The Basics: Monaco is a city-state on the French Riviera. It’s known for its casinos, wealthy people, royal family, and yachts.
Look, there’s Princess Alexandra! Just kidding. You’re not going to see any royals up close. And you probably don’t know who Princess Alexandra is anyway.
Two hours later, our entire crew is on the train. Me, Jackson, Matt, Leela, Kat, Lachlan, Sienna, Gabriel, Eli, and Yosef.
“We can act like we’re alone,” Jackson says. “We’ll just pretend they’re an annoying family of eight.”
Kat and Eli are playing cards, and Leela is giving Yosef a shoulder massage. Matt is talking to Gabriel and pretending not to notice that Leela is giving Yosef a shoulder massage. Leela is clearly trying to rub in the fact that she has two hot guys into her and that she and Matt are over. At least she doesn’t seem too upset that he’s coming along. Or that Jackson and I are getting together again.
When the train pulls up to the station, we all cheer.
We are all dressed to impress. The casino we’re going to has a no shorts and no flip-flops rule. The guys are wearing pants, button-downs, and their dressiest shoes, and the girls are all wearing dresses and our prettiest sandals. I’m wearing Kat’s navy tube dress again. We all brought our passports too, since Monaco is technically another country, but we didn’t need to show them on the train.
When we finally get to the Monte Carlo Casino, we’re all speechless.
“It’s gorgeous,” Leela says.
“Huge,” says Matt.
It looks like a golden castle.
“I think I’m in heaven,” Eli says, admiring the line of expensive cars in the long driveway. “Look at that Aston Martin. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m totally going to tell Sam you said that,” Kat jokes, poking him on the shoulder.
“Second most beautiful,” he clarifies.
Still speaking in hushed, reverent tones, we step into the atrium.
“It’s like a church!” Kat exclaims.
The floor is white marble and the walls look like they’re made of gold. There are columns everywhere, and chandeliers, and the ceilings are sky-high.
We each pay the ten-euro entrance fee and head inside.
We enter what’s called the Salle Renaissance.
Sienna jumps up and down. “Pokies! I love pokies.” She’s pointing to the slot machines.
“I’m finding the poker table,” Eli says.
“I want to play roulette,” Kat says.
Lachlan looks at his phone. “Okay, guys, it’s two p.m. Let’s all meet here at seven.”
“Seven? You’re going to gamble for five hours?” Sienna asks, incredulous.
“I want to get my ten euros’ worth!”
“I read about a place called Brasserie M,” I say. “It’s on the harbor. Should we meet there?”
Everyone agrees.
“But my phone won’t work if you can’t find it,” I say. “I don’t want anyone getting lost.”
“Don’t worry,” Jackson says, taking my hand. “They’ll find it. Or they can text me.”
“Okay,” I say gratefully. “What do you want to do?”
He tilts his head to the side. “How do you feel about roulette?”
Tip: Monaco is one of the richest places in the world. If you’re lucky, it could rub off on you!
But it probably won’t.
After Jackson and I buy ten euros’ worth of chips each, I’ve pretty much used up all sixty of my euros for today. I will have to dig into tomorrow’s budget for dinner. Or maybe I can win some money at this place? That would be nice.
We go upstairs to the Salle Blanche, which is gorgeous. Satin drapes adorn the walls, and gold chandeliers hang over the roulette tables.
“Let’s go outside,” Jackson says, and we go onto the terrace. The floor is marble even outside, there are still chandeliers, and there’s a never-ending view of the harbor, palm trees, and blue water.
“Wanna play?” Jackson asks, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Are you usually lucky?” I ask.
He kisses the side of my neck. “I’d like to get lucky.”
“Focus, Jackson, focus.”
“It’s hard. You are seriously hot right now. Have you seen what you look like in that dress?” His hands run along my bare shoulders, sending shivers down my spine.
I turn around and press myself against his body. I can feel every part of him despite our clothes. I wrap my arms around his neck and our eyes lock.
“Hi,” he says.
“Hi.”
“I think we’re supposed to play roulette now,” I say, my breathing heavy. “Isn’t that why we’re here?”
“I’m here to watch you in that dress. And to watch you take it off later.”
“One step at a time. C’mon. Let’s go, I’ve never done this before.”
“You’ve never done what before?” he asks, pressing against me even harder. “Gotten frisky in public?”
“I’ve never played roulette before,” I correct him. “Have you?”
“No,” he says, leading me toward one of the tables. “But I’ve seen enough James Bond movies to figure it out. Do you have a lucky number?”
“No,” I say.
“Then let’s bet on two.”
“Why two?” I ask.
“The day we met. July second.”
My heart melts. “You remember when we met?”
“Of course. Baggage reclaim at Heathrow. Feels lucky to me.”
“Let’s do it,” I say. “What are the odds?”
“Thirty-five to one.”
“So if we bet five euros, we make a hundred and seventy-five euros?”
He raises an eyebrow. “That was quick.”
“I’m good at math,” I say. “And if we bet two chips—ten euros—that’s three hundred and fifty euros.”
“And if we bet all four chips?”
“That’s seven hundred euros,” I say.
