Chapter 10

Skylar

It was five to seven. I was wearing old leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. Over the course of the afternoon, I had somehow talked myself out of going on the date with Greyson, but had no way of contacting him to tell him I was going to stay in for the night.

When there was a knock at my door, my heart leapt into my throat.

I got off the bed and went to the door. I peered through the peephole, already knowing Greyson was on the other side. He was standing back from the door and was dressed in dark jeans, a black shirt, and a black jacket. He looked better every time I saw him.

I opened the door and held it open with my hip. His eyes lit up when he saw me, and he gave me a wide, white smile. “For a minute there, I didn’t think you would answer,” he said.

“I was considering it,” I said honestly. “But that seemed rude. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can go out with you tonight. I feel too guilty about abandoning the girls. My sister paid for me to come out here with them, and going on a date with a stranger seems a poor way to repay her.”

I was hoping he would swallow the rejection and leave. I was hoping he would deliver the final blow, and we could both walk away from this with our heads.

He surprised me by laughing. “I didn’t come all the way back here for you to send me home because you want to spend more time with your sister and her dim-witted friend. We’re going.”

His forwardness startled me. “Um, well, I’m not ready.” I gestured down at myself. An oversized sweatshirt and old leggings hardly seemed fitting to go out on the town in. Especially with a man like Greyson.

“I can wait. I’m in no rush to end the evening.”

I wasn’t expecting to feel relieved by his determination to still go on the date, so when the feeling washed over me, I invited him in. “Okay, come inside. I only need a few minutes to change.”

I wasn’t lying. I didn’t spend any time slapping on a face of makeup. Instead, I just ran a powder brush over my face and applied a layer of mascara and lip gloss. I put on a pair of white jeans with gold sandals and a colorful floral top. A light gray cardigan went over my shoulders to keep me warm when the night cooled down. All in all, I was ready in less than seven minutes.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Greyson had his back to me. His hands were in his pockets, and he was looking out the window at the strip. “I never get tired of this view,” he said as he turned to face me. “It’s always different, somehow, and—” He stopped talking when his eyes fell on me. His mouth hung open for a second before he clamped it shut. “You look beautiful.”

I blushed. “Thank you. Is it appropriate for where we’re going?”

“Yes, you’re perfect. I mean, it’s perfect.”

The restaurant Greyson brought me to wasn’t on the Strip. It was a ten or fifteen minute drive off the Strip, which I enjoyed in the back seat of the luxury sedan Greyson had hired for us for the evening.

We were dropped off at the curb in front of a small Greek restaurant. When we went in, the place was nearly empty, save for a few tables. The hostess, a bright, cheerful young Greek woman, walked us to a corner table, lit the candle in the center, and gave us our menus.

“This place is nice,” I said, peering up at the vines crawling on the ceilings. “Are those real?”

“Yes,” Greyson said, following my gaze upward to the ceiling of foliage. “Quite real. It’s why I like this place. Authentic. Quiet. I thought it was a good choice. We could talk without having to yell over the voices or music.”

I appreciated his choice. I wasn’t a fan of loud restaurants for those exact reasons.

Greyson ordered a bottle of red wine after checking with me that I liked it. The bottle he ordered wasn’t listed on the menu.

“So, you kind of know the ins and outs of this crazy town, don’t you?” I asked as I sipped on our newly poured wine.

Greyson arched an eyebrow. “Is it that obvious?”

“It’s only obvious that you grew up here,” I said. “What do you do for work?”
Greyson took a sip of his wine before answering. “I work for some of the casinos. Marketing, mostly. What about you? What do you do?”

“I’m a nurse back in Houston. I work in the cardiac recovery ward. It’s basically my home. I think I spend more time there than I do at my own apartment.”

“A nurse? Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”

I raised my eyebrows, encouraging him to elaborate.

“Well,” he began. “When I first met you, I could tell you didn’t want to talk to me. Not really. You were busy and preoccupied. Yet you were kind and attentive. A friendly bedside manner, now that I look back at it. And with Nikki. Even though she annoys the holy hell out of you, you somehow manage to put up with her. I imagine you have many patients who give Nikki a run for her money on the aggravation scale?”
“Yes, I most certainly do.” I smiled, thinking of some of my most high maintenance patients.

“Kindness is in your blood, then,” Greyson said as if he was stating a simple fact. “And I knew it the second I met you. You’re a different woman than any I’ve ever met, Skylar, and I’ve only known you for a day.”

Again, I was blushing. This man was going to render me useless. My tongue felt thick in my mouth, and my stomach was swirling with butterflies like I hadn’t felt since my nursing exams seven years ago.

I wanted to say something to him that might make me feel a little more at ease, but no words came to mind.

