Page 36 of Don't Bet On It
Zach’s lips twitched. Was he amused? He steeled his expression when Kyla glowered at him, but I was starting to think he found this funny.
“The situation wasn’t ideal, but it sounds as if the actress was the one out of bounds,” he said to Kyla. “What could they have done differently to change the situation?” He used his most reasonable tone.
“They could have had a softer touch,” Kyla replied without hesitation.
“It doesn’t sound as if they were given that option.”
“Were you there?” Kyla must have realized that she’d said the wrong thing because as soon as Zach’s eyebrow lifted, she adjusted her tone. “I’m sorry.” She held up her hands in capitulation. “It was an ugly scene, though. What happens if that story makes it off the casino grounds?”
“Then I believe the bridal party will be the one that looks bad,” Zach replied, not missing a beat. “I’m not too worried about that.” He flashed a friendly smile, but a warning was in his eyes. He was over this conversation. “It will be fine.”
“But they handled it all wrong,” Kyla insisted.
“I happen to think they handled things correctly.” Zach’s gaze moved pointedly toward Tallulah. “Other than the WWE wrestling, I’m not worried about any fallout. If it comes, I’ll handle it.”
“But…” Kyla wet her lips, disappointment obvious. “Fine,” she said finally. “If you think they handled things correctly, who am I to argue?” She sounded pleasant enough. I could tell a reckoning on this subject was still coming, however.
“Are we done?” Tallulah asked.
“You’re done,” Zach confirmed.
“Great.” She turned on her heel and marched to the door. “I have to see my hairdresser about a bald spot. That bitch might have been tiny, but she had a firm grip.”
I barked a laugh then caught myself when Kyla’s evil glare slid to me. This wasn’t over. At least, not on our end.
No, it was nowhere near over. I found I wasn’t quite as angry with Tallulah as I had been before the incident, however.
How had that even happened?
11
ELEVEN
Kyla had zero intention of becoming easier to get along with. If anything, after the incident with the bridal party, she was even more prickly. I did my best to keep my head down at work—and was careful not to interact with Ronan unless absolutely necessary—but things remained stressful.
That was why, when Olivia recommended a night out with Ruby, I was all for it. I desperately needed to cut loose.
We went to the Chandelier at the Cosmopolitan. It was one of Olivia’s favorites—it always had been—and even though she couldn’t drink, she was happy sipping sparkling water as Ruby and I prepared to get our drink on.
“How are things with Rex?” I asked Ruby after my first decadent sip.
“Good.” Ruby smiled at mention of her fiancé. “We’re trying to hash out the details of the wedding. There’s a debate about size. Is bigger really better?” Her eyes were mischievous as she smiled.
“He must understand that your mother will expect a certain level of opulence when it comes to your wedding,” I argued.
She snorted. “I’m not the one who wants the big wedding. That’s him.”
I was taken aback. “He wants an overblown affair?” That was hard for me to fathom.
“Oh, Rex believes bigger is always better.” She snorted and shook her head. “I thought it would be fun to have a small wedding and go big for the honeymoon, but he’s fighting that too.”
“He is?” What man fought the idea of a big honeymoon? “Why? Where do you want to go?”
“I want to go to an island and drink frilly cocktails on the beach for a week. Rex says that’s not fun for a baby. When I pointed out that I thought we would leave Chloe behind—Mom volunteered to take her, and Olivia and Zach could use the practice, so I thought they would help—he had an absolute meltdown.”
“He doesn’t want to leave Chloe for a week?” I thought about it. On one hand, it was only a week, and obviously she would be safe with her family. On the other, I sort of understood where Rex was coming from. Chloe wasn’t even a year old. It was a big deal leaving a baby for that long.
“He refuses.” Ruby turned grim. “It’s kind of becoming a thing.”