He leans over and whispers into my ear. “We could get a room at the Ritz.”
“Or fund the next week,” I say, turning toward him.
“Let’s do it,” he says slowly, watching me. “Let’s go all in.”
I’m suddenly not sure if we’re just talking about the bet. “Yeah?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
I place all four chips on the black two. My heart races. Imagine if we win? I know the odds are against us, but it could happen. We could get lucky.
With the bet.
With us.
I bite my lip. If we win, maybe it’s a sign that this isn’t just a summer fling. That what we have is real. Is it possible? Could we be real?
The dealer spins.
It goes around . . . and around . . . and around . . . it’s slowing down. It’s getting close. It’s on the two. It’s on the two!
And it rolls past the two and onto red twenty-five.
The dealer takes away all four of our chips.
My heart sinks. We didn’t win. We’re not lucky.
Jackson sighs. “It was a long shot. But I thought maybe we had it.”
“We’re out of chips,” I say. I feel a lump in my throat. What did I expect? That we were going to hit the jackpot, get rich, and stay together forever?
“I hate roulette,” Jackson says.
“Me too,” I say. “At least we only lost ten euros each.”
“Why don’t we walk around Monaco,” he says, running his thumb down my arm. “Explore. Find a secret spot. Pretend we have a room at the Ritz.”
“Okay,” I say, and take his hand. “Let’s go. It’s almost four.”
Suddenly, I don’t want to waste a second.
“How’d you do?” I ask Sienna and Gabriel when they sit down at our table at Brasserie M.
Jackson and I play footsie under the table.
“Up two cocktails,” she says. “Purchased by a dashing Persian man before Gabriel showed up and scared him off.”
“Sorry,” he says. “I tried to tell them I was your brother. I wouldn’t have bothered you, but I was down thirty euros and needed some cash.”
“You?” I ask Lachlan.
“Even,” he says.
“I’m down twenty euros,” Leela says. “But Matt’s down fifty, so I win. Where are Eli and Yosef?”
“I hope they didn’t get lost. This place wasn’t that hard to find, was it? Did you check your messages?” I ask Jackson. “Can they not find us?”
“Don’t worry about them,” Kat says. “Eli is on a lucky streak. I think he’s still at the casino with Yosef, although Yosef is just cheering him on.”
“He doesn’t seem like much of a cheerer,” I say. “He’s kind of subdued.”
Kat laughs. “Oh, he’s cheering. Eli was up a thousand euros. We might not see them tonight.”
Wow. Now that’s lucky.
Jackson and I order the Nicoise salad and chicken paillard to share. Leela has a Caesar salad and a pizza. Kat orders fois de veau, which she tells me is calf’s liver.
I can’t help but make a face.
Halfway through the meal, Eli and Yosef show up, with wide Cheshire cat smiles on their faces.
“Good news?” Jackson asks.
They nod, eyes wide.
“How good?”
Eli pulls out a wad of colorful bills. “I won four thousand euros.”
We shriek.
“You did?” Leela cries.
He nods.
“That’s insane,” I say.
“Congrats!” we all cheer.
Kat gives him a high five.
“Mazel tov!” I call out.
“I hope you know what this means,” Eli says.
“What?” Kat asks.
He drops a pile of colored money on the blue tablecloth. “Dinner’s on me.”
A cheese plate, two chocolate mousses, two soufflés, three tiramisus, and four bottles of Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial champagne later, Eli pays the bill with a flourish and we shuffle onto the beach.
“Let’s take a picture,” Kat says.
“I will take it,” Yosef says.
“No way,” says Leela. “I want you to be in it. We all have to be in it.”
“Excuse me,” Kat says to a passing couple. “Will you take a picture for us?”
“Bien sûr,” the man says, and takes her phone.
“I want it too!”
“So do I!”
“Let me give you my phone!”
“I’ll send it to everyone,” Kat says.
We stand against the railing and scrunch together.
“Make sure to get some of the yachts in the shot,” Leela instructs.
“Maybe I should rent a yacht,” Eli says.
“You didn’t win that much money.”
“No kidding. That dinner cost me half of it.”
Leela stands between Yosef and Lachlan, and puts her arms around both of them. Sienna puts her arm around Gabriel, and Eli puts his arm around Kat. Matt stands beside Jackson.
Jackson pulls me into him, his chin resting against the top of my head. My body fits into his perfectly.
“Un! Deux! Trois!” the man says.
“Take a few,” Kat says. “Like ten.”
Snap. Snap. Snap. “C’est bon.”
“Thank you!” she says, and we all disband.
Jackson takes my hand.
“The next train leaves in fifteen minutes,” Sienna says.
“Let’s go back,” Leela says.
“You guys can sleep in my room again,” Kat tells me.
Leela opens her mouth to say something, but then seems to change her mind. She smiles at me instead.
“Who wants to go skinny dipping?” Lachlan calls out.
“Again?”
“Again!”
Jackson and I hold hands the whole way home. Kat sends the picture to all of us, and those of us who have accounts and Wi-Fi post it online. Even Matt posts it. Hashtags include #monaco #rivieradreams #noregrets and #strikingitrich.