Page 50 of What Happens In Vegas
‘I don’t know. The whole reason I left home after high school was to get away from Dad and his “everything starts and ends with the company” mentality. I worked too hard to break out of that mold and be my own man.’
‘Dad’s notin charge anymore. I am. You’ve proven you can make it on your own, without the family fortune, so now you’re just being a stubborn dick. Come back. Work with me. You’dstill have to do some traveling, but there’s no reason you can’t base out of Canada.’
Quinn found himself considering it. Something he never imagined he’d ever do. Give up his hard-won independence? Go back to the life he’d runfar and fast from years ago? Or should he think of it like building a new life, one with Bonni in it? Just forty-eight hours and he was considering making these major changes. It was terrifying.
‘Are you seeing her tonight?’ Landon asked.
‘We were supposed to have dinner at seven but she texted me to push it back. Plans with her friends. I texted her back but she hasn’t answered me.’
Landonnodded and indicated to the bartender that they’d need another round. ‘Her friends are a lot of fun,’ Landon told him.
‘To be honest, I really haven’t spent a lot of time with them. Been really focusing on Bonni.’
‘They must have been a wild group in their college days, because they really know how to party now.’ There was something in Landon’s tone that made Quinn look sharply at his brother.
‘You asshole, you slept with one of them, didn’t you?’
Landon took a sip of his beer and didn’t meet Quinn’s gaze.
‘Those are Bonni’s friends! How am I supposed to face her when my dickwad of a brother breaks one of her best friends’ heart?’ Quinn’s voice cut through the noise of the bar, causing a few heads to turn in their direction.
Landon pivoted on his stool. ‘First off, if I did engagein sexual activity with one of those ladies, rest assured it was consensual and she knew the score. Second, if you weren’t thinking long term with Bonni, why would it matter if I messed around with one of her friends?’ he said, a knowing tone in his voice.
Quinnshook his head and focused on his beer. ‘You aresuchan asshole.’ No way would he tell Landon he was right.
Landon picked up his beerand held it out to his brother. ‘Here’s to women who are worth changing for.’
Quinn looked at his brother and Landon waggled the bottle, waiting. Would he really do it? Would he give up traveling to foreign countries, give up the thrill of living on the turn of a card? For Bonni? Knowing the answer, deep in his gut, he tapped his bottle against Landon’s. ‘I’m not saying I’m taking the job, butthe benefits package better be damn attractive.’
‘Oh my God, persnickety, as Mom would say. It’s just like when we were kids and you couldn’t eat dinner if any of your foods were touching.’
‘You’re such a ball sack.’ Calling him a name from their childhood.
For Bonni, it’d be worth it. And, hopefully, she felt the same way.
