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We were leaving.
Roxy peeled into the driveway less than ten minutes later. I’d bet everything I’ve ever owned that she blew through every red light on her way over.
She greeted Willow the same as always, hiding the worry in her eyes behind a brilliant smile. “Hey, pretty lady! Wanna have a girls’ night? I got pizza and ice cream and three kinds of soda!”
“Yeah!” Still puffy-eyed, Willow practically threw herself into Roxy’s SUV.
I’d usually scold my best friend for poisoning my child with junk food, but not tonight. Willow needed to forget what we just went through, and Roxy knew exactly how to make that happen. She’s been making it happen for me since we were kids.
“You okay?” Roxy lowered her voice as she glanced around for my bags. “You should call in. Pack your things and come with us.”
I shook my head. “I need the money. I know Martin wasn’t holding his end well, but it was still more than I can do on my own. Plus… I could use the distraction. The normalcy.”
“Right.”
Reluctant as she was, Roxy respected my decision to go to work as if everything was normal. I made sure to grab the old, dented coffee can Martin never paid attention to before I locked up the house and tucked it under my arm as we made our way to the SUV.
She cocked a brow at my choice of luggage. “Isn’t that a bit small for a weekender bag?”
I managed a genuine, albeit small, laugh. “It’s enough tobuyme a weekender bag.”
Her eyes widened when I opened the lid once we were safely buckled inside her car. “Holy freaking shit.”
“Language!” Willow scolded from her booster in the backseat.
Roxy snorted. “Sorry, Wills. But really, Clara… what…?”
I shrugged and pulled a few bills from the thick wad nestled inside the can. “I may have only told Martin about…halfof my tips.”
Which is how I ended up walking The Strip to work in a sexy cocktail dress with almost every penny I had tucked inside my strapless bra.
I left the rest with Roxy in case she needed anything for Willow, despite her protests and reassurances that there’s no way a tiny girl could rack up a huge pizza bill. I knew that, but what I didn’t know was how Martin would react when he returned home to find it empty. I left my car there, my things there, but it wouldn’t take long for him to figure out we were gone.
And if anything happens to me, I need to know Willow is going to be okay.
Which brought me to the front of the casino.
I’ve walked past The Meridian a dozen times since taking on this second night job, but this was the first time I’d ever paused to actually look at it. I don’t know why I did this time. Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was foolishness.
Maybe it was simply because the golden lights matched my dress.
The Meridian Casino & Hotel is one of those places that makes it clear that it caters to an elite clientele—crystal chandeliers, marble balustrades, and amber lights enveloping every square inch of Strip-facing architecture in a way that manages to pull you in without blinding you. It’s open to anyone who wants to try their luck at the slots and tables, but I’ve always dismissed it as one of those places a peasant like me would never be able to afford to even breathe in.
Nothing had changed about my financial situation, that was certain.
What changed was the fact that I literally had nothing to lose.
A handsome executive in a sharply tailored tuxedo stepped out of a car behind me, nearly clipping me with his door. He didn’t seem to notice—he certainly didn’t bother apologizing—but he was very attentive to the gorgeous woman who draped herself on his arm the second she slid out of the vehicle. They looked like celebrities walking the red carpet as they made their way into the casino.
Something tugged me in their slipstream, down that same rich carpet leading to the front doors of The Meridian. I watched the couple nod to the attendants who scurried to open the doors for them.
And as I watched, something in my heart ached.
I’ve never desired wealth or status, but in that moment, I wanted so much for a taste of that world. Just a taste.
And tonight, I could afford it, because I had nothing to lose.
I quickly changed from my flats to my heels and tried my best to make my bag look like it was part of my ensemble. The attendants smiled, nodded, greeted me with “good evenings,” and opened the doors for me just as they had for the couple before me.
