High Stakes (The Kingdom Book 2) (8 page)

“I came here not knowing what was going to happen, and the last week has been a whirlwind. So much has happened and I’m still trying to make sense of it all, really. I at least know that I have somewhere to live and I have a job … well, I think I still have a job …”

“Where do you have a job?”

“Denham introduced me to a lovely lady called Beth—“

“Beth, at Chique?”

“Yes, you know her?”

“Do I know her?” She laughs, “Everyone knows Beth, she’s one of Las Vegas’s treasures.”

“Oh,” I say, not knowing why I am surprised. It actually doesn’t surprise me at all that Beth is well liked around here. She’s another person that says how she feels and calls you out on your shit. Maybe there’s something in the Vegas water.

“Beth gave you a job?” she questions.

“Yes, she offered me a position as assistant buyer. That was before I let her down and didn’t show when I promised I would, and now she probably thinks I’m unreliable and will reconsider her offer,” I blurt.

Dana laughs, and when she does I notice she has the same dimple that Denham does.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Arianna.” She pats my hand reassuringly. “Just give her a call, she’ll understand. She’s not unreasonable, you know.”

“No, I know that. I don’t know why I worry about these things,” I muse, more to myself than her. I suppose after years of having to double check everything I said or did, just in case it started an argument or instigated a beating, will make you insecure.

“It’s because it’s all you’ve ever known.”

I smile shyly and shrug my shoulders, looking anywhere but at her.

She touches my jaw gently, turning my head to look at her. “Hey, it’ll take time, Arianna. Everything takes time. Just go with it and stop looking for the bad in everything,” she says softly, giving me a reassuring smile that I mirror instantly. It’s impossible not to, she has the same easy way about her as Denham has, which makes me feel at ease. “So,” she says, “for Beth to give you a job must mean you’re pretty knowledgeable. What is it you’re trained in? What work have you done previously?”

Again, I feel myself shrink inwards. Self-esteem is where I struggle. How do I tell her I have little experience in the retail sector, and no experience whatsoever in a buyer’s position. I’ve never had any formal training in anything and for the past eighteen months, I’ve been a kept woman, even if I hated it.

“Arianna?” she questions. “It wasn’t a trick question, dear. I’m merely curious. It wouldn’t be a problem to me if you said you only had experience flipping burgers at the golden arches. If Beth thinks you’re good enough, then that’s fine with me.”

I let out the breath I was holding and relax. “Thanks, Dana. I’ve never had any formal training. I just love clothes. I love everything about the design and the fabrics. It’s all I ever wanted to do.”

“Well, you seem very passionate about it. And, you’ll love working with Beth, she really is the best. She’ll take you places, be sure of that.”

“I’m really looking forward to getting started.”

“When are you due to start?”

“I’m not sure now,” I say. “I should call her and find out, I was supposed to meet her, but … well, you know.”

“I bet you’re excited! And you won’t have to worry about what to wear, as it’ll all be at your fingertips. God, what I’d do for a staff discount at Chique …”

“I’ll see what I can do for you.”

“Now you’re talking, my girl. See, we are going to get along just fine,” she says, popping another truffle into her mouth with a grin.

I follow suit, and help myself to one more of the delicious little balls. They are heavenly, and coupled with coffee and good company, I smile inwardly. She’s right, I know I must have more belief in myself but when you’ve spent year upon year with it being beaten out of you, it’s hard to find that step up. Although Aaron didn’t continually beat me, I had suppressed my own personality, and adopted Natalie Jamesson to play a role. It wasn’t until the end that it all turned bad, but maybe it was never really good in the first place.

“I think it’s great that you know what you’d like to do, Arianna. I never had a clue. I went from job to job, testing out different industries. Once, I had an apprenticeship in a hair salon. It was the most prestigious salon around and I couldn’t wait to get started. I always liked playing around with my friends’ hair, and was always experimenting with makeup. After months of doing nothing but making coffee, sweeping the floor and washing hair until my fingers were shriveled, I finally convinced my boss to let me try blow drying a client’s hair.” She looks at me with a raised brow and I’m sure she hasn’t got to the best bit of this story yet. “I felt like I owned the place, stupid naive teenager that I was. They got someone in that was willing to let me practice on, and I sat her in the chair and gowned her up. I really thought I was the bee’s knees, so I started blow-drying, flicking around the round brush that I was using, like I had seen the other stylists doing. They make it look so easy, you know?” I smile, encouraging her to continue. “Well, I waved that brush alright. I waved it into such a tangle that we couldn’t get it out. The client went home with a large chunk of hair missing where we had to cut the brush free. And I went home and never went back!”

“Oh my goodness!”

“I know! I decided being a hairdresser was far too risky for me, so I started working at clubs, behind the bar serving drinks. About the only thing that could go wrong then was pouring the wrong drink and even then if that happened, it wasn’t the end of the world. One of us would drink it to hide the evidence.” She smiles fondly at the memory.

“Sounds fun.”

“Yes, it was. That was where I met Carter. He gave me an abnormally large tip and had written his number on the bill. I told him he was obnoxious to think the money would win me over for a date, and he spent the next two weeks sitting at the end of the bar, scaring off any man who showed a little too much interest in me, and trying to convince me that I should let him take me out on a date.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, and so romantic.”

