“Fine,” she said to James. “I’ll admit it. I’m looking forward to spending time with him, and he’ll be here shortly. Wish me luck.”
She grabbed her purse, the one she could clip to her belt, and then texted Matthew that she’d meet him downstairs.
“I don’t mind coming to the door to get you,” he wrote back.
But she was too nervous to stand and wait for the knock. “I’m on my way downstairs already,” she replied. She had to stop and make herself slow down.
She pressed the elevator button and silently counted the chimes as she descended each floor from fourteen to the first.
When the elevator doors opened, she bolted forward, running smack dab into Matthew.
“I’m so sorry. I thought you’d still be parking.”
“I got a spot right out front. You look great. Love the boots.” He grabbed her hand and twirled her. “Oh yeah. This is going to be a fun night.”
“And are you sure you don’t have a magic phone booth somewhere? From body paint rainstorm zombie man, to artist, then the whole black-tie thing, which you carried off very nicely, I might add. And now you look just as comfortable in a pair of Wranglers—and are those ostrich boots?”
“They are, thank you for noticing.” He tapped his toe back and forth. “They’re so comfortable.”
“Hey, that’s a UVA ring.” She’d noticed the ring on his right hand. “I went there too.”
He lifted his hand. “This was my dad’s. It’s one of the top architecture schools. I figured the ring would cover the diamond part, so you didn’t have to carry all the weight on bling, although you’re doing pretty well.”
He held the car door for her and pulled away from the curb.
They made small talk on the ride over to the venue. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”
“Me too. I’m glad you were able to come. I hope it’s fun. You never know with these fundraisers.”
“We’ll make the best of it. I can think of a lot worse things to have to attend. A rubber chicken dinner award ceremony for example.”
“True, and I’ve been to my share of those.” She rolled her eyes.
They parked and followed a crowd of others dressed in blingy western wear inside.
The Chamber of Commerce Casino Night was well attended. With it being standing room only, the noisy games and winning cheers made it hard to talk. Waiters carried hors d’oeuvre trays high over their heads, trying to navigate the crowd.
“I’ll grab us something to drink. What would you like?”
“Water with lemon will do.”
“Got it.” He left her next to the craps table.
When Matthew came back with their drinks, she was still standing, staring at the enthusiastic action at the table. “Ready to give it a go?”
She gave him a bewildered look. “Not at all. I have no idea how this works.”
“There’s a lot to it. Maybe we should stick to roulette.” He touched her elbow, and they walked across the room. “This will be way easier. We can play our favorite numbers. It’s for a good cause. Nothing to lose.”
“True.” They worked their way through the crowd to where they were selling the tickets. No cash was allowed at the tables. Blue tickets were the price of entry and the green tickets were the winning ones you turned in for prizes.
Matthew slid a hundred-dollar bill out of his wallet and bought a string of tickets, splitting them in two and giving her half. “Here we go.”
It was sweet of him to pony up for the tickets, since she’d actually invited him.
Three people had just stepped away from the roulette table. They wiggled into their places as the roulette ball went spinning around.
“No more bets,” the expressionless roulette guy announced.
