down and look at her. “I’m serious, Lilly. I believe in you. I want to see you thrive. I have no doubt in my mind that you can do this. Of course, I’m getting involved with this restaurant because of you. When I brokered the deal with Gerald, I made it clear to him that I want to give you Ruby Restaurant to manage, to cook, to do whatever you want with it—you’ve got carte blanch.”
Her brow has been furrowing as I’m talking, and she opens her mouth—I assume to launch some kind of objection—but I put up a hand to silence her.
“I know you don’t want to accept help. But it’s okay to let someone give you a leg up. How the hell do you think I got into the casino business? I told you what my mentor, Jack, did for me. I would never have made it here without him. I figure I can pay it forward. And I should. I’ve achieved my success and I’m confident in that. Now it’s time to start looking outside of myself. To spread that success. And I’d like to start with you.” I reach into the breast pocket of my jacket and pull out a large Mont Blanc fountain pen, unscrewing the top, I offer it to her.
“It’s not just that.” She waves away the pen, her face flushed. “It’s just that…accepting this would be a huge commitment and with everything that happened yesterday…I don’t know if this is the city for me.”
“Yesterday was a rare exception,” I tell her firmly. But I feel my heart sinking. “That’s not normal. Those guys are renegades. Were renegades,” I add. “Come on, you even heard Gerald. That’s not the real Las Vegas.”
“I know, but I just don’t think I can make it out here. The head chef job was one thing…I mean, I could always pick up and leave if I wanted to and a new chef would be hired in minutes. This is different. I… I’m not made for this world. I’m just not.” She sounds sad. “I’m sorry. I know you went to all this effort.” She motions towards the papers. “And the place is gorgeous.” She gestures around the kitchen aimlessly. “But I just can’t in good conscience accept the offer.”
“Lilly, did I teach you nothing since we met?” I slam the pen down on the steel counter. She looks at me, startled.
“I don’t appreciate you getting angry at me when I’m simply being honest.” Her voice is icy.
“Bullshit! You’re just afraid.”
“Can you blame me?” She steps forward, her eyes blazing. “After what happened? Yes, I’m afraid!” She stamps her foot, her eyes welling up with tears. She turns on her heel, getting ready to walk away from me but I grab her wrist and pull her back.
“Lilly, stop it. Cut this out. I won’t let you walk away from a good thing because of fear.”
“You can’t even understand fear!” She spits the words at me, her cheeks flushed with rage. “Get off!” She wrenches her wrist out of my grasp.
“You think I don’t understand fear? You think I’ve never been afraid in my life? After all I’ve told you about my past? And what’s more, you think I wasn’t afraid yesterday? Getting that call from you? You can still be afraid and do things, Lilly. That’s what courage is. It isn’t just never being scared. It’s doing things even when you are scared. And that’s what you do. You are one of the most courageous women I know.”
She stops short, staring at me in surprise. “I am?” She wipes away a tear that’s spilled down her face.
“Of course you are. Think of all you did to save your sister. Think of all the experiences you opened yourself up to. Think of how you accepted this job, in a city far away from friends and family. I have no doubt you were feeling fear when you did all those things. But you did them anyway. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, Lilly. That’s all I’ve wanted for you to see since day one.” I try to soften my tone. “So…” I pick up the pen again and hold it out to her. “What’s one more scary decision? Plus you know I’ll always be here if you need me, just like I was yesterday.”
She gives me a sidelong glance. She wipes away another tear, smearing it across her face. But then she extends her hand and