“I have an idea,” he told Marty. “We’ll call you back.” And then he hung up and handed the phone back to her.
“I was talking here,” Hope said, annoyed.
“But not getting anywhere,” Tanner said. “I could stay with Amber while you play, but my idea is better. Troy could come over and stay with Amber. My daughter. She’s eighteen, she’s had a lot of experience babysitting. She’d do it, if she doesn’t have other plans. And—did you know Amber asked Kenji and me to be her uncles? So we could introduce Troy as her new cousin. Amber might like that.”
Hope grinned a little ruefully. “You’re Amber’s uncles now? You said yes? I’m sorry about that. I tried to get her to wait a while before she asked you. I thought it was too much of an imposition.”
“Nah, I think it’s cute. And I doubt the responsibilities will be too heavy. Although I guess you never know. Kenji had to cuddle up and tell her a story, which scared him half to death. But he seems to be coping. So, how about Troy?”
Hope looked at him, uncertain. She couldn’t leave Amber alone. But she couldn’t really afford not to play cards tonight, either. She still had to earn more than a hundred thousand dollars just to sit in the game with Big Julie. And having Tanner spot tables for her helped her game. Every table spotter helped. As selfish as it sounded, she wanted him helping her at cards.
Where on earth was Faith?
“I don’t know,” she said.
“I’ll just call Troy and see what’s up.” He took out his own phone and punched in a number.
“Hey, Troy. Listen, I need a favor.” He listened for a second, grinning. “Okay, fine, you have a deal. I need you to come over to the hospital and stay with a friend of mine for a few hours.” He listened and then glanced at Hope.
“No, not that friend. She’s eleven. Her name is Amber. She cut her hand pretty bad and needed surgery. She asked me to be her uncle, and I said yes. Her aunt Hope needs to go to work tonight, and I’ve been helping her at the casino. So it’s just till Amber’s mom gets here, but we don’t really know how long that will be. We don’t think too long.”
He listened again. He laughed. “You are grounded for six months, you know that? Okay. Thanks, kiddo. Room 410C. I’ll see you soon.” He hung up.
“She’s coming,” he said.
“Thank you,” Hope said doubtfully. “If you’re sure she won’t mind.” How would Amber respond to a strange teenager hanging out in her room? Hope wasn’t sure it was a good idea. But what options did she have?
Tanner grinned at her. “They’ll do great,” he said, as if he could tell what she was thinking. “And if I’m Amber’s uncle, I think that makes Troy your niece.”
Hope rolled her eyes. Amber was right. Suddenly the world seemed to be full of relatives. It was all very confusing.
Forty minutes later, Troy, carrying a colorful canvas tote bag and wearing jeans, flip-flops, and a halter top, tiptoed into Amber’s room. She blinked when she saw Kenji propped up in the bed next to a sleeping blonde girl.
“Hey, Kenji,” she whispered. “Is this Amber? Is she like, totally out? And where’s my dad and everybody?”
“Amber’s been sleeping for a little while. She’s had some pain meds recently so maybe she’ll stay out. Your dad is with Amber’s aunt Hope, who is hassling the insurance. They should be back any minute. Does your dad know what you did with your hair?”
Troy’s long, dark hair had been threaded into dozens of tiny, narrow braids, each of which was decorated with a handful of colorful beads. The braids swung when she moved, making the beads click together. “It’s a surprise,” she said.
Kenji grinned. “He’ll be surprised,” he said. “Rasta Girl.”
Troy grinned back, putting her tote bag on the floor. “I think Dad has a thing for somebody,” Troy said. “Is it Amber’s Aunt Hope?”
“You’ll have to ask him,” Kenji said repressively, as he started to ease himself off the bed. “Help me with this tubing, will you? I don’t want to do any damage here.”
Troy held the tubing while Kenji stood up. “You’re no help,” she said. “I can see that if I want any real information, I’ll just have to ask Amber.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Kenji said. “Tanner would have a fit.”
“Ask me what?” Amber asked drowsily, opening her eyes.