Greyson saved me by carrying the conversation forward. “So, your sister paid for your trip you said. How come? Birthday or something?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “She thought it would be good for me.”

“Good for you?”

“Yes, I’m sort of married to my work. I don’t get out much. I don’t get out at all, really. This is the first vacation I’ve taken in over seven years.”

Greyson was staring at me like I had four heads. “You’re a nurse. You work twelve hours days. And you haven’t had a vacation in all that time? How are you still sane? How do you still have the energy to smile?”
I laughed and shrugged. “I love my job. I always have. I’ve never felt like I needed a vacation.”

“Just because you don’t think you need it doesn’t mean it won’t be good for you,” he said. “Travel is good for the soul.”

“You sound like a poet. Marketing makes sense.”

Greyson chuckled and leaned back as our plates of food arrived. We both dug in, and as soon as I had taken a few bites, Greyson was asking if I liked it.

In all honesty, it was the best Greek food I had ever eaten. I nodded excitedly as I swallowed a piece of chicken. “It’s wonderful,” I said.

“Good, this place has never let me down. Usually, I come here on my own. I like to get away from the hectic energy of the Strip whenever I can. It can wear a man down.”

“I bet,” I said. “I’ve only been here a day, and I’m already overwhelmed by this place. I don’t think I could live somewhere so busy. There’s always something happening. Always so many people everywhere you go.”

“That’s part of her charm.”

“Her?”
“Vegas,” Greyson said, spreading and wiggling his fingers in a startling display of jazz hands. I burst out laughing, which seemed to be what he was hoping would happen, because he put his hands in his lap and laughed right along with me, his cheeks turning a bright shade of pink that looked charming on his handsome face. “If you had more time tonight, I could take you around the world in this city,” Greyson continued, stabbing a piece of steak with his fork. “You could visit Paris and ancient Egypt. Greece, Venice, and Rome. We could go to the circus or to an Elvis or Michael Jackson show.”

“Both of which are dead,” I said.

“Only in real life.” Greyson winked. “In Vegas, they are still very much alive.”

Greyson continued to ramble on about his city. I loved listening to him. His passion for Las Vegas rivaled my passion for my career. His eyes were bright as he told me about the canals in the Venetian, reminding me of a little boy on Christmas morning. He was charming and easygoing, and everything he said made me smile. His energy was contagious, and soon, I found myself leaning forward, elbows on the table, chin on my knuckles, listening and watching him in awe.

“And the Bellagio Fountains.” He nodded, sitting back in his chair with his wine. “You must see the show before you go home. Promise me you’ll at least do that? I know it’s touristy, but it’s worth it.”

“Okay.” I laughed. “I’ll see it. I know Renee wants to go. Night time is best?”
“Night time is the only time,” Greyson said seriously.

“Okay, okay.” I held up my hands as the waiter came and cleared away our plates. “The Bellagio at night time. Got it.”

Greyson was smiling at me. I noticed a dimple in his right cheek that wasn’t there on the other side. “What are you so pleased about?” I asked, finishing the final mouthful of my wine.

He shrugged, but the smile remained. His bright blue eyes twinkled in the candlelight, and something deep in his stare made my skin tingle. “You’re going to fall in love with this place,” he said, “You just wait and see.”

I wanted to disagree with him. I wanted to tell him that Vegas was everything I hated. It was loud, it was bright, and it was busy.

But I couldn’t bring myself to tell him he was wrong.

It was three minutes to nine when the elevator stopped at the thirtieth floor. Greyson and I stepped out and began making our way across the royal blue carpet to my room. Once we arrived I slid the key card in the door, and it opened with a flashing green light. I pushed inside half a foot, then turned back to Greyson, the door resting against my shoulder.

“I had a really nice evening tonight,” I said. “Thank you for being so insistent. Sometimes, I need a bit of a push to leave my comfort zone, and I’m really glad that I did tonight.”

“Me too,” Greyson said, the blue carpet under his feet making his eyes look darker than they did before. “Can I see you again tomorrow?”

I felt my heart sink. I wanted to see him, but I had already committed to spending the afternoon and evening with my sister. “I can’t,” I said sadly. “I have to spend the day with Renee and Nikki.”

“The day, but not the morning?” Greyson asked deviously.

I didn’t have time to answer him.

“I’ll be here at eight on the dot. You and I are going out. Just dress normally. No need to get fancy. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He was speaking a mile a minute and had already retreated back a step.

I laughed at him as he gave me an awkward wave and made his way back down the hall. I watched him step on the elevator, and he waved again as the doors closed.

I retreated into my room, my smile hurting my cheeks as I closed and locked the door behind me.