The Gambler

by Denise Grover Swank

  “What you fail to mention is that you don’t have to go back to Kansas City at all.”

  Her words sobered him. She was right. His only excuse for his frequent trips to K.C. was the work he’d been doing on the merger of his and Josh’s firm with Megan’s father’s firm. If he didn’t work there anymore, he would have no reason to come. No reason to see her.

  Libby continued grinning, unaware of his emotional turmoil, and he planned to keep it that way. “I promise you won’t come to any harm on this stop. No guarantee for the next one.” He found what he was looking for and flipped on his turn signal. “We’re almost there. No peeking.”

  “Hurry!” she said, squirming in her seat.

  He parked the car and turned off the engine, his stomach twisting with anxiety as he looked at the object he’d just driven nearly one hundred miles to show her. It was ridiculous. She was going to think he was crazy. “Okay, open your eyes.”

  She dropped her hands, and a moment later, her mouth dropped open too. Then she climbed out of the car.

  He followed her, watching her closely as she tucked her hands under her armpits to keep warm. She stared at the giant black object that towered over them. “What is that?”

  He swallowed. “It’s the World’s Largest Czechoslovakian Egg.”

  “The what?”

  Oh, God. She hated it.

  “It’s a twenty-foot-tall and fifteen-foot-wide fiberglass egg,” he explained. “The town has a large Czechoslovakian community, but it was dying off. So they built the egg to bring in tourists. A guy somewhere in Kansas made it for cost and the whole town came together to paint it.” He pointed to the black egg with the white and yellow pattern adorning its sides. “They decorated it by hand.”

  She stood in silence. Horror stole his breath when he realized there were tears in her eyes. “You hate it.”

  She shook her head as the first tear slid down her cheek. Then she turned to him and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest.

  “Talk to me, Libby. Why are you crying?” He’d wanted to make her happy, but apparently this was just one more thing he’d failed at.

  “I love it,” she mumbled, still clinging to him.

  “You’re crying because you love it?”

  She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “This is the most perfect gift anyone has ever given me.” Her arms still firmly wrapped around his neck, she said, “How did you find this place? What made you even think to look for it?”

  An older couple walked toward them from the parking lot. They gave Noah and Libby a confused look.

  “She’s so overcome by the symbolism of this piece,” he said over the top of her head in mock seriousness. “It’s moved her to tears.”

  The elderly man’s eyes narrowed as he looked up at the giant egg, then back at Libby.

  Noah shrugged with a who can explain it expression.

  Libby broke free and wiped her eyes.

  “I told you. It’s Libby Day,” he said. “So I looked for things that I thought would make you happy.”

  “Like a giant black egg?”

  “Not a giant black egg. The world’s largest Czechoslovakian egg.”

  A grin lit up her face and something warm and comforting spread through his chest. He had made her happy after all, and the complete satisfaction that gave him took him by surprise.

  “So you like it?” he asked.

  “I absolutely love it. It’s perfect.” She wiped her cheeks and sucked in a breath. “I want a photo.”

  “Then a photo you shall have.” He walked back to the car and grabbed his phone. “You stand over there,” he said, pointing to the sign in front of the egg.

  She moved closer to it, but before he could snap the photo, the elderly woman gestured for him to stop.

  “You go on over there with your wife,” she said, walking over to him. “I’ll take a picture of you two together.”

  Wife? He started to correct her, but then he glanced over at Libby and the word soaked in.

  Wife.

  Last night and this morning he’d pretended be her groom, but today there was no wedding dress to give them away.

  “Oh,” Libby spoke up. “I’m not—”

  “Don’t be silly, Lib,” he said, handing the elderly woman his phone. “Let’s get a photo together.”

  Libby gave him a strange glance, but he just wrapped an arm around her back, his hand resting on her hip. They fit together perfectly, and Noah didn’t want to let go of her after the woman finished snapping several photos of them.

  “You two are so cute,” the woman gushed, her face beaming as she handed the phone back to Noah. “How long have you been married?”

  “We’re not—” Libby started to say.

  “We just got married,” Noah interrupted. “We’re on our honeymoon.”

  She clapped her hands in excitement. “Howard!”

  “What?” the elderly man asked, sounding annoyed as he walked around the giant egg and stared up at its apex.

  “These cute young things are newlyweds!”

  Libby gave Noah a confused look, but he just grinned.

  “Mealy heads?” Howard asked. “What the hell are mealy heads? Is that some kind of cult?”

  “Newlyweds,” his wife shouted in disgust. “Turn on your hearing aid!”

  He fiddled with his ear. “What?”

  “They’re newlyweds. They just got married!”

  “Married? Well, why didn’t you say so?”

  “I just did!” she groaned, then smiled at Noah and Libby. “You two look very happy.”

  Noah smiled and glanced at Libby, who still had that same strange expression on her face.

  “Are you on your way to your honeymoon?” the woman asked.

  “Yes,” Noah answered before Libby could respond. “I had to bring my Libby to see the giant egg. She’s a huge fan of omelets.”

  The woman’s brow lowered in consternation.

  Libby started to giggle.

