While Hank talked, she smiled to herself and quickly packed away her hair products and makeup, zipping them into a small purple bag. She walked into the bedroom, tucked the bag into her suitcase and sat on the edge of the bed.
Now she was packed and ready to go. Well, as ready as she could be. Two days alone with Mike would be either a misery or wonderful—and that would turn into misery later. The man wanted her, that was plain enough. But he didn’t want to want her and she had no idea how to get past that. Or even if she should try.
Jenny had spent a lifetime knowing that she wasn’t wanted. Heck, her own parents had walked away from her and never looked back. She was twelve when they decided they didn’t really want the burden of a child and were bored with being parents. They’d dropped her off with Hank, her mother’s older brother.
Hank was a widower who had buried himself in his company at his wife’s death. Barely home back then, he’d had to shift his entire life around to accommodate Jenny. And she’d known it. She’d tried to be as invisible as possible so that he, too, wouldn’t decide to walk away.
Even as a kid, Jenny had known that Hank didn’t really want her. Taking her in had simply been the right thing to do. But Hank had always been kind and supportive, and she was still grateful to him for so much.
“You’re not listening,” Hank said with a short laugh.
Caught, she said, “I’m sorry, Uncle Hank. My mind wandered.”
“That’s fine. I know you’re getting ready to leave.”
True. Mike would be arriving any minute. Well, there went the knots in her stomach, tightening viciously enough that it was hard to breathe.
“I’ll just remind you to be careful.”
“I will, promise.” Jenny glanced out the window, saw Mike’s car pulling up and said, “I’ve really gotta go.”
Her uncle hung up, still muttering direly. Jenny tucked her phone into her pocket, zipped her suitcase closed and told herself to relax. Not that she was listening, but she had to try. Outside, Mike stepped out of his car, looked at her apartment and for just a second, Jenny felt as if he were looking directly into her eyes. That was stupid of course, but it didn’t change the zip of heat that raced through her.
This was probably a mistake. Two days. Alone. With Mike Ryan.
No way this was going to end well.
Traveling with a gazillionaire was eye-opening.
Even at the small airport in Long Beach, people practically snapped to attention for Mike Ryan. Baggage handlers hurried to stow the overnight bags they both carried, then the pilot stepped out onto the stairway to welcome them aboard personally.
Once they’d boarded the private jet, Jenny curled up in a buttery-soft leather seat and sipped at the fresh coffee served by a friendly attendant. Mike concentrated on work, staring so hard at the screen of his tablet, Jenny was almost surprised he didn’t burn a hole through it. But left to herself, she watched the clouds and enjoyed the all-too-short flight.
In less than an hour, they were landing in Las Vegas. There again, people scrambled to make Mike’s life easier, smoother. A rental car was waiting for them and after forty minutes on a nearly empty highway flanked on either side by wide sweeps of desert, they were in Laughlin, Nevada.
Laughlin was sort of the more casual, fun, younger sister of Las Vegas. There were plenty of casino hotels, but there was also the Colorado River. In the summer, the town was booming with water-skiers and boaters and everyone looking for a good time on the water. Then the hot desert nights featured riverside dining or visits to the casinos where top-name acts performed on glittery stages.
Jenny had been there before, though the last time had been five years ago for a bachelorette party. Remembering, she smiled. That party was the reason she’d had condoms in her bedside drawer a week ago when Mike had shown up at her apartment. As a party favor, the condoms had seemed silly at the time, but now, Jenny could appreciate the gesture because without them, she wouldn’t have had that spectacular night.
The town had grown a lot in five years. There were new casinos springing up everywhere along with housing developments and shopping centers just out of sight of the big hotels.
In late January, the weather was cool and the river ran high and fast. Jenny stood on the shore and looked upstream toward the heart of the city where big hotels lined the Riverwalk—a wooden boardwalk that stretched the length of hotel row. At night, she knew, there were old-fashioned streetlights sending out a golden glow along the walk. There were restaurants and bars, where a couple could sit and talk and look out over the water.
The Ryans had made a good choice in building their hotel here. All in all, Jenny told herself, if she had a choice, she would come to Laughlin instead of Vegas. It was smaller, friendlier and offered a variety of things to do.