Page 54 of Don't Bet On It
Yes, the corporate tattletale would be a great person to talk to. “Thanks.” I was firm. “I’m good.”
I LOST MYSELF IN WORK. THANKFULLY,there weren’t any difficult guests to deal with for a change. I was good with the guests, almost always, but every once in a while a pain in the ass would sweep in, thinking they owned the place. That wasn’t on the agenda today.
Ronan had three people at a blackjack table. Candy was over watching him at present, which made me feel guilty as well as giddy. Better him than me, right? I hummed to myself as I dropped off drinks in front of the televisions where three men were betting on the horses—getting louder and louder with each drink. Then I let my curiosity get the better of me.
I should have stayed away from Ronan. We’d only exchanged a few awkward head bobs and work talk since the infamous kiss. I couldn’t seem to keep away from him, however. He was the spider, and I was the fly.
And what a corny thing that was to think. When had I turned into that person? Good grief.
“Does anybody over here need a drink?” I asked in a chipper voice. I was just doing my job, I told myself. It was my duty to make sure Ronan’s players weren’t parched.
“I’ll have a Hendricks and tonic,” one of the men said without looking up. He was intent on his cards. I was no expert, but he looked pretty happy with the face card he held.
“Certainly.” I glanced at the other men. “Anybody else?”
They placed their orders. Nothing fancy. Then, as I was about to leave, I did the one thing I wasn’t expecting. I said something to Ronan. “Iced tea or anything for you?” I asked him.
He looked momentarily taken aback—something that wasn’t lost on Candy—and then nodded. “An iced tea will be great.”
“No problem.” I kept my expression purposely neutral. I didn’t need Candy questioning my relationship with Ronan. When it came time to deliver the drinks, I handled the guests first and then placed Ronan’s on the corner of the table, a napkin underneath.
Ronan reached for the glass immediately, as if he were dehydrated after three days in the desert, and our fingers brushed. “Sorry,” he blurted immediately, his cheeks turning pink.
“It’s fine,” I replied, internally chastising myself when Candy swung her gaze to me. “No harm, no foul, right?”
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he sipped the iced tea and went back to staring at the table. He was like a cat that thought it would become invisible if it didn’t move. What an idiot. Did he think that made him look chill?
“Let me know if you need anything,” I said to the table before swinging back to the bar. This day had been going okay. Not great but okay. Now, it felt as if I was on a train that was quickly running out of track. Oh, and the train was overflowing with zombies, to boot.
I managed to calm myself after a few minutes. It was fine. Candy likely hadn’t even noticed. Then the emotional engineer appeared at my side.
“Well, that was weird,” she said with a laugh.
My back was to her, so she couldn’t see me close my eyes. Why couldn’t she leave me alone? Despite the case of the cringes rocketing through me, I smiled as I glanced over my shoulder. “What was weird?”
She could’ve been nice and let me off the hook. Apparently, that wasn’t in her wheelhouse, however. “You and Ronan.”
I opted to play dumb. “What about us?”
“You accidentally brushed hands and acted like it was a big deal.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” I pursed my lips. “I don’t remember that happening.”
She shot me a sharp look. “You don’t?”
“No. Was I doing something else at the time?” I’d committed to this plan, so there was no stopping me now.
“You were delivering drinks to the blackjack table.”
“Weird.” I shrugged. “Whatever it was, I’m certain it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Uh-huh.” Candy wasn’t a pushover. She had one of those names that made me want to roll my eyes on principle, but she wasn’t easily distracted. “What’s your history with Ronan?” she asked.
Oh, just back off, lady. What does it matter what my history is with him?“We went to high school together,” I replied. I couldn’t lie to her. She would ask Zach, and the truth would come out because he would see no reason to lie. I needed to open up, even if I was vehemently opposed to it.
“Really?” Candy cocked her head. “I didn’t realize that.”
It took everything I had to keep my expression level. “We all went to high school together.”
