“Underage drinking is a big problem, especially when parents leave their teenage children unattended. I saw in one of the other hotels refrigerators that can only be opened with a particular type of card. I’d like to see us replace the refrigerators we have with the others. I know that’s an expense you may not be able to deliver on, but it could be done in the future. I’d like room service to request an adult’s approval when liquor is ordered. I’d like to see more women on the security staff.”
She’d already thought about the improvements she wanted to see. “Okay. Those are really good ideas.” He’d been so focused on problems that he hadn’t noticed the lack of variety on the security force. Having more women was smart. Most victims of crime were women and a woman was more likely to talk to a woman than a man. “Do you want the job?”
She nodded. “When do you want to have all these things in place?”
“Before Thanksgiving. That’s the start of the big holiday rush and New Year’s Eve is the grand reopening. I’m going to need more security during the holidays especially since my grandmother and Nina Torres have come up with this idea of having someone win a ten-million-dollar jackpot.”
“That’s going to bring in the riffraff.”
“No kidding,” Scott said. “We’ve already had a number of registrations from some of the celebrities Nina invited.” And the headaches they would bring. “I have to have a secure casino and hotel in place, ready to go.”
“We don’t have much time. It’s already the middle of September.”
“We’ll be working fast.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “And putting in a lot of long days. Are you up to it?”
“Yes.” New enthusiasm shone in her eyes.
“You’ll probably need an assistant. Anybody in mind?”
“You bet. And I can have her here tomorrow. Her name is Emma McManus. And you’ll like her. She’s like you—she takes no prisoners.”
Scott chuckled. He’d made the right choice.
* * *
Manny Torres had taken over the old chef’s office. Lua el Sol was being run by Nina’s eldest brother in his absence so he could devote time to the hotel restaurant. Like Nina, Manny loved a challenge. His laptop was open and for a second Nina wasn’t certain who he was talking to. She leaned over his shoulder and saw he was video-chatting with Donovan Russell. Her dad was using technology!
Grace stood at the window looking out at the side street. She held sheet music in her hand, her lips moving as she read it.
Donovan Russell looked like his brothers but had more of a pirate look, with a gold earring and black braids pulled away from his lean face. He owned his own restaurant in Paris and one of the reasons he was having trouble getting away was because his ex-wife was still trying to get the financing to buy out his half of their restaurant and he didn’t feel he could leave her in a lurch until he trained his replacement. He and Manny communicated almost daily as they worked out the menus for Rio in Reno.
“I tried out the Vatapá and served it to a couple of my customers. They loved it,” Donovan said.
Nina loved it, too. Shrimp curry was always a great meal in her book.
“I emailed you a recipe for Moqueca de Peixe,” Manny said. “It’s a fish stew and best with grouper, monkfish, snapper, mahimahi and salmon. It goes well with rice and fried plantains.”
“I love a good fish stew,” Donovan replied. He turned slightly and said something to someone standing behind the laptop. “Everything seems to be working out well. I’ll try the new recipe and let you know tomorrow.” He disconnected and her father sat back to grin at her.
“What brings you to the kitchen?”
Nina sat on the corner of his desk. “I know I’m not the greatest cook in the world, so I need a little help.”
Nina intercepted an odd look between her parents. Then her mother ducked her head trying to hide her grin.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking about Torta Mousse de Maracujá.”
“Cooking for Scott?” her mother asked.
“He cooked for me last week and I’m reciprocating. You always told me I needed to be polite and appreciate gestures like his.” Did she sound pompous or what? She wasn’t ready to tell her parents she slept with him. Though she could tell from the look on her mother’s face she’d already guessed.
“You want the ingredients, you want help cooking, or do you just want me to make it?” her father asked in an amused tone.
“I want the ingredients. I can cook it myself. It may not turn out as good as yours, but the point is, I want to do it myself.” And then she wanted... Her mind shied away from the thoughts of Scott in her bed. Who was she kidding? She wanted to knit him a sweater.
“I can get them for you. I assume you want them now.” Manny turned back to his laptop, typed briefly and then the printer started up. A few seconds later, he held his recipe in his hand, scanning it. “I need to hit the market. I have everything but the passion fruit. I’ll be back in an hour.” He walked out, leaving Nina with her mother.
Her mother snapped her laptop closed and leaned back in her chair. “You’ve slept with him, haven’t you?”
“Do I have a sign on my forehead?” Nina asked, exasperated. She’d never been able to keep secrets from her mother.
Grace grinned. “You’ve never been very good at hiding your emotions.”
Nina collapsed in her dad’s empty chair. “I know. I’m never going to be cool like that. My job is to be emotional. People know when a person is faking feelings. I can’t promote something if I don’t believe in it.”
“The way you believed in Carl.”
Nina ordered her thoughts. “Until he stopped believing in me.”
“Then why is he back?”
