It had been eight days since I’d sent that text, eight days since I’d left a message with only my name and a number at the concierge’s desk.

Eight days.

I hadn’t heard from LeVan.

I would’ve cried just thinking about it, but I’d done that already, and more than once.

I didn’t have time for tears now.

Nicky was finally getting his promised show and he’d crowed in delight when he realized I was taking him to see the Magic Man he so loved.

Maybe I wouldn’t see LeVan face-to-face tonight—that so wasn’t going to happen, not when we were going to be lost in a crowd of almost a thousand, but at least I’d see him.

And tomorrow, I was going to figure out how to go about actually tracking him down since the normal methods hadn’t worked.

There was a knock at the door and I drew in a deep breath. One of the LCs—life counselors—at the center had suggested she bring Nicky to my place instead of me picking him up. “Learning to use public transportation is important and in a city like Las Vegas, it’s even more so. The sooner he starts to learn his way, the better.”

It would be Nicky at the door, Nicky, with his LC who’d shown him how to use the bus. He would be excited—using the bus from the center and then going to a magic show, all in one day.

I managed a weak smile at my reflection, wondering if I’d ever been excited about using public transportation, then decided I was getting too jaded. I’d already had a car by the time when using buses would be an option—private schools didn’t offer their students school bus transportation. By the time I’d switched to public school, I’d been driving.

I’d occasionally take the bus on campus, but a college student wasn’t going to get excited about that.

But Nicky could be excited.

There was an entire world of things out there that he could be excited over—things that I probably would’ve been excited over when I’d been younger if I’d had the chance to experience them. So he could experience them for both of us and I’d live through him.

“Thea, hi!” He threw his arms around me the moment I opened the door and I laughed at the greeting, glad for the distraction.

I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about LeVan hardly at all, and it was showing. The work I’d produced had been crap and it had all gone to the same file my name and phone number had likely gone—file thirteen.

“You look like you had a good day,” I said, squeezing him in return before drawing back and meeting the warm brown gaze of the LC who’d accompanied him on the bus. “Beth, how are you?”

“I’m good. I hear you two are going to see the Knights of Las Vegas tonight,” she said, grinning at me. “Which one are you seeing?”

“We’re not going to see any knights,” Nicky countered. “We’re going to see LeVan. We know him.”

“LeVan…” Her eyes widened. “You know him, huh?”

My cheeks flushed. “We…ah…we grew up together.”

“Wow! That is so cool! He’s the one with the dreadlocks, right?” She fanned herself. “Man, all of them are just so…” She glanced at Nicky, then at me, rolling her eyes.

“They’re really good,” Nicky offered helpfully. “I’ve seen the others on TV, but LeVan is the best. He pulls cards from your ear and he can read minds.”

“Is that so?” Beth beamed at him. “It sounds like you’ve got quite the night ahead of you. Are you going backstage?”

His eyes rounded. “Are we, Thea? Can we?”

“No, Nicky,” I said gently. “They don’t sell tickets for that. But we’ll be able to see LeVan soon. I just have to get in touch with him.”

Beth made her goodbyes and Nicky changed into the clothes he’d picked out last night for the show. He’d told me he wanted to look nice because he knew I’d look nice.

By the time he was done and we were out the door, I knew we had just enough time to enjoy our walk and for me to maybe have a drink before we found our seats at the extravagant theatre in the hotel just across the street.

Soon, I told myself.

Soon. It wasn’t going to be the same as touching him, seeing him face to face…but hey, maybe fate would smile on us.