The Gambler (8 page)

“Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked. “Steak sauce? Ketchup?”

Libby looked around the table. “Where are Noah’s fried pickles?”

The waitress cringed. “Sorry about that. I have to admit, you’ve got the kitchen staff fit to be tied. They keep poking their heads out the door to get a look at you instead of doing their jobs. They’ll be right out.”

Noah didn’t care about the pickles. He only wanted the waitress to leave so he could assess the fallout from his near mistake. When Libby picked up her fork and knife without saying anything, he decided to ignore that it had ever happened. “So you and Mitch are okay?”

“Yeah.” She kept her gaze on her plate as she sawed on her steak. “He wished me well, but then that’s Mitch. He’s awesome like that.”

“Having second thoughts?”

“What?” Her gaze jerked up to his. “No. I didn’t really love him.” A tiny grin twisted her lips. “And if I had to listen to one more Razorback call, I think I may have killed him before our first anniversary. Did I tell you the wedding was Razorback themed?”

“What?” he laughed, relieved she’d let their awkward moment pass. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. He wore an Arkansas printed tie and socks. Megan and Blair wore red dresses, and he had a Hog groom’s cake.” Grinning, she stabbed a piece of her steak. “In his vows, he used a play from the 2010 Cotton Bowl game.”

“Why in the world did you agree to that?” He couldn’t imagine her going along with any of it.

She shrugged. “It’s what he wanted.”

“Doesn’t the bride typically get what
she
wants?” He couldn’t understand why she’d proposed to Mitch, but it absolutely astonished him that she’d let him plan the entire wedding. She loved weddings and everything about them. Heck, she’d probably started planning her
big day
when she was a middle-schooler collecting images cut out of magazines. None of this made sense.

She shrugged again, not looking up at him.

“Libby.”

She lifted her gaze to his.

He paused. “Yeah, Mitch is a great guy, but he wasn’t the right guy for you.” He held up his hand in case she started to protest. “And no, this isn’t me gloating.”

Something like regret filled her eyes. “You have every right.”

He gave a small shake of his head. “Nope. Not even a little.” He turned serious. “But one day, you’ll meet a guy who can give you the kind of love your friends have found, because that’s what you deserve, Libby. A guy who will stand by your side no matter what, then sweep you off your feet while he’s giving you the stars and moon.” He hoped that guy was him, particularly since a band of jealousy coiled around his heart at the notion of some other man giving that to her. The feeling was unsettling; he’d never been jealous like this before.

Tears filled her eyes. “I don’t think I’m going to find that, Noah. It’s too late.”

“Bullshit. You’re not even thirty yet.”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

A soft smile lit up her face. “You’re the only man who’s ever liked me for
me.
”

“What does that mean?”

“Guys always see the outside. They rarely pay attention to the inside.”

Guilt washed through him. How many times had he been so dazzled by a woman’s beauty, he’d ignored everything else about her? And while he’d seen firsthand how many men openly gawked at Libby, it had never occurred to him to ask how she felt about it. “Not every man is like that, Lib. Look at Josh.”
And me.
But he couldn’t tell her that. She was still raw over her breakup with Mitch. He didn’t want to be her rebound.

She pursed her lips and didn’t answer.

He decided to change the subject, although he wasn’t sure the one he was moving on to was any safer. “So you called Megan.”

She sighed. “Mitch said she and Blair were freaking out.” A grin cracked her lips. “Blair thought I’d been kidnapped and wanted the police to issue an Amber Alert.”

“Wait. Isn’t that for—”

“Yeah. For kids. Megan says she was irritated when they wouldn’t do it.”

Noah chuckled. “Sounds like Blair.” He paused. “What did Megan say about you running off?”

She scowled. “Nothing good.”

“I gathered that from the fact that you suggested a complete stranger tell your best friend to go to hell.”

She grinned up at him, a new playfulness in her eyes. Relief spread warmth through his veins. She had every reason to be upset, but it killed him to see her that way. He’d do anything to keep her happy.

He gave her a cocky grin. “Since you were supposed to get married, I take it you’ve got a few days off for your honeymoon.”

“Well . . . yeah. I postponed all my photo shoots for the next couple of weeks.”

“Where were you going for a honeymoon?”

“We were supposed to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico, but then Mitch’s high school football team made it into a playoff game. So we canceled the trip.”

“But you still have time off?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Let’s go on a road trip.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”

“No. We’re already in Junction City. Why not just keep going?”

“How about the fact that I don’t have any clothes on me besides this wedding dress?”

“So we’ll buy you more clothes.”

“Noah, I don’t have any money. Or a cell phone. Or a form of ID for that matter.”

“Then I’ll pay for the trip.” When she started to protest, he held up a hand. “Consider it a non-wedding present. Or if you’d like, consider it your kidnapper providing for your basic needs.”

“And you can take off work just like that? I thought you guys were in the middle of a merger that was sucking away all your free time.”

He considered telling her the truth—in fact, he was dying to tell her the truth. She was the one person who would understand how he felt. She knew how hard he’d been trying with the family business. But this was about Libby right now, not him. His problems weren’t going anywhere. He could wait. “Lucky for you, I took time off.”

She ate several more bites before looking up at him. “So where would we go?”

He grinned. “Wherever we want. In fact, I declare tomorrow Libby St. Clair Day.”

“Does that mean I get to pick where we go?”

His eyes narrowed. “Where do you want to go?”

She laughed. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to learn the rules.”

“The rules are we don’t do anything responsible. We just have fun.”

Her lips pursed as she considered it, then she grinned and held out her hand. “Deal.”

