“You look beautiful today,” I stated, turning on my charm.
Her cheeks flushed. “Thank you.”
She closed the door, and we walked down the street toward my rental car. “I hope you’re hungry,” I said, opening the passenger door for her to slide in. “Dovie’s serves big portions.”
“Starving.”
I nodded as I closed the door, then rounded the hood to get into the driver’s seat. I liked a woman who could eat. On my dates, the women were usually too nervous to eat even when they wanted to meet at a restaurant and have a proper date before going back to their hotel room. After a few drinks, they’d calm down but not enough to eat the food they’d ordered. I actually found it hilarious because there was nothing to be nervous about. We both knew I would take the lead and make it a good night. It was why I was hired, right?
After starting the engine, I pulled away from the curb. “Is this your first time in Nashville?” I asked, even though we were technically on the outskirts.
“No, I used to come here all the time growing up.”
“And now you’re back visiting your grandma?”
“I’m actually a student at Tennessee State. I came here for a week or two to try to find an off-campus place to live when I start back in the fall.”
“Can’t live with Mary?”
“I could, but that’s my last resort. I don’t want to be the one girl living with her grandma while everyone else is having parties at their place every weekend.”
I grunted softly. I felt as though I was starting to get too old for partying, and the thought of a college party actually made my stomach turn. A lot of my dates wanted to go clubbing, so I had to dance and shit, but my idea of partying at thirty-one was a steak dinner out with the guys to followed by a little gambling—like we had for Vinny’s bachelor party—or drinks down on Fremont Street.
Fuck, I was starting to sound like an old married guy.
“I get that,” I said, driving into the small parking lot. Dovie’s was a little silver restaurant that served delicious southern comfort food. As we walked up the steps to enter, I noted the Help Wanted sign in the window. I had to tell my mother about the sign since Dovie’s was my favorite place to eat when I was in town. Well, besides my mother’s cooking, of course.
She made the best chicken and dumplings I’d ever had.
When Keith stole my money, I thought I would get my revenge sooner rather than later, but it had been four years, and I hadn’t been able to get my money. In fact, I was certain it was gone just like his share was spent as if it was pennies instead of thousands of dollars.
I tried to stay out of Keith’s way, acting more like roommates than brother and sister. We had our moments, especially on the anniversary of our parents’ deaths when we seemed as though we still had love for one another. I did love him, though—of course, I did; he was my brother. I just also hated the way he’d turned out. He cared more for his friends than he did about me, and sometimes I wondered how our lives would be different if our parents hadn’t gone out that night.
Keith had his best friend, Micky, move in as well as another friend and his girlfriend. We had a full house, but I was the one keeping the lights on because I still paid all the bills for the house plus food. I fucking hated it, but I had no other options.
I wasn’t able to attend college like I had planned to after I graduated high school, and I had no money to buy the house outright from Keith—not that he would ever allow that. I didn’t have money to hire an attorney either, and I couldn’t just leave because I had nowhere else to go. I didn’t have close friends to turn to because I’d pushed everyone away after my parents’ deaths and hadn’t made any new ones. If I let Keith have the house, I would let my mom down because I knew how much she’d loved the house, and Keith and his friends would run it into the ground if it weren’t for me.
When I turned twenty-one, I got a job at a casino as a cocktail waitress. I hated having to work around cigarette smoke and people that didn’t tip well—or at all—but it was still more money than I was making at the sandwich shop.
“Cocktails!” I called as I approached the tables. It was quiet, given it was mid-day on a Tuesday, but I took whatever shift I could. “Cocktails!”
“Yeah, hot stuff, we’ll take four Bud Lights,” a guy stated. I wrote it down on my notepad.
“And four shots of Patrón,” another guy said, his gaze lowering to my legs and back up, stopping at my boobs.
“Show some respect.” I looked over to see Keith’s friend Micky walking up to the table.
“Excuse me?” the guy snarled.
“Hot stuff? She has a name.”
“Who are you? Her boyfriend?” the second guy mocked.
“Maybe one day.” Micky winked.
Ignoring the two guys, I asked Micky, “What are you doing here?”
“I was driving by and decided to stop in.” He sat at the table and pulled out a one hundred dollar bill to exchange for chips. It wasn’t lost on me that he had money but couldn’t or wouldn’t pay rent.
“Oh, then can I get you something to drink?”
“Coors Light.”
I smiled. “You got it.” I wrote his order down and then moved to the next table. “Cocktails!”
“I’ll take my usual, Cassie,” Steve, a regular, called out.
“You got it, Steve.” Unlike the guys barking orders at me, I liked Steve. He came in almost every day for an hour or so, and he always tipped well. I would be surprised if the other guys tipped at all—even Micky. He didn’t pay rent or provide for the house, so I would be shocked if he put any money on my tray, especially since the beer was free.