“Of course, I would have dated him anyway if he had just asked me properly in the first instance. I think he had me the minute his eyes locked with mine.” She drifts off dreamily before her eyes flash with sorrow and a subtle glaze appears over them. “Anyway, you don’t want to hear about me.” She bounces back quickly, smoothing her hands over her lap.

“Oh no, I’m happy to listen. I suppose I always liked the thought of happily ever after, I just never knew it came true.” The sound of sorrow in my voice surprises me. I thought I was making progress, moving forward but it serves to remind me that the doubt and negativity still shadows my mind.

“Oh darling, you’re young. There’s a whole life ahead of you that you never knew existed. I bet you never dared dream that far, huh?”

“No,” I say quietly.

“Well, then we need to rectify that. I don’t know what’s happening between you and my son, or if it will go anywhere special for you both. But, either way, you, my darling, need to start living. Only you can push forward and make your future happen. Yes, there will be people along the way that help and add to the journey but ultimately, it’s you that decides who’s in it for the ride with you. You need to decide who you want by your side, and who you want to leave behind in a cloud of dust.”

She’s right. I know she’s right about everything she just said. I know it’s easier said than done but I’m trying, and I couldn’t be luckier than I am right now to be surrounded by the people I know I can count on.

“You know, when Denham was young he wanted to be a fireman. He wanted to save everyone and everything. He was the child that brought home the stray dog in the street because he thought it looked hungry. Turns out, it only lived three doors away, and belonged to the new neighbors. But he couldn’t stand the thought of it being hungry or hurt, even if it was neither of those things.”

“He has a kind heart.”

“Yes, he does. A kind heart is one that’s vulnerable to being broken too. Life soon taught him to toughen up. Women thought he was an easy catch, and because we were reasonably well off it made him a target for gold diggers and shallow harlots.” I don’t know if it’s my imagination but I catch her glance at me after she says this then pauses to take in my reaction. It rubs me the wrong way, but the more I mull it over in my head the more I understand she’s just protecting her boy, and even though I know it’s an unnecessary warning, she doesn’t know me very well yet.

“I’m sorry, Arianna. That was insensitive. I wasn’t implying you … I mean … Oh damn.”

“Really, Dana. It’s fine. He’s your son and I understand you being protective over him.”

“I’m the only one he has. He’s been the head of the family since Carter …” She swallows hard before continuing, “Since he died. Denham’s been so strong, so … detached, even. There’s more to it, and he won’t let me in. He took position as the head of the family and dealt with everything matter-of-factly, making sure we are all doing just fine, but never letting anyone check that he’s doing okay. I worry about him, you know? Bottling everything up and not having someone to talk to. I thought maybe he started to soften when he first met Amy, but then the cheap little whore let her real persona shine through, and I thought she’d honestly turned Denham off relationships for life. She hurt him, Arianna. She’s cold and calculating and the more time she spent with my boy, the more she drained his ability to care for anyone outside of the family. And then this last week … I don’t know, he seems different. When I call, he doesn’t answer me in short sharp tones. Actually, he hasn’t stopped talking, and it’s mostly about you.” She smiles genuinely now, her eyes sparkling.

“I don’t know why,” I blurt out, “I’ve been nothing but trouble since I walked into him on the very first day.”

“Maybe you just made him realize what he’s been missing out on, he’s opened his eyes for long enough to start to see the good in people again.”

“Maybe.”

“Look, Arianna. I may not believe in a god but there are two things I believe in …” She leans forward with her elbows on the bistro table. “Karma and fate. Everything happens for a reason. It might not be clear right now why, but further down the line, it will all fall into place. Keep that in mind and you won’t go wrong.” She smiles and stands, straightening out her pants. “Now what do you say we get some more coffee, and finish off these truffles?”

It’s just then that I notice, I’ve completely relaxed. Of course I want to see my best friend but I don’t need her here to hold my hand. She was right; Dana is a sweetheart. I am enjoying her company and it’s refreshing to spend time with real people. I guess because I was playing a persona in LA that I didn’t really look past the facades that all of our acquaintances had painted on. Now that I think about it, they were all living lies and deceit of some kind. Dana, Denham and as far as I have seen, Tara and Spike too, are honest and upfront. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be unsure of where I stand with them, which makes it easier for me to be myself.

I send a quick text to Lottie. ‘
Don’t hurry … You were right xx
’ Then I slip my cell back into my pocket and head inside.

LOTTIE JOINS US AFTER
finishing work, and we sit on the balcony on the shaded side of the hotel. The Las Vegas sunshine is too hot to sit in directly, but it’s great to be outside in the fresh air. If you had asked me a week ago what I thought I would be doing right now, I certainly wouldn’t have painted this picture. It feels like I have known Dana for years, she’s easy company and very sweet. She rolls her eyes at Lottie’s antics, but it’s all done in an affectionate motherly kind of way. Which is just what Lottie needs, as her own parents are so dysfunctional.

Lottie is a little quieter than usual, I notice. She’s not so quick to fire comebacks where I would expect her to, and she seems somewhat subdued. It might be because she homed in on the truffles as soon as she arrived, and hasn’t had more than a minute without her mouth being full of the chocolatey deliciousness. And damn if I wasn’t a little outraged that she let herself in, and finished them off.