“Deal.” He shook her hand, holding it a few seconds longer than necessary before releasing it.

She leaned toward him. “So where are we going?”

Then he knew how to make it really fun for her. He’d never met anyone who loved surprises more than Libby. “I’ve decided not to tell you. You’ll find out tomorrow.”

“You have no idea.”

“I guess you’ll find out.” She was right, but he’d never admit it. But as long as she continued to look this happy, he’d figure out how to get her to the moon if she wanted to go there.

Over the course of their dinner, Libby relaxed and tried to forget the wedding gone wrong. Several of the customers—and even the staff—grew bold enough to ask for photos with her. Some, like the woman who’d cat-called him, wanted a photo with Noah. By the time they finally left, Libby had taken a photo with almost everyone in the restaurant. The restaurant manager even offered to comp their bill if Libby would let him hang his photo with her by the entrance.

When Noah held the door to the parking lot open for her, she felt happier—and freer—than she had in months, even if she was freezing. “Now what?” she asked.

“I think we should find a hotel and stay in Junction City tonight. Your photo session took over forty-five minutes and now you’re all over my Twitter feed. Did you have to give them your Twitter handle?”

“Why not?” she teased as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and walked her to the passenger door. “Garrett got his fifteen minutes of fame when he was on his way to break up Blair’s wedding. Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because, Libby St. Clair,” Noah leaned close, his breath warm on her cheek, “you are a dazzling star who can’t be reduced to a few tweets of you posing for photos in a Kansas steak house wearing a wedding dress.”

“Cut the bullshit, Noah.”

“I mean every word.” And strangely enough, he sounded like he did.

Overcome with gratitude and something else that warmed her insides, she threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”

He pulled her close, but slowly, as though she might break. “What did I do?”

“You took a miserable night and made it more than bearable.”

“That’s what best friends are for, right?”

She leaned back and looked into his face. “Who knew you’d be so good at this best friend thing?”

A strange look crossed his face. “Yeah. Who knew?” He broke loose and opened the car door. “You need to get in the car before you freeze.”

After he got in and turned on the engine, he turned to look at her. “So find a hotel here in Junction City?”

“Yeah.”

“I saw a sign for a decent-looking place when I turned off the interstate. Let’s try it.” He pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the hotel, both of them keeping quiet during the short drive.

When he parked in front of the entrance, he turned to her. “Wait for me to come around and get you.”

“Why?”

“It’s freezing outside, and you’re wearing a sleeveless dress. I’m going to pull a jacket out of my suitcase for you.”

“I’ll be fine.” She pushed the door open and scrambled out, forgetting that it would take more effort than usual with all the material of her skirt. The next thing she knew, Noah was there next to her, offering her his hand. She looked up at him with a scowl. “I said I could do it.”

“And I’m sure you can, but why not let me help you?”

How could she explain to him what she didn’t understand herself? She’d always had trouble accepting help from other people, but for some reason, right now she found it even more difficult to accept help from
him.

He helped her out and she landed against his chest. He snaked his arm around her back and pulled her closer to keep her steady. An unexpected wave of heat washed through her when she looked into his eyes. She’d learned to tame her lust for Noah after months of friendship. So why did it feel like such a struggle tonight?

She pulled free and started walking toward the entrance. Noah fell in step beside her, thankfully not mentioning their awkward embrace.

There were less than half a dozen people in the lobby, so Libby was less of a spectacle here than she’d been in the restaurant. Noah stopped and turned toward her, looking uncomfortable. “Do you want two rooms?”

Libby’s heart stuttered. What was the right way to answer that? She didn’t want to be alone, but she was too humiliated to admit it.

But he misinterpreted her hesitation. He nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. I don’t mind the extra money.”

She grabbed his arm to stop him as he started toward the front desk. “No. One room is good. We can just get two beds. No need to spend the extra money. Besides,” she added in a rush, “you’ve spent the night in my apartment before. This is no different.” But it was very different and she could see he knew it too.

He studied her face with a seriousness she wasn’t used to from him. “Are you sure? Maybe you just want to be alone. I understand if you do.”

“The last thing I want is to be alone right now.” Her voice broke and she realized that made her sound needy. She’d trained herself years ago not to appear needy. Needy women sent men running to the hills. But this wasn’t
any
man. This was Noah. Her
friend.
That’s what friends were for, right?

Sadness filled his eyes, and he pulled her into a hug. “Oh, Lib.”

She was acutely aware that the few people in the lobby and the desk clerk were staring at them like they were a daytime soap. But she just rested her head on his chest for several seconds, amazed by the peace she felt in his arms. Everything seemed so much less hopeless when she was with Noah.

He kissed her forehead, then set her loose. “One room it is.”

Noah approached the front desk and rested his forearm on the counter, ignoring the shocked look on the clerk’s face. “We need a room with two beds.”

If possible, the clerk’s eyes grew even wider. “Uh . . .” He shook his head and tried to regain his composure. “Two beds? For your wedding night?”

“She’s a kicker,” Noah said with a straight face. “She kneed me in the groin only a month ago and now I’m less one testicle.” He leaned his forearm on the counter and glanced around. Ignoring the openly staring couple in the lobby, he lowered his voice to a stage whisper. “I’ll have you know, that was a difficult one to explain to the insurance company.”

The man’s gaze shifted to Libby before swinging back to Noah. He swallowed. “Umm . . . we don’t have any rooms with two beds, sir. Only a room with a king-size bed. Maybe you should go somewhere else.”

Noah stared down at her with an uncertain look in his eyes, but she nodded her approval.