Page 143 of How You See Me
“Oh my,” he breathes and picks through the charms, placing them with the stories I told earlier. “That man is something else.”
I nod, body trembling.
“I don’t think I’ve ever owned anything like this,” I whisper. “Something so thoughtful. Meaningful.”
Grant gently closes my fingers around the bracelet. “Then hold on and don’t let go.”
Chapter 30
Hayes
Idon’t want to be here. Not in this city. Not in my skin. And certainly not in this casino.
Yet, here I am, sitting at a blackjack table anyway, waiting to play one hand for Ava.
The casino is a sensory hell—a suffocating swirl of cigarette smoke, flashing lights, and the relentless jangle of slot machines spitting out dreams or swallowing them whole. Somewhere nearby, a woman shrieks with joy. Another curses out loud.
I press my fingertips into the worn green felt of the table, breathing through the tightness in my chest as I wait.
Every dollar I had in my wallet now sits in neat stacks of colorful chips. It’s not much, but enough to make me feel like I’m doing something. The dealer, a middle-aged guy with a face carved with boredom, shuffles the deck with the efficiency of someone who stopped caring years ago.The sharp slap of the cards is the only sound cutting through the chaos.
To my left, a man reeks of whiskey and cigars. On my right, the woman in a skin-tight sequined dress hasn’t stopped talking since I sat down. Everything about her is obnoxious—her persistence, her spicy perfume, her dress.
“First time in Vegas?” she asks, soaking me in.
“Yes.”
A man in a dark gray suit claims the last empty seat at our table. She gives him a nod, then goes back to watching me, tracing the rim of her wine glass with a fingertip.
“That’s fun. I wish I could experience it for the first time again. My girlfriends and I have been coming every year for five years now.” She offers her manicured hand, the diamonds draped around her wrists reflecting the overhead light. “I’m Evie.”
Since I’m not a complete asshole, I shake her hand, then go back to staring at the table, hoping that’s the end of it. My leg bounces as the dealer continues to wait. For what, I have no fucking clue.
“And your name?” she asks when I don’t volunteer it.
“Hayes.”
“Nice to meet you, Hayes.” She swirls the mahogany liquid in her glass, never breaking eye contact. “I’d be happy to—”
“Last call,” the dealer announces over the din of voices and clinking glasses.
My mind drifts to Josie, and our trip’s last call.
Walking away from her as she blinks back tears might have been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I miss her laugh, and the way the musical sound chases away my worries. I miss her wild curls, how they float in the wind and cover my pillow when we sleep.
And I miss the way she loves—not just me, but my family. I can still hear her voice from this morning, shy and hesitant, as she whispered that she loved me, like she wasn’t sure I’d say it back.
I hate that I made her doubt my feelings and us. I’d been so caught up in Raidyn calling and the news about Ava that I just couldn’t let anything else in or out. It all hurt too damn much.
The dealer finally tosses my first card across the table—a five of hearts. Fitting. I almost laugh at the irony, at how stretched, tangled, and bruised my own heart feels.
Another card. Nine of spades. Fourteen total. Not great, not terrible. But I don’t care. My fingers drum on the wooden edge of the table as the dealer reveals his second card—an eight of spades.
Without bothering to calculate the odds, I push my entire stack of chips toward the center. Several people at the table gasp, including Evie. Still couldn’t care less. I’m tired of waiting. Tired of it all.
“I love a man who takes risks,” Evie coos, pushing half her chips forward while keeping her gaze on me.
I don’t even acknowledge her.
