11. Eleven
ELEVEN
K yla had zero intention of becoming easier to get along with. If anything, after the incident with the bridal party, she was even more prickly. I did my best to keep my head down at work—and was careful not to interact with Ronan unless absolutely necessary—but things remained stressful.
That was why, when Olivia recommended a night out with Ruby, I was all for it. I desperately needed to cut loose.
We went to the Chandelier at the Cosmopolitan. It was one of Olivia’s favorites—it always had been—and even though she couldn’t drink, she was happy sipping sparkling water as Ruby and I prepared to get our drink on.
“How are things with Rex?” I asked Ruby after my first decadent sip.
“Good.” Ruby smiled at mention of her fiancé. “We’re trying to hash out the details of the wedding. There’s a debate about size. Is bigger really better?” Her eyes were mischievous as she smiled.
“He must understand that your mother will expect a certain level of opulence when it comes to your wedding,” I argued.
She snorted. “I’m not the one who wants the big wedding. That’s him.”
I was taken aback. “He wants an overblown affair?” That was hard for me to fathom.
“Oh, Rex believes bigger is always better.” She snorted and shook her head. “I thought it would be fun to have a small wedding and go big for the honeymoon, but he’s fighting that too.”
“He is?” What man fought the idea of a big honeymoon? “Why? Where do you want to go?”
“I want to go to an island and drink frilly cocktails on the beach for a week. Rex says that’s not fun for a baby.
When I pointed out that I thought we would leave Chloe behind—Mom volunteered to take her, and Olivia and Zach could use the practice, so I thought they would help—he had an absolute meltdown. ”
“He doesn’t want to leave Chloe for a week?” I thought about it. On one hand, it was only a week, and obviously she would be safe with her family. On the other, I sort of understood where Rex was coming from. Chloe wasn’t even a year old. It was a big deal leaving a baby for that long.
“He refuses.” Ruby turned grim. “It’s kind of becoming a thing.”
Olivia, who had been quiet for a few minutes, furrowed her brow. “Why do Zach and I need practice?”
Ruby’s first response was to laugh. Then she straightened when it became apparent that Olivia was serious. “Oh, well…” She looked to me for help.
“Oh, don’t even.” I vehemently shook my head. “I’m not wading into that hornet’s nest.”
“Zach and I are going to be great parents,” Olivia argued. She was deadly serious.
“Of course you are.” Ruby patted her hand in a placating—and maybe a little condescending—manner. “You’re going to be the absolute best parents in the world.”
“Why don’t I believe you’re being sincere?” Olivia huffed.
“Ugh. I knew you were going to turn this into a thing.” Ruby was resigned.
“You and Zach are going to be wonderful parents,” she said truthfully.
“The thing is, having a baby is a learning experience. I’m the most-together person I know—not to toot my own horn or anything—but I panic at least once a week when it comes to Chloe. ”
She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Right after we had her, I obsessed for a week straight about which one of us might almost kill her first.”
I was caught between amusement and horror. “Are you being serious?”
“Yes.” Ruby held out her hand. “She was tiny. I mean, she was a big baby, and her head felt huge when I was pushing her out, but in the grand scheme of things, she was tiny. She couldn’t hold up her head. She was fragile, and you can’t stop your mind from going there.”
“But you and Rex acted as if it wasn’t a big deal,” Olivia protested. I could tell she was getting worked up, although she would never admit it.
“Of course we acted like it was no big deal.” Ruby gave Olivia her best “are you kidding me” look. “We couldn’t let people know we were freaking out. They would’ve taken Chloe from us.”
I very much doubted that was true. Every new parent was likely afraid they might accidentally kill the baby. Still, I was amused at her roundabout thinking. “Don’t you think maybe, just maybe, your paranoia was fueling that fear?” I asked.
“Of course it was. At the time, though, I was all hopped up on hormones.”
“Shouldn’t Rex have been the voice of reason under those circumstances?”
Ruby snorted as if I’d said the funniest thing in the world. “You would think so. Unfortunately, the one thing you can’t call Rex is chill. When I confronted him about how worked up he was, he said he was taking his cues from me.”
“So you panicked together,” I mused.
“We did, and it was ugly.” Ruby glanced over at Olivia. “Zach is more chill than Rex, but you’re less together than me. You guys are going to have the exact same problems.”
Olivia made a protesting sound as her mouth fell open. “That’s not a very nice thing to say.”
“I wasn’t trying to be nice. I was trying to be truthful.”