  The woman shook her head and wandered off toward her husband as Noah glanced down at Libby, aware that he was still holding her close. “Do you want to walk around the egg?”

  A mischievous look filled her eyes. “Why not?”

  He could have pulled away, but decided to see how she’d react if he continued to keep his arm around her as they began to walk. She snuggled closer.

  “It’s cold.”

  He rubbed her upper arm with his hand. “You should have gotten a coat instead of this sweater.”

  She shrugged and walked around the back of the egg, happiness lighting up her eyes. “So they made this as a draw for tourists.”

  “According to what I read on the Internet.”

  “Is it working?”

  He laughed. “We’re here, aren’t we?”

  They walked around to the opposite end. “I like omelets, was that the best you could come up with?” She laughed.

  “Well, you do.”

  “So what’s next on the agenda?” she asked, her eyes dancing.

  He stared down at her in wonder. How could he have spent the better part of five months with this woman without realizing how perfect she was for him? But he hadn’t been ready back then. He’d still had some growing up to do. God knew, he still did.

  “Well?” she asked, shivering.

  “You look like Rudolph,” he said, tapping the end of her red nose and wrapping his coat around as much of her as he could. “You really should have gotten a coat.”

  “I thought keeping me warm was part of your job description. Isn’t that why you have your arm around me?” she asked. “So you don’t deliver me home with a raging case of pneumonia?”

  He forced his smile to remain in place. “Yeah. That’s exactly it.”

  They walked back around to the front of the egg. “It’s really kind of incredible, don’t you think?” she asked. “That an entire town came together to create something so impressive.”

  “If you think a
giant black egg is impressive . . .”

  She turned, her chest pressed against his as she looked up at him. “Of course it is. It’s the world’s largest egg.”

  “World’s largest Czechoslovakian egg.”

  “But that’s not what makes it impressive. People cared enough about their town to try to save it. Someone dreamed it up and designed it. A man donated his time to make it. Then the town came together and painted it.” She pivoted and stared up at it, thoughtfulness in her eyes. “Have you ever cared about anything enough to devote yourself to it like that?”

  Yes, and it killed him that he was just now seeing it. Especially when he wasn’t sure she could take him seriously. “Have you?” he asked, deciding it was safer not to answer.

  She sucked in her bottom lip, sadness flickering across her face. “No. I don’t think so. But I’d like to.”

  “You’ll find it,” he said. “Maybe it’s right under your nose.”

  Her forehead wrinkled. “Maybe.”

  Some of her happiness faded, and he couldn’t have that. “Are you hungry?” he asked, sounding excited. “I hear they have great Czechoslovakian food here.”

  She laughed. “I had no idea you liked Czechoslovakian food.”

  “Never had it. But today’s all about adventures. We need to hurry and eat, though. Demonic cherubs await you in Carthage, Missouri.”

  She cocked her head and laughed. “I’m feeling pretty safe considering we’re headed in the opposite direction.”

  “Maybe I was just trying to throw you off. You better be careful not to fall asleep in the car; we might just be there when you wake up.”

  “I’m warning you, if you take me there, and a demonic angel jumps out at us, I’m pushing you in front of me,” she teased, then turned more serious. “No heading back east. At least not today, okay? I don’t think I can handle going back yet.”

  He pulled her into a hug. “No heading east.” He gave her a squeeze, then chuckled, saying in a commanding voice, “Go west, young woman. Into the unknown frontier.”

  She stepped away from him and headed toward the car. “Let’s go get some Czech food.”

  Their lunch was leisurely and their food delicious. While he’d always loved being with her, something felt different today . . . in a good way. Was it this realization that he wanted more with her? Was it that they were on an adventure? Or was it that the universe had finally shifted and made Noah care about someone other than himself?

  As he watched her over lunch, he realized it was true. For the first time in his life, it was more important to him that someone else was having a good time than that he was enjoying himself. And, weirdly, he was having a better time because of it.

  They headed back into the car after lunch and Libby fell asleep halfway to Garden City, which gave Noah time to check his messages on his phone. Donna had told him to go to hell and rot there, adding plenty of other colorful language. Megan and Blair’s texts were frantic messages that had been sent before Libby spoke to Megan. He paused before moving on to the texts from Josh. He could only imagine the things his brother had accused him off. Sure enough, the first text had been sent while Noah was on the plane the day before. It accused Noah of being irresponsible and self-centered, citing Noah’s loss of the account and his subsequent resignation as the perfect examples, then went on to add that if there was anyone he needed to consider in all of this, it was Libby. The next text had come later that night, after Libby had told off Megan, and it denounced Noah’s decision not to let anyone know he’d taken her from the parking lot. The third said Josh was giving Noah until Tuesday to change his mind about quitting or he’d tell their mother when she came home from her cruise.

  Damn, how had he forgotten about his mother?

  Last was the friend request from Tiffany Brown. Not only had she accepted his request, but she’d sent a message.

  Hey, stranger. I never expected to hear from you again after our crazy night at the Super Bowl Party last year . . . but that doesn’t mean I’m unhappy I did. Call me.

  Then she’d listed her phone number.

  Oh shit.