“Don’t tell me he’s bothering you.” Nina rubbed her eyes. Her parents had always been ambivalent about Carl. They’d supported her marriage because she was their daughter and that was what they did, but she’d always known they’d never fallen for his charm. Their relationship with Carl had always been cordial because they pretty much got along with everybody, even Carl’s high-maintenance parents.
“He’s been trying to convince us to help him get you back.”
“And how’s that going for him?”
Grace burst into laughter. “We picked our side the day you were born, sweetie. Though I have to say, Carl was always generous. Your dad loved the new copper pots Carl gave him and I still love the diamond earrings.”
“Carl never did understand how to underplay a role. He equates gifts with favors. Give an expensive something and get a favor back He tried to buy my love.”
“He still is.”
“Then why did he come here and bring his bimbo with him?” Nina cried in exasperation.
“Because he’s not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, Nina.”
“He’s crazy stupid because he sees his career going away and he’s panicking.”
“He still has a house in Beverly Hills.” Grace frowned.
“He’s making money hand over fist with the movies he’s been doing. One of them turned into a cult movie despite going straight to video.”
“In his defense, Nina,” her mother said patiently, “you want to bring all the cool people to this casino and he wants to be with the cool people. He wants the cool people to take him seriously.”
Nina flinched. Leave it to her mom to give her a reality check. “What’s the difference between what Carl wants and what I want? He’s making a darn good living with those schlocky movies. I’m only as good as my last job. I know who spends money. Cool people spend their money and that’s the dollar I want. Carl burned his bridges in the divorce and he wants to be king of the hill again, but wants me to do all the work.” She had to admit she’d liked the lifesty
le Carl had provided for her and despite her initial contacts that got him in the door, he’d provided her with a broader group of people to develop contacts with. So she had used him, too.
“What do you think you owe him?” Grace asked in a serious tone.
Nina had to think about that a moment. “Logically, nothing. Emotionally, even less.”
“What you want is to get him off your back. What will that take?”
“A three-movie deal from a studio. If he put as much effort into finding his own projects with a major studio than he did into trying to get me to do it for him, he’d have a ten-movie deal from someone.” She’d tried to teach him how to get his own big-budget deals, how to schmooze the right people, but he didn’t think he needed to know when he had her. “He wants my magic. Pure and simple.”
“Are you enjoying stringing him along?”
“I should hope you raised me better than that. A little part of me does enjoy this power Carl has given me, but not enough to abuse it. I’m going to help him, because artistically he does have something to offer.”
Grace smiled. “Then get him a three-movie deal. That will keep him occupied for the next ten years.”
Nina already knew that. “What I really need to do is find him a Nina, Jr. to marry.”
“Do you know anyone who could fill your shoes?”
“I like to think I’m unique.” Though the concierge, Celia, had a way with her. She’d taken Carl in hand and gotten him out of Nina’s hair. She’d have to think about this.
“Which brings me back to Scott in a roundabout way. You really like him, don’t you?”
Nina sighed. “A lot. He’s not like the men I normally run into. He’s not interested in getting something from me.”
“In other words, he just wants to be with you.”
“I’m not certain I know how to act with him.”
“Sure you do.”
Could she really have a relationship with a man like Scott and keep her job? Even though her job was pretty much something she could do anywhere, it still involved a lot of travel. Maybe she was over-thinking this relationship. Maybe he was someone to have fun with and when her job was done she’d just go on to the next one.
“What do you want, Nina?”
“I want to give this hotel and casino a new lease on life. I like being with Scott. He doesn’t need me for anything.”
“Then maybe it’s time to start feeling with your heart and not thinking with your brain.”
Nina studied her mother. The years were being kind to her, but she did notice a few lines radiating out from her eyes and the laugh lines around her mouth. “Is that how you felt about Dad when you first met him?”
“Your father bowled me over. After a few dates, I knew he’d always be my best friend and a marriage works a lot better when the partners are friends. I knew I was going to marry him after the second date, but I made him work for it. And here it is thirty-seven years later and I’m more in love with him now than ever before.”
Nina wanted that for herself. She wanted a man who overwhelmed her with passion and who would always be her friend. She suspected Scott was that person.
“Thanks, Mom.” She kissed Grace on the cheek. “You are the most awesome mother in the world.”
Grace hugged her. She’d given Nina a lot to think about.
Nina headed back to her suite. The first thing on her agenda was to call Jack Reston and get Carl that three-movie deal.
* * *
The passion fruit pie sat on the counter looking terrific. Nina was proud of her accomplishment. Even though she knew how to cook, she was an indifferent cook. Her busy lifestyle didn’t lend itself to long afternoons in the kitchen.
Scott opened a bottle of wine and poured her a glass. “What smells so good in your oven?”
“Food that I cooked. I rarely cook.”
“Don’t you like to cook?” He handed her the wineglass.
She swirled the red wine around the interior and took a moment to sniff it. “I enjoy cooking, but cooking doesn’t enjoy me.”
“I’m not quite sure how to interpret that.” He’d helped her set the table for dinner.