“But… I have a plan.” Olivia’s forehead creased with concentration. “Labor is going to take exactly three hours—I’m thinking of giving birth in a soothing pool of water—and then the baby is going to sleep through the night after a week.”
Ruby grinned before bursting into laughter. Actually, her guffaw sounded more like a donkey braying than a human.
“It’s not funny,” Olivia said petulantly, her lower lip coming out to play as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I made a list.”
“Oh, you’re adorable.” Ruby patted her shoulder. “You do not want to have the baby in a pool of water, though.”
“People say it doesn’t hurt as much in water.”
“It’s going to hurt regardless, and you can’t get the good drugs at home. You definitely need to do the hospital experience.”
Olivia balked. “I’m thinking of not doing drugs.”
Genuine horror washed over Ruby’s pretty features. “You cannot give birth without drugs.”
“And why not?” Olivia was turning defiant, not a good sign.
“Because if it’s not against the law, it should be. The drugs don’t even take all the pain away. They just take the edge off.” Ruby was not having it. “Natural birth is a crock of shit. Only a man thinks it’s a good idea.”
Doubt crept across Olivia’s face, and I took pity on her. “Have you talked to your doctor about this?” I asked. “Maybe she can help you figure it out.”
“I thought I had it figured out.” Olivia gave Ruby a dark glare. “You just ruined my whole birthing plan. I hope you know that.”
Ruby didn’t appear to feel guilty about anything she’d said. “You’re better off knowing the truth of what’s to come. People painted pretty pictures for me, too, and none of it was true. Get the drugs.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing at Olivia’s outraged expression. I was grateful—and massively relieved—when Ruby turned her attention to me.
“So, how are things in the high rollers lounge?” she asked.
Well, that question was unexpected. Was it better or worse to talk about this? I almost preferred discussing the horror of natural childbirth. “It’s great,” I lied automatically. “It’s … awesome.”
Olivia made a face. “She hates it,” my best friend countered. “I think she’s getting close to quitting, which would be a mistake.”
I shot her an incredulous look. “I never said that to you.”
“You don’t have to say it. I can tell whenever I stop by for a visit. You’re miserable.”
Guilt reared up and grabbed me by the throat. Olivia had gone out of her way to get me this job. I couldn’t seem unappreciative. “I don’t mind the job,” I said. “The tips in the lounge are great. I’m already digging myself out of the trouble I was in.”
I hadn’t meant to say that second part out loud. Olivia had no idea exactly how dire things had gotten for me.
Olivia forgot her fears about childbirth and gave me her full focus. “What does that mean?”
I felt caught and not in a good way. “Oh, well … um.” I squirmed on my seat and downed half my cocktail to give myself time.
“Oh, smooth,” Ruby drawled, rolling her eyes. “That won’t make her suspicious in the least.”
I glowered at her before turning back to Olivia. “It’s not a big deal. I just … might have run up a few credit cards in the months before I was fired.”
All of the color whooshed from Olivia’s cheeks. “What do you mean?”
Guilt threatened to knock me over. I held it together, however. Barely. “I wasn’t getting a lot of good shifts toward the end. Carleton didn’t like me—not that I liked him—and I was having trouble for a little bit.
“It’s better now,” I continued. “Like … way better. I’m not in danger of defaulting on my rent. I sold my car months ago, so that’s not a factor.”
Incredulity dragged Olivia’s eyebrows toward her hairline. “You sold your car?”
Oh, right. I hadn’t told her that part. “I can get around Las Vegas fine without a car.” I sounded defensive, but it was too late to rein it in, unfortunately. “It’s fine, Livvie.” I used my sternest voice. “In a couple months, I’ll be completely out of the hole I dug myself.”
“Which is why you’re still working there,” Olivia surmised. She looked upset. No, she looked disappointed. That was so much worse. “Well, I guess I’m glad that you’re doing okay.” She wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“Oh, that is so passive-aggressive,” Ruby chided before I could respond. “Give me a break. You can’t sit there and hold something like this against her. She was embarrassed.”
“Why should she be embarrassed?” Olivia challenged.
“Because you’re rich,” Ruby replied, not missing a beat.
“I wasn’t always rich. I was in a terrible place before Zach and I got married. It’s the whole reason we got married.”
“Yes, but you’re not poor now.” Ruby wouldn’t back down. “Just … give her a break.” Her eyes moved to me. “What’s going on in the high rollers lounge that you hate so much?”