  “Where are we?” Libby’s drowsy voice interrupted.

  He locked his phone and set it down beside him. “We’re almost to Garden City.”

  “Garden City? Where’s that?”

  “Close to Colorado.”

  “Colorado?”

  He grinned as she spent the next ten minutes trying to guess what they were going to see.

  “A Hungarian waffle?”

  “No.”

  “A Greek taquito?”

  He laughed. “No.”

  She was amused when he parked in front of a newer-looking red brick building. “The Finney County Historical Museum? Are you trying to bore me to death? Is this your payback for using your toothbrush?”

  “Guess you’ll find out.” He was more nervous this time, not only because what he was about to show her was disgusting, at least in his eyes, but he suspected Libby would appreciate its eccentricity. He got out of the car and stuffed his phone into his jeans pocket while he waited for her.

  “I’m not about to get a history lesson, am I?” she asked, sounding skeptical.

  He laughed, motioning for her to follow. “You’ll find out when we get inside.”

  She tagged along until she was beside him, her arms tightly wrapped over her chest.

  “We need to stop and find you a real coat,” Noah said, watching her shiver. “There’s a Target in this town.”

  “You just need to take me somewhere warmer.” Then she hurried to the front door and went inside.

  After he paid their small admission fee, they walked into the museum together.

  Of course, she immediately made her way over to a genuine human skeleton nestled in a coffin and covered in Plexiglas.

  “Oh, my God,” she gushed, leaning closer to it. “Is this why you brought me here?”

  Noah laughed. “Strangely enough, no.”

  She read the sign next to the display and cringed. “They used to carry this through the town in parades?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “So it claims.”

  “That’s disgusting.”

  “You love every minute of it.”

  She grinned up at him. “I do.”

  “Then you’ll love why I really brought you here.” The museum was small, but it took him a moment to find the purpose of their visit, a brown ball nearly the size of a basketball that sat on a table. He swept his arm in an arc, pointing to the sphere. “This is it.”

  Her eyes widened as she read the sign. “The world’s largest hairball?” She looked up at him. “Is this a Guinness World Records tour?”

  He grinned and lifted his shoulder into a half-shrug. She read parts of the sign out loud. It been removed from a cow’s stomach, and had originally weighed over fifty pounds instead of its current twenty pounds.

  “I’d like to remind you,” he teased, pointing to the bottom line of the sign, “that you are not to play with the giant hairball.”

  “Ewww. Disgusting.”

  She cringed and giggled at the same time and Noah felt a fizzy happiness float through him. He’d been with literally countless women, but while those easy dalliances had been fun, they’d left him feeling empty and unfulfilled, ready to look for the next bright young thing. He’d only ever felt this . . . contentment with her.

  “How did you find this place?”

  Her question pulled him back into the moment. He unfolded his arms and let them hang at his sides. “The Internet. You can find anything there.”

  They parted ways and wandered around the museum. Noah was checking out an exhibit about some old cowboy at one side of the museum, while Libby was squatting in front of the skeleton again. A young woman approached Libby with an apologetic grimace. “I’m so sorry. My associate should have told you that we’re closing soon. You and your husband will need to leave in ten minutes when we close.”


  Libby stood. “That’s okay. We’re almost done.”

  The woman leaned closer and winked. “Your husband is really hot,” she said in an undertone he could just barely hear.

  Libby’s face reddened. “Oh, he’s not my husband. He’s just a friend.”

  The museum employee looked stricken. “Is he gay?”

  Libby laughed. “No. Definitely not. But Noah . . . he’s not husband material . . . if you know what I mean.”

  The woman nodded. “Too many of them aren’t nowadays.”

  Libby flashed him a smile before returning her attention to the skeleton, but Noah was too caught up in her words to even pretend to pay attention to anything else.

  Not husband material.

  Somehow it was worse that she hadn’t hesitated to say it in front of him. Well, it was sort of true, wasn’t it? Up until recently, that’s exactly how he’d wanted it. Unencumbered. Unattached.

  Unloved.

  How come he’d never realized he was lonely? Libby was like a warm ray of sunlight, and he wanted nothing more than to bask in it. He wanted more than one-night stand after one-night stand, but he didn’t want just anyone. He wanted Libby. He just had to prove to her that he was suitable, that he was the type of man who could be her partner.

  But first he had to get his job back. Even if it meant crawling back to his brother with a peace offering.

  The Abrahams account.

  He pulled out his phone and responded to Tiffany’s Facebook message.

  I hear your boss is on a work trip this week. Any hint where he might be?

  She responded within seconds.

  Las Vegas. At that stupid machine convention. I’m going with him. We arrive Monday afternoon.

  Noah knew exactly where they were going next.

  Vegas.

  Chapter Ten

  “Las Vegas?” she grumbled in disgust. “Why are we going to Vegas?”

  He shrugged as they pulled onto the highway. “It sounds like fun.”

  “You told me you hate Vegas as much as I do.”

  He grimaced. “I thought we could see Hoover Dam. Remember we watched When Fools Rush In, that stupid movie with the guy from Friends? You said you wanted to see the dam after that.”