All In (Casino Nights #2) Read Online Free Page B

that.”
    Not long after the dinner clean-up was complete, and she was sitting beside Remy on his patio watching the sun set. She had a cold beer in one hand, and her feet were draped across his long legs. “This is nice.” She sighed contentedly.
    “My neighbors either don’t stay in their places much, or they never come outside. So, it’s quiet back here. I like to sit and have a beer to unwind.” He ran his hand down her smooth leg.
    “About a year ago, I realized that I went days without ever stepping outside,” she confided as she let her head rest against the back of the loveseat.
    “In the summer, I don’t blame you one bit.” He continued stroking her leg.
    “True, but I’ve let a lot of life pass me by. Now, I try to make time to go out for a walk after dinner. Sometimes, I make Hadley or one of the others go with me. We usually end up discussing business, but at least I’m getting fresh air.”
    He arched an eyebrow. “Babe, air on the Strip isn’t exactly fresh.”
    “After I got back from my first trip to meet my mother’s family, I considered buying property around Brownstown. A little place to get away, but realistically it’s too far to travel.” She had loved the lush green grass and the velvety night sky in the rural farmland.
    “You could get a place outside of your city. A guy I know from college has a fantastic spread out in the middle of nowhere. It’s two hours away from the Strip, but it feels like he’s miles away from anything.”
    “I’ve thought about a vacation home. If I had one, then maybe I’d take time off and go there.” She knew it was never going to happen, but at least she’d finally accepted she needed to get away from The Red Rose every now and then.
    “You could buy a house and move out of the tower,” he said it quietly.
    She gave a rueful smile. “I moved into the tower when I separated from my ex. It was supposed to be temporary, just until we got divorced. My plan was to move out once everything was over. Then I was working so much, and it was so handy to take the elevator upstairs, that I never left.”
    “So, what’s stopping you now?”
    “All of the time it takes to go look at properties, and then you have to deal with the closing bullshit. I’d have to hire someone to decorate because I don’t have any decent furniture, and I suck at that anyway. I’d have to find somebody to deal with the yard. And then with all of the hours I’m putting in, would I even be there?” She sounded pathetic to her own ears. She had no life and no home, and she wasn’t sure how to change it.
    He squeezed her knee. “You are your own boss, Frankie. You want more time for yourself. Make it happen.”
    She kept silent and sipped her beer while watching the sun fade. She would never say the words aloud, but she knew the main reason that she hadn’t bought a house was that she wanted it to be a home. One she shared with her man and maybe a kid or two. But she had enough trouble trying to fit a boyfriend into her life. How would she ever manage a family? “I blocked out time to go with you to Denver next month.” That came out sounding defensive. She frowned.
    He grunted. “Glad to hear it. I want you to meet some of my friends, and for them to meet you.”
    She gave him a smile, glad he’d let her divert from the conversation about her lack of movement on finding her own place. Besides, she was looking forward to the trip. She’d called her personal shopper who’d found a gorgeous dress to wear to the party.
    “I just hope that nothing comes up so you have to cancel the trip.”
    She stiffened. That had sounded like an accusation. Alarms sounded in her head. Was he saying that she had better not cancel on him? She started to reply with a multitude of explanations about what could come up at work, but she paused and thought about it a moment longer. What was he really saying?
    Realization tingled through her. Inviting her to meet his friends wasn’t a