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“And you’ve been happy ever since then? Truly?”
“By the time I got my shit together and proposed properly, yes. Though it was a bit of a tough road for a few days. She was really skeptical it was going to last us for life. I had to do a little convincing.”
“I can imagineyoutrying to convinceher. I didn’t think you’d ever marry. I didn’t think I ever would, either.” Beau realized how that sounded and corrected himself. “I mean, Idon’tthink I ever will.”
Aden, however, jumped on the comment. “Oh no, you’re not going to get away with that one. I already knew something was up when you asked about Brooke being the right one. You didn’t even ask that when I told you we'd gotten married! What’s going on? Who is she?”
Beau was caught and figured he might as well get his friend’s advice. He sighed. “The she, is Alessandra Caro, but I don’t know what I feel.”
Aden’s face registered recognition. “Alessandra Caro? As in Brian Caro’s daughter? Didn’t you date her at one point? Wait. Is she the one you got fired? Didn’t she end up getting back on her feet as a hotel vice president somewhere?”
“She’s the one I dated, yes. And also, the one who was fired. Now she’s the CEO at The Benson.”
Aden whistled. “Wow. She’s forgiven you, then? What an impressive job she has now. You have a thing for the woman in charge of The Benson. Interesting. Nothing like aiming high, Beau.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure she’s forgiven me. And the thing between us… it’s not about her job. I mean, it kind of is, or it might be. She’s been very, shall we say… attentive.”
“Is that what they call it these days?Attentive?” Aden’s eyebrows lifted in a sardonic smile.
“Yes. Let’s call it attentive. But I don’t know if her ‘attentiveness’ is just because she wants me to gamble, or if it’s something more.” Beau was embarrassed with how needy the comment sounded coming from his mouth.
Aden rolled his eyes, and Beau got ready to be the butt of a joke. Instead, Aden said, “The fact you’re even worried about her motivation means Alessandra is unique. You’ve never given a second thought to any of your conquest’s reasons for fucking you. You want to know what I think? I seriously doubt a successful, smart woman like Alessandra Caro would basically, as you say it, prostitute herself out just to get you to gamble. First, she’s what, in her thirties? Forties? Do you actually think this is the way she gets gamblers to her resorts? I think we would have heard about that if it were true. Second, no one needs to fuck you to get you to spend a shit-ton of money gambling. I assume you’ve been playing craps, which I’ve said repeatedly, you should quit dumping your money on.”
Aden made a good point. A woman of Alessandra’s age didn’t become so successful—and certainly didn’t remain so over time—simply by fucking high-rollers. It made Beau’s reluctance about her seem childish. “Jesus. You’re right, Aden. It’s just that she has this distance about her when we’re not—” Beau stopped himself. “When she’s not being ‘attentive.’ And that makes me question how she really feels. And I don’t even know exactly how I feel about her.”
“Again, Beau. I’ve never seen you spend two seconds wondering how you felt about a woman. Ever. Doesn’t that make you think she might be different?” Aden’s tone was patient, but persistent. “I think you need to haul your ass back to The Benson, quit worrying about what she feels, and talk to her. And for fuck’s sake, make damn sure you don’t just hop on a plane, go home, and try to forget about her like you did the last time. And like I did with Brooke.”
“You did? What happened?”
“It was a waste of a goddamn plane ticket, that’s what happened. After two miserable days, I got right back on that plane, flew to her hometown, went directly to the high school she was teaching at, and proposed to her in the middle of her second period senior English class.”
“You did that? You never told me!”
“Too embarrassed. It was one of those grand romantic gestures women, not men, tell each other about. The whole fucking school was watching. At least twenty students had started filming on their cell phones. I thought ‘Holy shit, this rejection’s going to go viral on social media!’ I wanted to crawl into a hole. But she said yes. She told me she never took risks like that, and she’d been telling herself for two days it was just a Vegas thing. Well guess what, Beau? Itwasa Vegas thing. And it was a fan-fucking-tastic Vegas thing. Now it’s your turn, my friend. Go get her.”
Alessandra went to visit her mom the morning after the tournament. Thursday was her normal day to visit, and Beau was off-property with his friend. Claire lived in a sprawling retirement community in the city of Henderson, only a twenty-minute drive away. Her house was situated at the top of a hill with a gorgeous view of the Strip. On the rare occasions when Alessandra managed an evening visit, she loved watching the sunset as the resort lights began to light up the sky.
She used to visit her mom over the weekend. However, the retirement community had so many activities going on that Claire’s social calendar was typically full those days. Tomorrow would be New Year’s Eve and, just like the resorts on the Strip, there would be plenty of parties throughout the community to celebrate.
“So, who’s the lucky guy taking you out to celebrate, Mom?” Alessandra asked. “Stan again?”
At sixty-five, Claire was one of the younger residents, and her smooth skin made her look even more youthful. There was a fairly low ratio of men to women in the community, but Claire never had a problem finding a man to accompany her to events. Her elegant, yet friendly demeanor only added to her desirability as a female companion. Despite plenty of opportunities, Claire never remarried after Brian’s death.
“More than one guy, actually.” Claire laughed. “There will be dinner and then a party at the clubhouse. Other than the married ones, no one is coupling up, though. We’re just going as a group instead. Maybe I’ll have five guys by the time the night is over.”
Alessandra detected something secretive in Claire’s voice. “Wait, so you’re not going with Stan? I thought you two were somewhat of an item?”
“You worry too much about my dating life. We should be more worried about yours. You haven’t had a boyfriend who lasted more than six months since when…? Ten years ago?”
“Don’t change the subject,” Alessandra asserted. “We’re talking about you. Did you two breakup?”
Claire rolled her eyes. “No, we did not breakup. There was no couple to breakup. We are just keeping it casual, that’s all.”
“He wanted to keep it casual, or you did?” Alessandra knew the answer before Claire spoke.
“Fine. It was me. He was getting too serious, wanting to come over all the time and pushing for us to establish something more formal. I started to worry he was just looking for someone with money to help support him.”
Exasperated, Alessandra said, “Mom, Stan Martinhope is an eight-figure millionaire. I hardly think he’s interested in you because of your money.”
