Page 15 of Don't Bet On It
“I’m only technically management, though,” Olivia argued. “I’m in accounting. That means I’m not as scary to thedepartment heads. She might take an admonishment from me better than she would if Zach were to drop the hammer.”
I gave her a sidelong look. “I don’t want to put you in that position.”
“And I don’t want you to be miserable.”
“I’m not miserable.” That was a lie. Kyla was definitely making my life miserable. Thankfully, the extra money I was bringing in each week on tips made that misery bearable. Barely.
“You look miserable.”
“I’m just … frustrated.” I really didn’t want her going to Kyla. That would make things worse. The woman was good at her job even if she was mean to me. I couldn’t be responsible for her losing that job after more than a decade of service. That didn’t sit well with me. “I blame Ronan.”
Confusion knitted Olivia’s eyebrows. “Ronan? Ronan who?”
I laughed, assuming she was joking. “Ronan Hawthorne. Who else?”
“Ronan Hawthorne?” She was scandalized. “Now, that’s a name I haven’t heard in about thirteen years. What’s he up to?”
“Other than driving me crazy every time I see him in the employee cafeteria you mean, right?” When I saw the look on her face, I realized I’d made a mistake. A very grave mistake.
“Our employee cafeteria?” Olivia had no idea what I was talking about. How was that possible?
Then I remembered what Ronan had said. He was flying under the radar at Stone Casino. That was on purpose. It had never occurred to me that Olivia hadn’t noticed him. She’d been living at the casino for almost two years at this point. How was it possible they’d never crossed paths?
She was almost never on the casino floor, my inner voice reminded me. She spent all her time in management spaces. Even if she saw Ronan in passing, she might not be able to placehim. Just because his face looked familiar didn’t mean she would immediately jump to him being a high school classmate.
“I… You… We…” I had no idea what to say.
Olivia could read me better than anybody. Even better than Sharon, who was the only person who had known me my whole life since the father I didn’t have a single memory of had left when I was a toddler. Olivia was the only person who could see right through me.
“Are you saying that Ronan Hawthorne—son of Norbert Hawthorne, the owner of Hawthorne Casino—works in our casino?”
My mouth went suddenly dry. “I…”
Raucous voices took over the room as Rex and Zach entered the penthouse. They were dressed in shorts and tees because they’d just finished playing basketball on the casino courts with their local league. Olivia had mentioned they planned to drop in long enough to change their clothes before heading out again.
“Did you know that Ronan Hawthorne is working at our casino?” Olivia demanded of her husband as he crossed into the living room.
Zach, his hair unruly and sweaty, gave his wife a peculiar look. “Who?”
“Ronan Hawthorne,” she replied, accepting his welcoming kiss on her cheek. “Norbert Hawthorne’s son. We went to high school with him.”
“I remember him.” Zach perched on the arm of the couch. “What do you mean he works at our casino?”
Olivia pointed at me. “He’s driving Tallulah crazy. She said he works here.”
That wasn’t exactly what I’d said. Well, it was. I hadn’t meant to say it, though. “It’s not a big deal.” I refused to make eye contact with Zach. “I just… It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t sound like nothing.” I could feel Zach’s eyes on me, but I didn’t meet his steady gaze. I couldn’t.
“You’re not talking about the dealer, are you?” Rex asked. He walked to the refrigerator and helped himself to a bottle of water. “His last name is Jones.”
I gave him an odd look. “Who is Ronan Jones?”
“We went to high school with him. He was in the same grade as you and Livvie.”
“No, that’s Ronan Hawthorne.”
“Jones,” Rex countered. “I remember him. He was a mathlete with Livvie.”
