Page 88 of Don't Bet On It
“Okay,” she said in her blandest voice.
Some of the pressure that had taken hold in my chest, which just so happened to coincide with her appearance, lessened. “I’m heading out to Coach’s Place.” Why I felt the need to volunteer that information was beyond me.
She offered a haphazard wave. “Have fun.”
I considered telling her I was meeting Zach and Rex but didn’t. That might come across as a threat. Kyla’s attitude with me was never great but wasn’t downright hostile and aggressive, like it was with Tallulah. My goal was to keep the status quo going.
“Thanks.” I fought every urge to look over my shoulder so I could catch one final glimpse of Tallulah. That would be a mistake. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Whatever.” She wasn’t even looking at me.
Let it go, moron, I admonished myself.If you keep talking, she is going to focus her attention on you.That won’t be good. Not for anybody.
With that, even though my tongue wanted to offer up one more unnecessary sentence, I turned my back to her and headedtoward Coach’s Place. She’s not acting weird, I reiterated to myself.You are.
Still, right there on the surface and not buried deep, I wasn’t so certain. Kyla wasn’t to be trusted. I’d seen that firsthand myself. I had to be careful. Very, very careful.
I DIDN’T WAIT LONG UPON JOININGZach and Rex to unburden my heart.
“I think I’m falling in love with Tallulah,” I blurted out before taking a huge swig of the beer they’d ordered. It was an expensive microbrew that I wouldn’t have normally ordered for myself. Zach wanted honest opinions on the beer selections, however, so we were expected to sample multiple flavors and give him our reviews.
Rather than respond with exclamations or pearl clutching—metaphorically, of course—Zach leaned back in his chair and sent Rex a smug look. “I told you so!” He enthusiastically jabbed his finger in his best friend’s direction.
For his part, Rex was sulky. “Oh, man,” he lamented, leaning his head back and pinching his nose. “Couldn’t you have buried your feelings for at least another month? I owe him fifty bucks.”
I was flummoxed. “Why aren’t you surprised?”
Zach sipped his beer and wrinkled his nose. “Do you guys actually like the pear-infused one, or is it too sweet?”
I ignored the question. “I’m being serious. We’ve been very careful.”
“Oh, you’re so cute sometimes I just want to dress you in a onesie and stick a pacifier in your mouth.” Rex poked my cheek—it was one of his annoying little habits—and grinned like a loon. “Everybody knows about the two of you.”
That couldn’t be right. “But … we’ve kept it secret.” Something occurred to me. “Wait. Tallulah said she hadn’t toldOlivia and was feeling guilty about it. Did she break and tell Olivia?” I didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, I didn’t want to encourage Tallulah to lie to her best friend. On the other, her lying to me wasn’t high on my happy list either.
“She didn’t tell Livvie,” Zach assured me. The way he smiled suggested that he found this whole thing amusing to thenth degree. “Trust me. Livvie has been stewing about it. If Tallulah had finally owned up to what was going on, I would know about it.”
I frowned as I ran what he’d said through my head. “Are you saying Livvie knows too?”
“Of course she knows. Are you kidding me right now?”
How could he be frustrated with me? “We didn’t tell anybody.”
“Oh, good grief.” Rex made a snorting noise. “You might not have said it with your mouth, but you said it with your eyes.”
“I’m not following you.”
“You and Tallulah can’t keep your eyes off each other,” Rex replied. “You might think you’re being sly, but you’re acting like high schoolers getting laid for the first time. The smiles are sloppy.”
Well, that was… I didn’t even know how to feel about it. “We don’t do anything on the grounds,” I said, turning my pleading eyes to Zach. “If you’re going to fire somebody, make sure it’s me and not her.”
Confusion had Zach’s eyebrows on a collision course toward one another. “Um, why would I fire someone?”
“Because there’s a no-fraternization rule.”
Zach burst out laughing then caught himself when my frown only deepened. “There’s also a rule about how many inches of cleavage is appropriate to show on the casino floor. It’s a rule from thirty years ago. Do you think that rule is enforced?”
“No, but … this is different. This could actually hurt the casino.”
