Chapter 4 #3
Her new focus failed her as soon as she entered the casino floor, mindful that Wyatt could be out here too.
How long would he be in town? She hadn’t asked because knowing how many more chances she had to run into him was dangerous.
A gamble. He’d said he loved her and she believed he did care. Or had once cared.
Didn’t matter. Aside from her father, Wyatt was the only man in her life with the ability to hurt her. Deeply. He’d done it once and she couldn’t give him room to do it again.
She wasn’t proud of herself for cutting off typical relationships.
As if anyone else would have a chance while she was still hung up on him.
It was embarrassing really, and probably why she didn’t talk about it.
Eleven years really should be enough time to get over her high school ‘sweetheart’.
Acceptance was the first step toward full recovery.
The sooner she accepted that she’d never worked through her feelings for Wyatt, the sooner she could move on. For real this time.
And what if he stayed in Deadwood? He said he looked you up.
She cut off that annoying little voice in a hurry. It was bad enough that Wyatt was in town, and worse that he was staying in a casino. Her casino. Whatever crazy twist of fate that brought him back into her sphere was irrelevant.
But if he planned to stay…
Her imagination hijacked basic logic. They might rekindle their friendship, he might convince her father to take a chance on her plans. And pigs might soon be flying through the blizzard bearing down on the area.
She couldn’t count on Wyatt’s plans or anyone else’s. Her goals and ideas took precedence. She was sufficient and capable and… and still hopelessly hung up on a man who’d broken her heart.
Annoyed with herself, she clutched her phone, lifted her chin and thought about the seventy-five people who would soon be wandering around searching for distraction and entertainment.
Turning down the hall to the hospitality office, she almost plowed into Jack Thornton, a hospitality manager on the guest relations side the Silver Aces operation. He caught her shoulders and steadied her.
“Hello, Evelyn.” His eyes roamed over her face and his hands withdrew slowly. “We heard what happened. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, um, thanks.” He’d asked her out last week.
His dark hair and eyes made him pretty much the opposite of Wyatt, but he was fit and friendly and had only been in Deadwood for five years or so.
There was no lumpy, old emotional baggage between them.
Suddenly she couldn’t recall why she’d turned him down.
“Sarah sent me over for the ballroom set up.”
Jack’s eyes lit up. “So we’ll be working together today?”
“Looks like it.” A pleasant sensation swept through her as she smiled back at him. This would be a great day. “I was thinking—” An alert made her phone vibrate in her hands. “One second.”
She skimmed the email message quickly and a happy cheer burst free, startling Jack.
“Sorry.” Finally, Tate Cordell had reached out.
From the tone of the email, he’d made a decision to invest in Cottonwood, despite not seeing the area firsthand.
She pressed her lips together hard to keep from squealing with joy while she dashed off a reply.
This was exactly the kind of investment she needed to elevate the family business and provide tours and services year-round.
According to the email, the package she’d sent with testimonials and proposals, along with her thorough business plan impressed him.
The number he provided as his initial funding was twice the total she’d hoped to secure and he asked when and where he could wire the funds.
Right now worked for her, if only so she could ogle the bigger bank balance online until the storm passed.
She sent him the details for the wire transfer.
“Evelyn, are you all right?”
“I am!” She hooked her arm in Jack’s and did a quick do-si-do turn in the hallway. “I just got the best news.”
“Well, you certainly deserve that,” he said.
“Thanks.” She knew he didn’t mean it as a downer, but out of respect for Stan, she dialed down her celebration.
“Let’s get going,” she said. “I’ve been working on some long-term solutions for the family business,” she explained as they took the service hallway to the ballroom.
“It looks like it’s all finally coming together. ”
“I’m happy for you,” Jack said. “Cottonwood is a great enterprise.”
He couldn’t have offered a more perfect response. “Thank you.”
In the ballroom they quickly formed a plan to give the stranded conference attendees a decent place to hang out, play for low to zero stakes, and network. “They might as well get more than they came for,” Evie said.
Jack walked over to the corner to the right of the doors. “We’ll keep beverage service and a buffet going in this corner. Games over there,” he pointed to the opposite corner.
“Sure thing. I’m thinking with this size group, we only need three poker tables and two for black jack.” They discussed the rest of the layout and tables for mingling. “You have enough wait staff.”
“We’re compressing services across the board. It’ll work.” He planted his hands on his hips. “Do you really think we’ll get six feet of snow?”
She glanced up from the update she was sending to her manager. “Are you afraid of cabin fever setting in?”
“More like a power outage,” he admitted, pulling out his own phone. “According to this update, the preliminary stage of this storm ends just after noon today and we’ll be in the thick of it.”
“Come on, Jack. You know the casino is prepared for any crisis.”
“Sure.” His gaze moved to the doors. “I just don’t like the idea of being snowed in.”
“Trust me, if it’s half as bad as they’re predicting, you’ll be happier inside than out.
” She was still floating high on the knowledge that her business had been saved to worry about weather or stir-crazy customers.
“Now that we know how many tables, I’ll go get what we need.
Think we can open to the group around ten? ”
Jack nodded absently while he keyed details into his phone, presumably passing along the schedule and information to his staff.
She practically floated out of the ballroom, the smile on her face a permanent fixture as she crossed the casino.
It was remarkable how quickly her concerns and frustrations evaporated.
One email promising money and she positively glowed inside and out.
Her mind gleefully ran the numbers from modest to bold to outrageous, prioritizing her expansion plans.
Thanks to various marketing podcasts and years in the local outdoor-adventure industry, she could justify each and every change she planned to make.
Neither her father nor her new investor would have cause to doubt or worry.
It was nearly noon when members of the stranded group started meandering into their private casino floor.
In general, they seemed distracted by the gloomy weather reports and the blanket of white outside every hotel room window.
