry teenager standing guard at the wall she’d build around her heart screamed. He didn’t deserve another minute of her time.
“Please?” He fell into step beside her.
Slot machines chimed and jingled all around them. Lights flashed and a ticker high on the wall showed the odds on the upcoming heavyweight boxing match in Las Vegas as well as a tennis tournament in Shanghai.
All of that overwhelming stimulus and yet her senses were dialed in on Wyatt.
The natural feel of him striding beside her and the enticing scent of his skin drew her back.
Why? After eleven years, neither of those factors should be familiar.
They were both different people, two adults on paths that should never intersect.
As the past threatened to swamp her, she considered what had changed.
His youthful athletic build had filled out.
That short beard sculpting his jaw made her fingers tingle with the urge to touch.
There was a subtle hitch in his gait that she couldn’t quite pin down.
He was in a casino, for crying out loud, and playing poker with the skill of a man who did so regularly.
That stopped her. She gathered her composure and schooled her expression as she faced him.
She was still on the floor, and therefore still required to maintain an upbeat, positive experience for every guest. Her feelings were irrelevant.
The security cameras catching this exchange from every possible angle would only see a valued customer speaking with an employee.
Wyatt hadn’t taken a threatening position or been rude. She had to respond properly.
“Of course we can talk.” She smiled. Cool, detached. “What would you like to discuss, Mr. Jameson?”
Flags of color stained his bold cheekbones and his lips flat-lined, framed by the fashionably scruffy beard.
“Evie—”
“Ms. Cotton,” she corrected. “Please. We pride ourselves on our superb and always-appropriate customer service, Mr. Jameson.”
“Would you stop?” He crowded her without moving a muscle. “It’s me.”
Yes, that was exactly why this entire encounter pushed the needle well beyond bizarre. “Are you with the weather service now or something?” It was the only plausible explanation she could think of for Wyatt’s appearance in a Deadwood casino.
“What?” He shook his head. “No. There has to be somewhere we can speak privately.” His voice rumbled over her, abrading her senses as effectively as his whiskers might. If she gave him the chance to get that close. Which she couldn’t do here. Or anywhere.
While holding the professional smile, she shook her head slightly. “Not here.”
For her ‘here’ included the casino, the shops, the restaurants and Deadwood as a whole. She wouldn’t go anywhere with him. Couldn’t. Being this close, recognizing the flare of heat in his blue gaze, made her want to forget everything he’d put her through and hit a reset switch.
She knew better, had to cling to logic and reason, even if her body was a traitor and didn’t care about the way he’d crushed her heart. Yes, he looked good enough to eat and the slight hitch in his step somehow added to the swagger.
“Maybe a manager can be of more assistance,” she suggested.
“Damn it, Evie. We were friends.”
“We were.” She folded her hands at her waist to keep them still while she waited for whatever he had to say.
“I’d like to reconnect.” His gaze turned intense and she had the feeling she was supposed to parse out some meaning in what he wasn’t saying. “At least let me buy you a coffee?”
“No, thank you.”
His nostrils flared and his gaze narrowed. “I deserve that.”
And more. She smiled when she wanted to snarl. “You deserve the best experience possible at the—”
“Please don’t say it.” He tucked his hands into his pockets, that blue gaze slicing right through her. “You’re at work, I respect that.” He glanced over her head, scanning the rows of slot machines.
Old habits, she supposed. At least now he was old enough to be in here legally to look around.
His mom had been gone at least three years now.
There had been an obituary in the paper and a graveside service.
Evelyn hadn’t attended the service, but she’d sent a sympathy card and a donation from Cottonwood Adventures.
“When are you off?”
“I’m afraid it’s all hands on deck through the storm,” she said. It might be true, but she wouldn’t know for sure until she actually got to the breakroom. As much as she didn’t want to deal with six feet or more of snow, she could use the extra shifts.
“You expect me to believe you’re working straight through for the next three days.”
“That’s right.” She dared him to contradict her. “Minimum.”
“I see.” He rocked back on his heels. “Sounds like an abuse of the work force. Maybe I should call it in.”
“Is that what you do now? Go around causing trouble for happy casino employees?”
“You’re not happy here,” he stated with too much confidence.
Her chin lifted. She wasn’t unhappy here and she didn’t owe him any explanations about why dealing poker was an important part of her life. “My happiness isn’t your concern anymore.” She pushed the words through her clenched teeth and tight smile.
He reeled as if she’d slapped him. If only. Maybe she should agree to meet him somewhere. It would have to be somewhere outside and well off the established trails where she could finally let loose with all the pain-filled words and hateful thoughts she’d aimed his way through the years.
That bubble of old hurt and anger swelled in her chest and it took every ounce of willpower to keep her temper locked down while they were in public.
At last, the bubble popped, leaving her weary with herself and with him.
She was over Wyatt. It had been eleven years.
What kind of loser would still be so desperately hung up on a high school boyfriend?
“If you’ll excuse me.”
“Come with me.” Again his gaze swept the area behind her.
“No, thank you.” If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was part of the casino security team. Whatever he was looking for was none of her business. They weren’t a couple anymore. “I really need to take what’s left of my break.”
His eyes locked with hers. “Evie, please.”
A piece of her heart lurched toward him, hammering against the walls she’d built to protect herself. “I can’t,” she repeated, managing not to rub the pain in her breastbone. “If you’re only here because of me, you need to go.”
She turned on her heel and strode toward the employees-only door. As if he didn’t matter at all.
Once she was through and out of his reach, she leaned against the cool wall.
She’d expected walking away from him to feel better.
Instead, she wanted to curl up in a corner and cry.
Or run back into his arms. Would his embrace be familiar or different?
She couldn’t deny he’d changed. Grown. Matured.
All those things she’d thought she’d done too.
The door swung open as one of her coworkers walked through and she peeked out, startled to see Wyatt still standing there. Almost as if he was keeping watch or waiting for her.
Absurd. He’d leave. He’d go back to the tables. When it came to leaving her behind, Wyatt was a pro.