Page 18 of Don't Bet On It
“Isn’t that proof that he isn’t hiding? Maybe he didn’t realize you thought he was somebody else.”
Rex worked his jaw. When he glanced over at Zach, he was resigned. “He is a good worker. He kept your father’s presence under wraps.”
“It’s still weird,” Zach insisted.
“Well, maybe we should keep him in his position and start watching him,” Rex suggested. “Then we’ll be able to ascertain if he’s up to something and if we’re facing an actual threat.”
Zach didn’t consider it long. “Fine,” he grumbled. “I guess that works.” He moved toward his wife. “You’re not going to be mad at me if we go out for drinks as we planned, are you?”
Olivia shook her head. “No, but I might punish you for my enjoyment when you get home tonight. You’ll like that, though.”
Zach chuckled and dropped a kiss on her lips. “I look forward to that.”
“Don’t make me kill you,” Rex snapped. “That’s still my baby sister.”
“Your baby sister is having my baby,” Zach reminded him. “I think you should get over it.”
“Also, you had a baby with Zach’s sister,” Olivia pointed out. “You definitely need to get over yourself.”
Rex rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’m heading to my room to take a shower. I’ll catch you downstairs in thirty,” he said to Zach.
Zach shot him a thumbs-up and then disappeared down the hallway, leaving me with a curious Olivia.
“What?” I demanded, fidgeting when her steady stare became too much. “Why are you looking at me that way?”
“Because you hate Ronan Hawthorne.”
“That’s hardly news.”
“He stood you up for prom.”
I frowned at the memory. “I haven’t forgotten.”
“Okay, that’s good.” Olivia was the pragmatic sort, and that was on full display today. “If you remember that and you hate him, why did you just fight so hard for him to keep his job?”
“It’s not for the reason you think,” I replied.
“And what do I think?”
“Don’t.” I wagged my finger at her. “We both know what you think.”
Her smile flattened. “I’m just curious. Seriously, you were pretty insistent that he keep his job.”
How was I supposed to explain this to her? She wasn’t rich. Well, not until she and Zach fell in love for real. While she had never been quite as poor as me, she couldn’t understand the constant fear. I had to try to explain it to her.
“I can never be responsible for somebody losing their job,” I replied simply. “I can’t be the one who causes them to lose their home … or their car … or even their kids. That’s just not who I am.”
Reality smacked Olivia in the face, and she straightened. “That wouldn’t be on you. That would be on him lying.”
“He didn’t lie, though.”
“No.” She rubbed her cheek. She obviously had questions, but they were for me and about me. It wasn’t actually about Rowan any longer. She didn’t ask her questions, and I wasgrateful. “Do you want to go downstairs for ice cream?” she asked, changing the subject.
I let her because it was easier. “Is the baby having cravings?”
She nodded. “Yes, and they’re chocolate chip cookie dough cravings. It’s very specific.”
I could eat some ice cream. I missed drinking nights with my best friend—a double shot of whiskey sounded better than a double scoop of ice cream—but a hot fudge sundae wasn’t the worst idea. “Then we can go to the upstairs balcony and spy on all the people on the casino floor.”