Evie mingled. There was no reason to take her station as dealer yet.
She made suggestions and asked questions, polling the guests on everything from how the Silver Aces could make the impromptu stay better to their favorite winter activities.
They wouldn’t have thought of it yet, but once Holly was done and gone, it would take time for roads to clear and airports to reopen.
How much time was solely dependent on the amount of snow Holly unleashed.
On another quick errand behind the scenes, Evie caught a glimpse of the near white-out conditions through a window.
It was easier to understand Jack’s earlier concern.
She made a mental note to brainstorm ideas that would keep people busy and engaged once the sun came out again.
“Evie? What are you doing here?”
She cringed at the sound of Wyatt’s voice, but she did stop to speak to him politely. “I could ask you the same thing.” Her pulse kicked at the sight of him. Why couldn’t she enjoy this same flutter when she looked at Jack? Or any other man?
“Don’t do that,” he said. “You promised me you’d be at home today.”
She guided him to the nearest alcove and tried to give him a genuine smile. It faltered. “I work here, Wyatt. This is where I’m needed, especially with a storm that’s closing roads. Why didn’t you get out last night?”
“I told you I’m here on business.” He frowned, his gaze roaming the space again.
“Same for me.” She gave a small shrug, thinking about her investor. “Besides I’m local,” she quipped, her happiness still fizzing through her. She was a local and thanks to Tate she’d remain a local business owner. “And I’m on the schedule.”
“I suggested leaving yesterday morning and was shot down.” His frown didn’t ease much. “This morning I told my boss it was too late to get out,” he said. “I’ll catch a flight after the storm.”
“You had time to change hotels.” He couldn’t possibly want to spend more time in a casino than necessary.
“Maybe I was hoping to run into you again. I’d like more time with you.”
His voice tempted her to believe, to entertain the possibility of something more between them than awkward, lingering feelings.
Suddenly, she was swept back to their last summer as Cottonwood guides and the sweet summer-infused kisses they shared down by the creek.
Nothing awkward about those kisses. He’d smelled of sunshine, his hair lightened and his skin bronzed from hours in the sun.
Her gaze dropped to his lips and she caught herself before she foolishly leaned in for a fresh taste of him.
“Are you implying you knew I’d come back to the casino?” she asked, folding her arms to hold herself back.
His expression eased, mischief dancing in his blue eyes. Her stomach twirled in response, as if she was going over that first, thrilling plunge on a roller coaster. Why couldn’t she resist him?
“Goes to show I still know my best friend. Can I take you to lunch?” he offered.
“No, thank you.” She had to hang on to her resolve. He was talking about friendship and her heart and hormones were screaming for something else entirely. Wyatt was her past. Her future was the casino and Cottonwood thanks to Tate. “We’re on a skeleton staff and I need to get back.”
She continued back to the ballroom and he followed her inside. “This is…wait. What is this?” he asked.
“A special event. Private for this particular group,” she replied. “They’re stranded until the storm passes.” She saw the queue for waiting poker players and, smiling, walked to the open table where she would be running an introductory game of Texas Hold ’em. “You really can’t be here.”
Again, he trailed after her. “You thought of this,” he said as the players took their seats.
She shot him a warning look as a few guests took chairs around the table. “The Silver Aces was happy to find a way to make the weather less of an inconvenience for our guests.”
“We’re glad you did,” one woman said. Her hair was gray and she had laugh lines at her eyes and a speculative smile as her gaze moved between Evie and Wyatt. “Will you join us, handsome?”
“I’m afraid Mr. Jameson is on his way out.”
“Evie, I just want five more minutes.” His phone rang and he glared at the screen before declining the call.
“That’s Miss Cotton,” she corrected him with no heat at all.
What a difference a little bit of hope could make.
She wasn’t as scared of what she might do or say.
Of the fallout if she did something impulsive.
The email from Tate had infused her with confidence and a subtle affirmation that things were moving in the right direction.
Finally. “He’s an old friend,” she explained to the players gathered around the table.
“When is your break?” Wyatt pressed.
“You need to stop.” She removed the deck from the automatic shuffler. “I have plans over my break.”
The older woman with the laugh lines eyed Wyatt again and bobbed her eyebrows. “In your shoes, honey, I’d adjust the schedule.”
Evie chuckled. “He’s always been persistent.” She was too relieved to be overly irritated by Wyatt. “Now, let’s talk about the game.”
Wyatt pulled up a chair and she chose to ignore him.
If he kept quiet, no one would notice him and she could escort him out during her break.
She gave a preliminary overview to the group and they followed along, asking intelligent questions as they worked through the opening bets and rounds of the game.
She’d almost forgotten he was there until the lesson was over and the other players wandered off to other activities. “I’ll walk you out.”
He frowned at his phone again before shoving it into his pocket. “Will you be here all night?” he asked. “In here, I mean.”
“Yes.” She told herself his obsession with her schedule didn’t matter. It wasn’t romantic or flattering, just an old friend keeping tabs. Probably out of boredom as much as nostalgia. “And you need to not be in here.”
“Fine.” His brow furrowed and he reached out, his fingers a whisper along her jaw. “I just wish you were home in front of a big fire with a mug of hot chocolate.”
“Me too.” It’s how they’d waited out more than one storm as kids.
Something was troubling him, but it was too soon to resume her role as the person who gave him a place to vent and talk out his worries.
“If you’re still in town after the storm passes, you should come to the house for dinner. Dad would love to see you.”
He perked up. “I’ll hold you to that, Evie.”
She expected no less. As he walked off, she realized she wasn’t nearly as afraid of that dinner anymore. All of the hostility and insecurity she’d felt yesterday had faded and she wanted to stay on this happier ground.
Oh, what a difference an investor made.