The negotiations had been conducted on the patio. I listened while soaking my feet in the pool and admiring the scenery. They seemed to go a little something like this:

Jay: My client wants to buy your house, furnished. He’ll pay the asking price. Cash deal. Quick close.

Seller’s agent: How quick?

Jay: He’d like to move in tomorrow.

Seller’s agent: He can move in tomorrow, but you know it’ll take a couple of days at least to get the paperwork finished. Get the money wired and we’ll let him move in as a renter. I’ll get the agreement drawn up.

Jay: Cool.

I cannot make this stuff up. Once again, I was reminded why my mother was so enamored with this life. Money moves mountains. Being reminded of my past made me more uncomfortable than I cared to admit. On the one hand, wow…easy life. On the other, the constant fear my mother lived with, always worrying it would all go away. Part of this is what killed her. The other part…was on me.

“You look deep in thought.” Harry squatted beside me and kissed my temple.

“Just enjoying the view. And the pool.” I sighed happily. “You’re going to love this house.”

With one finger, he lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. “You’re going to love it too. This place is ours.”

I pushed his finger out of the way and moved to stand. “For now,” I whispered. I knew how these things worked. I had no delusions. No matter how nice Harry seemed, no matter how different he appeared. At the end of the day, I would always remember where I stood in the scheme of things.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I’ll find other ways of convincing you. Ready for dinner?”

My stomach rumbled and I laid a hand over it. “I thought you’d never ask. Where do you want to go?”

“Um, let’s go eat at the hotel.” I shrugged.

“Wait. This is literally our last night of freedom in Vegas and you want to eat at the hotel?” Harry frowned. “I know we can do better than that.” He finger combed his beard.

“Oh, I’m sure we can, but after this I need to go back to my house and pack. Tomorrow we move in, right?” I grinned. My stomach wasn’t merely hungry. I battled nerves as well.

“I see your point. Let’s go eat. I’ll follow you to your house and help you get moved out.” He wrapped an arm around my waist. “You shouldn’t have to do all this alone. After all, you’re helping me. The least I can do is help you too.”

Soon he had me settled in the passenger seat of his car. Harry hopped into the driver’s side. For a while, we rode in companionable silence. Although he seemed perfectly content, I was racked with worry and doubt. This could go wrong so many ways. Alcoholics were wild cards. Sometimes, I could predict my mother’s behavior. Sometimes, she managed to shock me. I never saw the suicide coming. I’d never make that mistake again.

My shoulders heaved as I took a few deep, calming breaths. “Thank you. I appreciate your help.” Harry had no idea how much it took for me to accept his assistance. I was ridiculously independent.

As we neared the hotel, his phone rang. He peeked at the screen. “It’s Ty. I’ll call him back after we eat.”

“You can answer it, if you want. I don’t mind.” I smiled lazily.

“No way. This is our time. For once, I want us to enjoy a meal in a restaurant without interruptions. You wouldn’t think it’d be so hard.” He shook his head.

“Agreed.” I laughed.

“We’ve hit more than our fair share of road blocks.” Harry reached out and laid a hand on my thigh. Seconds later, his phone chimed and text messages flashed on his screen.

“Maybe you should’ve answered his call,” I teased. “Mr. George does not seem to take ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Never has, never will,” Harry grumbled. “Could you please read them to me?”

“Sure.” I shrugged, then reached for his phone in the cup holder. I touched the home button and his phone opened. “No passcode?”

“Eh, no secrets. No need. I live a pathetically boring life.”

“And yet the last couple of days would suggest otherwise,” I teased as I tapped on the icon for the text messages. “Oh, hell,” I muttered when the first few words jumped out at me.

“Out loud. What does it say?” Harry glanced at me impatiently.

“Drew snuck out of the hospital. They have no idea where he is. This is my paraphrase, obviously.” I sighed.

“Obviously.” He blew out a breath.

“They’d like you to meet them in the conference room while they try to figure out where to look for him.” I held his phone, poised to respond.

“And there goes dinner. Could you please tell them I’m on my way? Ten minutes and we should be there.” He rubbed his forehead. “Is there any way, any way at all, I can convince you to wait for me in the restaurant for fifteen minutes? I really want to help you. I really, really want to enjoy a quiet meal with you.”

“I think we’d stand a better shot in L.A. Maybe we should go back there,” I joked. I watched as his shoulders slumped and his spirits clearly fell. “Of course, I’ll wait for you. I’ll wait as long as you want, as long as I feel like I’m not in the way.”

“I’m sorry you’re having to deal with all this.” Harry’s frown deepened.

Without thinking, I reached out and ran a hand through his gorgeous strawberry blonde hair. “I’m not. Otherwise, we might not have met.”

We pulled up to the valet and stepped out. Together, we walked into the lobby. “I’ll see you soon,” I murmured as I pasted a smile on my face.

“I’ll go with you, help you get seated.” Harry wrapped an arm around my waist.

