her cash in and realized she hadn’t answered my question. I decided to leave it until Monday. Work could wait.
Amy sat down next to me. “This is so much fun. I love roulette. Who would have thought? And now I’m going to kick your butt in cards.”
“Good night, girls,” my aunt called as she left the room.
Amy looked at her and back to me. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Aunt Jackie has left the building.” I nodded to the dealer. “She was just getting tired of winning. Let’s see how lucky you are.”
“I’m the bride. They have to let me win. It’s in the contract.” She squinted at the dealer, trying to read his name tag. “Isn’t that right, Dave? Because I’m getting married on June 8, I get to win tonight.”
“If you say so,” Dave the dealer grinned. “Of course, I can’t control the cards. What comes up, comes up.”
“But the house is usually the winner, right?” I glanced at the automatic card shuffler. “There’s no way to really win.”
“Unless you have an amazing memory for five decks of cards, yes, the house has the better odds.” He dealt our first hand. “But if you’re just here for fun? The best way to win is to think you can. Be positive and upbeat, and the cards may go your way.”
“That sounds like a self-help motto on how to live life.” I glanced over at Amy. Her eyes were starting to glaze over. Thank God we weren’t playing for real money or I’d call it and pour her into an elevator to go find her room. I was still going to have to do that later, but I was enjoying playing. And it made me wonder about Cali and her statement.
“Hey, just a question. Can people get underwater gambling? I mean, like totally spend their paycheck for the next year plus under?”
He nodded. “It’s the bad side of the casino. They are supposed to cut people off when they get to a crazy level, but you can get under really quickly. And if you’ve been drinking the free alcohol, you may not realize just how many markers you’ve signed. I always try to send people to their room when they start looking like that.”
I knew he was talking about Amy. “She’s the bride this weekend. We’ll let her play some more, and I won’t let her out on the real casino floor. I’m in charge of her.”
As I looked around the room, I realized that was the truth. No one else was still playing slots. Amy’s cousins had disappeared, probably around the same time Aunt Jackie had gone to bed.
“Don’t worry about the time.” Dave noticed my scan of the room. “I’m paid until one no matter whether you or your friend leave. But if you don’t think you’ll need the others, I’ll send them home.”
“That will work.” I smiled at my friend and pointed to her cards. “Blackjack. You did come lucky.”
* * * *
By the time I got Amy to her room and into Justin’s care, it was already one. He took her arm and led her away. “Thanks, Jill. You’re the best.”
I had lived up to my maid of honor responsibilities and now it was time to find my own room and get out of these shoes. While I waited for the elevator, I slipped them off and held the offending heels in my hand.
When I got on the elevator, a man already in the car chuckled. “Long night?”
“More like too high of heel. I’m used to flip-flops.” I had considered putting on my sparkling, gem-encrusted flip-flops when I got dressed but changed my mind. Now I was going to have to wear these tomorrow too because my aunt wanted me looking “presentable.”
“Flip-flops are cute.” The man smiled at me and moved a little closer. “Of course, bare feet are the total turn-on.”
I pushed the button for five. “Sorry, dude, my dance card is full.”
He moved back away from me. “If you change your mind, my name is Dane and I’m here all weekend. I’ll be at the blackjack tables. High roller section.”
I wondered if that got him chicks. I got off on my floor and called back, “Have a nice night, Dane the high roller.”
I heard his chuckle as the door closed.
Greg was still awake when I came into the room. He was watching sports on the television. I curled up next to him and watched the announcers go over a play that either was the best