hotels. The Venetian tried to take you to Italy. The Paris Casino had the Eiffel Tower. And there was even a hotel shaped like a pyramid. You could go anywhere in the world just by crossing the street. Treasure Island was built for the-pirate loving crowd. Tourists could watch a staged pirate takeover of another boat right outside the casino. Night after night. And I’d heard their buffet was out of this world.
I kicked off my shoes and sprawled on my king-sized bed. I know the flight wasn’t that long, but it still sapped my energy. I still had a half hour before I had to meet Amy. I glanced at the book. That should be just enough time for me to read the last few chapters, if I didn’t shower and change for dinner.
I compromised and took out a sundress with cute flip-flops. Then I curled up on the bed and finished the book. I could run through the shower, dress, and freshen my makeup in less than ten minutes. I just had to finish reading with that amount of time left.
I missed my goal by three minutes. But I was still in the lobby, dressed, and looking amazing by the time Amy arrived. My friend was typically early, so I counted my blessings. And I had one book read and off my TBR list. It had been a productive day.
“Your aunt and Harrold are having dinner in their room. She just texted me. Darla and Matt aren’t here yet; they’re driving. So it’s just the three of us.” She smiled up at Justin. “I’ve told him tomorrow he can’t even call me, so he needs his Amy fix tonight.”
“I can grab a bite on my own if you two want to spend some time alone.” I thought about the next book waiting for me to crack open the spine. And I really wanted to check out the pool.
“No way you’re leaving me alone with her.” Justin grabbed my arm and moved in between the two of us. “And we’re talking about anything but the wedding. No planning. No linens. And for goodness’ sake, I’m not eating cake samples for dessert. This weekend is all about fun. Do you think Greg will be here for the guys’ night tomorrow?”
We started walking toward the restaurant in the building. “I’m not sure. He’s trying, but he wouldn’t even let me set up a flight reservation. He’s going to either fly up tonight or tomorrow morning or drive up on Saturday if he can’t get a flight.”
“Well, I hope he can get here. My brother, who’s going to be the best man, can’t take off this weekend. He just called and he has a big gig on Saturday in Florida. Life of a musician.” Justin paused at the host near the entrance. “I hope you like steak.”
The place was all old, dark wood and darker colors. Not the type of place I regularly ate, but this wasn’t my celebration weekend. “Sounds great,” I lied. As we were walking in the dining room with white tablecloths and wineglasses already set on the table, I froze.
There, in a booth, in the black suit I’d seen at the airport, was Mike Masters. He was having dinner with a blond woman who looked suspiciously like the Realtor who’d tried to strong-arm me into selling my house. Our host set us at a table and I excused myself. “I think I know that couple. I’ll be right back.”
Chapter 20
I crossed the room and stood in front of the booth until they both looked up at me. SaraBeth dropped her spoon and Mike threw his napkin on the table.
“Interesting. Your sick mother looks like she’s doing better.”
“Look, Jill, I can explain.” Mike glanced at the woman. “This is Sara Marston. She’s my partner.”
“You’re both in real estate? I don’t understand. One of you was trying to get me to sell and one of you was trying to stop me. What was the game? Confusion?” I glanced over at our table, where Amy and Justin were watching me. I nodded that I was fine and turned back to the booth.
“We’re not in real estate.” He pulled out a card and handed it to me. “As well as being an author, I have a day job. I’m with the FBI. We’re investigating Aaron Presley, the developer of the water park.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you investigating him?” I held up the card to Sara. “I take it you have