Page 6 of Four Money (Ever and Always 1)

“You’re very welcome.” Ford beamed at her as he still clasped Kari’s hand. If Trent glowered hearing that they’d taken care of her, then she mentally thanked them a second time. “It means a lot that you would take time away from your family, especially given the circumstances, which I’m very sorry to hear about, to share this evening with us.”

Holly bit her lip and nodded, coaching herself not to get emotional and screw up her makeup. Unlike Kari, she wouldn’t know how to fix it.

Glancing between Andi, Kari, and the men standing tall behind each of them, it was tough not to feel like some people had all the luck. If she had any, it was the bad kind.

Before she could let that bitterness fester, she shook it off and smiled at her friends. “Well, you two kept talking about how much you wanted to dance tonight. Don’t let me stifle your fun. I’ll still be here after you get reunited with your guys.”

“I see why you like her. She’s smart.” Brady tugged Kari toward the gleaming parquet floor where people were already swaying to the music in the diffused lighting, which allowed the glory of the Vegas sunset behind them to glow throughout the room, lending a gold cast to everything it touched.

“I’ll be back,” Kari called over her shoulder.

“Mind if we borrow Andi for a few minutes too?” Cooper asked Holly.

Andi tried to object, to explain that she didn’t want to abandon her guest, but while Holly appreciated her friend’s efforts, she wasn’t about to be the third—or fifth—wheel either. “Go ahead. I’ll scout out the food and let you know what’s good once you’ve worked up an appetite.”

Andi winked at her. “We’re only going to be dancing. For now.”

Trent and the other two guys left behind cracked up at that as her friends wandered off.

While they were distracted, Holly slipped away, making good on her promise. She’d been too excited to eat much of the gourmet appetizers offered at the spa. If she didn’t have something soon she was likely to pass out when she kicked off the only pair of designer heels she would ever likely own and joined her friends on the dance floor later.

As she neared the expansive window, she paused to take in the final moments of the sunset, snapping a photo and texting it to her mother with the captionjust one more... Tipping her face into the sunlight, she savored its warmth and beauty. She might have been alone in the sea of strangers, but how could she not appreciate splendor as intense as that?

Living there day in, day out, stuck in her tiny apartment with hardly any windows—and certainly none with a view like this—she had forgotten to look around for a while.

Andi and Kari had been right. There was more to life than the desperation and impotency she wallowed in daily. Tonight she was going to live it up and experience every bit of joy she could to hold her over when she returned to her duties, taking care of her mom.

Hell, maybe she’d change her mind and hook up with one of the rich dudes circling the room like extraordinarily well-dressed sharks. More than one cast her not-so-subtle glances that she caught in the reflection on the window.

When the sun disappeared behind the red mountains and the lights of the strip dancing like fallen stars took center stage, Holly pressed her hand to her rumbling stomach, then turned toward the nearest food station.

It wasn’t until she had already made eye contact—so she couldn’t politely bail—that she realized the placard describing the offerings that could be prepared personally for you by the probably-famous chef was written entirely in French.

Shit.

She should have known she would be too far out of her league to manage solo. She nibbled her lower lip, about to pick something at random—because, really, how bad could it be compared to the ramen noodles she usually existed on?—when someone came up behind her. Perfect. She could step aside and let them go first, under the guise of making up her mind. And if whatever they chose didn’t still have eyeballs or look like fried brains, she’d ask for the same.

Except when she turned to invite the other guest to go first, she realized it was Trent.

Damn it.Well, even engaging in small talk with him was better than making a complete fool of herself.

And if she was being honest, he didn’t make her drool any less than the aroma of the five-star cuisine awaiting them. He was tall, and his face had lost some of its youthful fullness, chiseling a sinfully handsome man from the attractive guy he’d been. His neon-blue eyes cut to hers and seemed to stare deeper than she was comfortable with.

“I didn’t get to say hello earlier,” he said, more gently than she would have thought possible from his crass and usually drunk days at university. Besides, he actually had even if she’d pretended not to hear. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you.” She tried not to be too clipped, but she hated the part of herself that reacted to his compliment like a dog whose ears perked up when someone rattled a treat bag. So what if she’d always wished he’d notice her before he’d shown her his true, dirty colors?

Those days were long gone.

“You want to go ahead? I’m not sure what I want yet.” She waved toward the menu.

Part of her chuckled, wondering how he was going to handle the situation. But her jaw dropped when he perused the list for a few moments then said, in what sounded like pretty perfect French to her,“Bonsoir. Je voudrais le foie gras de canard et l'antilope enveloppée de bacon, s'il vous plaît.”

“What the hell did you just say?” she hissed before she could think better of it.

When he caught her shocked expression, he glowered. “I’m not just a dumb frat boy.”

“Well, if you think not knowing French makes you stupid, then I guess I am.” She turned to go, suddenly not hungry anymore. Now she was ignorant as well as unworthy of younger-him’s notice.

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