She opened the small oven and pulled out the casserole. Nothing fancy. “I don’t have time to cook. I’d rather knit or garden. One of the things I miss about my old backyard in Beverly Hills is my garden.”
“I would never have guessed that gardening and knitting were your hobbies.” Scott gave her grin. “You just seem so focused on your career I find it hard to see you in a garden or with knitting needles in your hands.”
She uncovered the pot roast casserole and started scooping out the potatoes and carrots. “I can knit anywhere. Except on a plane because the security will take my needles away so I have to pack my gear in my suitcase.”
“What do you knit?” He watched as she transferred the pot roast to a cutting board and placed a pan in the stove. She poured the juices from the roast into the pan and turned on the flame.
“Sweaters, scarves, baby booties. Anything that takes my fancy.” The booties she knitted for Jack Reston’s baby had turned out so beautiful she doubted little Milo would ever wear them.
“How are things going with your ex?”
“I talked to a friend today and they are going to put him in the running for the new superhero franchise they’re developing.”
“Do you think he’ll get the contract?”
Nina thought for a second. “The straight-to-video movies he’s been doing are actually a great training ground for a superhero film. They’re not that dissimilar, just with a smaller budget and D-list actors. I have to say Carl is pretty imaginative and he did things with those movies that surprised even me.”
“I would never think titles like Shark-A-Conda would lay the ground for a superhero.”
“Hollywood is all about perspective. One of Carl’s selling points is that he’s great at sticking to a budget, even bringing the movie in under budget. Saving money in Hollywood is almost as good as marrying the boss’s ugly daughter.”
Scott laughed. “I hope he gets the deal.”
“Me, too,” Nina said fervently.
A knock sounded at the door and Nina frowned. “Who would that be?”
“You’ll to have to answer it to find out.” Scott took over at the cutting board, sectioning the pot roast.
Nina gave her gravy a quick stir and lowered the temperature. A series of impatient knocks sounded and she hurried to the door, opened it and stood back as Anastasia burst inside. One look at Scott standing in the dining area with a knife in one hand stopped her. Her mouth fell open.
“Oh,” Anastasia said. “I didn’t realize you were eating.” She turned to Nina. “I need to talk to you about something...private.”
Nina glanced at Scott, who raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Scott and I were just about to sit down to dinner.” Nina struggled with the next words. “I suppose we can talk...in the bedroom.”
Anastasia walked purposely toward the open bedroom door, turned and looked at Nina. “Are you coming?”
Nina followed reluctantly. She didn’t really want to know what was on Anastasia’s mind. But at the same time, she needed the other woman. Anastasia was a fame magnet. She was always in the press and Nina was able to hitch promotions off her. Having Anastasia in her corner was important. She could deal with Anastasia being Anastasia.
“It’s important.” Anastasia tapped one foot impatiently. She crossed her arms and waited, one eyebrow raised.
Nina nodded and closed the door. She could hear Scott moving around the kitchen.
“This is a personal matter,” Anastasia said.
What did she want? A movie role? A commercial for makeup? Anastasia didn’t come here to bond with Nina. “What’s wrong?”
>
“Are you and Scott hooking up?”
Taken aback, Nina didn’t have an answer. “We’re just having dinner.”
“I think it’s more than that. You’ve been on a number of outings with him.”
Anastasia was keeping close tabs on her. “We’re exploring Reno?” Nina had to tread carefully.
Anastasia flopped down on the edge of the bed. “My daddy has plans for Scott.”
Really. Nina felt on the defensive. “What kind of plans?”
“You can’t tell anyone this. Promise.”
Nina didn’t want to promise. “Who would I tell?”
“Promise.” Anastasia’s eyes narrowed and her body stiffened.
“I won’t go to the press with this information if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Anastasia relaxed and patted the bed next to her, but Nina refused, sitting down in a chair instead and crossing her legs. “My daddy is putting together a committee to explore a run for president.”
Nina was stunned. The senator liked to deal cheap, fast and easy. In Hollywood that wasn’t a bad thing, but in the political arena that made her nervous. “So what does that have to do with Scott?”
“Daddy was never in the military. He wants someone on his staff who has been, and who has served with honor and distinction. He wants Scott. Daddy trusts him.”
Kenzie had never talked a lot about Scott’s military career and Nina realized she knew nothing about it except what few things he shared with her, which was almost nothing. “Does Scott know all this?”
“Not yet. You can’t be involved with him.”
“Why?”
“Nina, your family is in show business.”
Show business had a lot of influence in the political arena. “And that’s a problem...why?” Being in the entertainment field didn’t stop Ronald Reagan from being president, Fred Thompson from being a senator or Arnold Schwarzenegger from being a governor. Nina had been approached a number of times by people in entertainment who wanted to run for office. She didn’t do politics because it was messy. “You do realize Scott’s grandmother supported her grandchildren by being a professional gambler and for all intents and purposes she was a single mother. Or rather grandmother.”
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