“Dude, I am perfectly capable of finding a table. Go on,” I urged.

“Dude, huh?” He smirked. “Note to self: don’t infringe on Laney’s independence.”

I grinned. “You get me.”

He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine for a hint of a second. “I try. I want to.” Then Harry waved and bolted for the elevator.

As casually as possible, I wandered toward the restaurant, then I heard a commotion in the casino and decided to check it out. A man seemed to be causing a scene at a blackjack table. When I managed to pick my way through the crowd, I discovered it was Drew, of course.

“I want to play at this table,” he complained drunkenly. “Tabby is my good luck charm.”

“It’s Talia,” she grumbled. “Sorry. This table is full.”

“You don’t look sorry, Tawny. You look sour.” He chuckled at his own joke.

Security was making their way toward him and I knew I needed to intercede before he ended up in jail and rehab. I shook my head, hoping to allay all the old fears, which were ready to surface.

“Hey, Drew,” I cooed as I pushed through the last few people separating me from him.

He whipped around and looked at me. Recognition lit up his face. “Jenna! So good to see you. Come play with me.”

I shook my head. “The table is full. Why don’t you come with me?”

“Nah,” Drew grumbled. “I’m in Vegas. I want to play.”

I popped my hip out seductively. “Are you sure you don’t want to buy a girl a drink?” Security stood a few feet behind him, but I shook my head and waved them back. Talia, the dealer, managed to keep their attention too.

Drew eyed me for a moment. “A drink. Sure.” He moved closer and threw an arm over my shoulder as I turned to move him out of the casino. This was a ridiculous time for me to realize I didn’t have Harry’s phone number. “Jenna is an awesome name,” Drew slurred as we stumbled away.

“Well, it’s a bastardization of my last name, but I’m really glad you like it.” Years of taking care of my mother had taught me how to indulge drunks and make them pliable instead of explosive. “My name’s Laney.”

“That’s not what you told me the first time we met, Jenna.” He wagged a finger in my face. “I think you’re trying to pull one over on me. Good luck with that. I’m not drunk.”

We wandered through the lobby, and the bell boy came rushing over when he saw me supporting all of Drew’s weight the best I could. “Let’s get you to a seat, sir.” He motioned me to a cushioned bench in an alcove. “I think you’ll be more comfortable here.”

Drew shook his head even as he crumbled onto the settee. “No. I promised Jenna a drink. I’m a man of my word.”

The bell boy looked at me helplessly. I shook my head. “Can you call upstairs and let Miss Summers and Mr. George know their friend, Drew, is downstairs with Miss Jenner?” I spoke in a low voice, hoping to avoid alarming Drew.

“Jenna, I don’t feel well.” He held his head.

Though I’d been standing in front of him in case he fell forward like before, I now moved to sit beside him and hold him up that way. I’d learned my lesson. “Is this better?” I rubbed his back.

“A little.” He burped and I nearly choked on the fumes.

“Did you drink here?” I knew the accuracy of drunken responses was questionable at best, but I really wanted to make conversation, distract him while we waited on everyone to come downstairs.

“Here. And several other places.” He looked at me and grinned.

Obviously, the bell boy had called immediately and they’d wasted no time in responding. Seconds later, I saw Harry, Kate, and Mr. George rushing toward us. Unfortunately, Drew spotted them too.

“Oh, no. Killjoy alert. Let’s make like a dick and head.” He struggled to stand. “Whoa. Woozy.” He sank down on the settee hard.

“There you are. Do you have any idea the trouble you’ve caused?” Mr. George scowled. “You can’t run away from a hospital. You’re there for a reason.”

Drew glared. “Because you sent me there. That’s the reason.” He looked at me. “Come on, Jenna. Let’s go. You drive.”

“I think you need to listen to your friends,” I murmured gently.

“But I promised you a drink,” he whined.

I nodded. “Some other time.”

Mr. George held out a hand. “Let’s go, Drew.”

“Don’t let them take me, Jenna!” he wailed. Then he whipped around to look at me.

This time, I knew what to expect. I had no excuse, other than being distracted by Harry. He had moved closer to me, and stared at me with such affection, it nearly knocked the air from my lungs. “Hi,” I whispered, shyly.

“Have I mentioned how beautiful you are today?” Harry reached out and smoothed my hair back.

A second later, Drew belched and this time it wasn’t just fumes. This time, he managed to throw up in my lap. Kate and Mr. George stepped back in horror. Harry covered his mouth. Drew leaned heavily against the wall on his other side. “I feel much better,” he whimpered.

I glanced down at hot, smelly liquid seeping through the dress, onto my skin, and frowned. Drew might feel better, but I felt so much worse. I could tell everyone was waiting on my reaction. I offered Harry a half smile. “Still think I look beautiful?”

He squatted beside me and sighed. “Inside and out. Always.”

I pressed my forehead to his. “That’s great. Can I go upstairs and take a shower now?”