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Fifteen minutes later we were wandering into the casino. “Pick your poison, gentlemen.” I made a swooping motion with my arm to encompass the room. Slots?”
Harry laughed. “There’s no skill in that. Pure luck.”
“Craps?” I pointed to a couple of tables with players to our right.
Drew sighed. “I suck at dice. You know this.”
I grinned. “This may be why I suggested it.”
“So, your plan to improve my mood is to have me lose money? Brilliant.” Drew rolled his eyes.
“Dude, you have more money to lose.” Harry winked.
The way they stared at each other, I felt like I needed to intercede. “Well, then we should try our hands at Blackjack.” Then without waiting for them to respond, I walked to the nearest open table.
A lovely young woman with her hair pulled into a dark bun stood solemnly while waiting for us to get seated. I glanced at her nametag. “Hello, Talia. Did I pronounce it correctly?”
“Yes.” She nodded and began to deal the cards.
We’d done this so many times before, we fell into a routine, while Drew continued to fall into a funk. “You’re such a killjoy,” I grumbled. “Let it go. Have some fun.”
He shook his head morosely. “I look around. There are all these couples. See.” He pointed to other tables, to people walking around. “Couple. Couple. Couple of lesbians. Old couple.”
“Not everyone. Look at us, three handsome, virile, single guys.” I smiled.
“Yeah. I’ll always have you, but I want more. I want to get married.” He frowned.
Harry looked aghast. “Since when?”
I rolled my eyes. “Since the funeral today.”
“Whoa. That long.” Harry jabbed Drew in the shoulder. “What’s the rush?”
“We’re thirty.” Drew mourned. “I asked my uncle a few months before he passed why he never married.”
“Dear God,” Harry muttered under his breath.
“And?” I was barely paying attention. I had a ten of hearts and a Queen of spades. My focus was on my hand.
“He told me he missed his window.” Drew rubbed the back of his neck. “It made perfect sense. There really is a window. A point where you really get too old to share your life with anyone. A time when anyone you’d be interested in is already taken. I feel like…my window is closing.” A waitress stopped beside us to see if we wanted anything.
“Coke for me, please.” I nodded seriously. I rarely drank while gambling. I needed to concentrate. This was why I usually won. So far, my friends had yet to pick up on this.
“Make mine a Crown and coke.” Harry ordered.
With a sigh, Drew averted his eyes. “Scotch on the rocks.”
I rubbed my forehead. He’d spend the bulk of Sunday recovering. I had no idea why he thought any of this was fun. A thought occurred to me and I brightened. “I bet you can’t go the rest of the trip without drinking.” The guys were rarely able to pass up bets. This one might save him some anguish.
“Fuck, Ty. Why not make a bet I at least have a shot at winning?” Drew groaned.
“Yeah. Why not make a marriage bet? I’m sure Drew would have that in the bag.” Harry chuckled.
As I watched, however, Drew completely perked up. “What kind of marriage bet?”
My eyes widened. “Yeah, Harry. What are the parameters of this bet?” Despite my competitive nature, I might not mind losing a bet if it would cheer up one of my oldest and dearest friends. He was seriously bringing us down.
Harry tugged at his chin. “I was joking. I didn’t think you’d take it seriously.”