I went to the bar and gave Alex, the bartender, my list of drinks. “Having a good day?” he asked as he made Steven’s usual whiskey sour.
“As good as any.”
“That bad?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Just wish every time I worked, it was busy like a Friday or Saturday night.”
“I feel ya.” He placed five beers onto my tray with the whiskey sour before grabbing four shot glasses. “At least it’s summer.”
“Winters are bad?” I had only worked a few months at the casino, but most of them were summer months.
“New Year’s Eve is amazing.” Alex finished pouring the shots. I grabbed four lime wedges for the shots, and put them in a small glass.
“I bet.”
I took the tray and left without another word. The faster I was at getting people their drinks, the better chance I had at a good tip. I delivered the beers and shots first. Of course, they didn’t tip me, not even Micky.
“What time do you get off?” Micky asked.
“Not for a while. I’ve been here only about two hours.”
“Your brother and I are going out later, but maybe when I get home, we can hang out?”
I shrugged. Micky and I had never hung out before. He was Keith’s friend, not mine, and I more or less only stayed in my bedroom. I didn’t know why he wanted to spend time with me now. “Maybe.”
He winked at me again before standing and walking away with his chips and beer. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yep.” Did he just come to see if I was getting off soon? He didn’t stay long at all.
I went to Steve’s table and gave him his drink. “Thanks, Cassie. You’re a doll.”
I smiled tightly. “You’re welcome.”
“Everything okay?” he asked as he slid chips in for his initial blackjack bet.
My smile widened. “Of course.”
“Guy troubles?”
I tilted my head slightly, wondering if he’d heard Micky. “No, not guy problems.” I didn’t know Steve’s story, but he was always dressed in a suit, and he looked good for a guy old enough to be my grandpa.
“Well, don’t look so down. You’re a pretty girl. You need to smile all the time.”
“I’ll try.” I grinned and started to walk away, but his words stopped me.
&
nbsp; “Don’t leave without your tip, Cassie.”
I turned and saw that he was holding a twenty-dollar chip out for me to take. “That’s a …”
He smiled. “I know. Lunch is on me today.”
My face lit up. “Thank you so much, Steve. You’re amazing.”
“Not a problem.”
“I’ll be back soon with another drink for you.”
“Thanks, doll.”
I grabbed a couple of drink orders from the slot area nearby before going back to Alex to submit it. “Guess what?” I asked.
“What?”
“You know that guy Steve who comes in here all the time? Whiskey sour guy?”
“Yeah.”
“He gave me a twenty-dollar chip.”
“No shit?”
“Yep.” I beamed.
“I heard the guy is loaded. Owns a jewelry store or something.”
“Oh, well, that explains it, I guess.”
“Play your cards right, and he may give you more than a twenty-dollar tip.” Alex winked.
I laughed and took my tray of drinks, delivering the slot orders first before going back to Steve. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Cassie.” He tossed a five-dollar chip onto my tray.
“Thank you.”
He continued to place bets and ask for cards while we talked. “I like you, Cassie. And you know, I own a jewelry store near West Sahara. You should stop by. I’ll give you the family discount.”
“I would love that, but I’m not sure when that will be. I don’t make a lot of extra money.”
“Is that why you look sad? Money troubles?” Steve looked over at me.
I shrugged slightly. “Some of it. I wish every day was as busy as Friday and Saturday.”
He took his wallet out of his suit jacket pocket and handed me a business card. “Come see me at my store, and we’ll talk. I’m looking to hire someone.”
My eyes widened as I took the card. “Oh my gosh. Thank you so much.” He took another twenty-dollar chip and put it onto my tray. “I will come by first thing tomorrow before my shift.”
“Great.”
I walked away to get more drink orders feeling as though I was walking in the clouds. This could finally be my chance at having a career.
When I got home, I didn’t see Micky. I didn’t want anything to do with him or Keith’s other friends. They were all shady people, and I was certain they all dealt drugs as Keith did. I went straight to my room and stayed there, falling asleep as I watched a few episodes of the new season of Veronica Mars.
The next morning, I had to take two buses to get to Steve’s jewelry store, but I made it there a little after ten. I knew nothing about jewelry, but I wanted to learn. I was eager to learn everything because if Steve could be rich from owning a jewelry store, maybe I could one day be rich too.
When I entered the well-lit store filled with glass cases, I didn’t see Steve, but instead, a guy who was maybe in his late twenties.
“Hi, welcome to The Velvet Box.” His name tag stated his name was Ray. “Looking for anything particular today?”
“Actually, I’m here to see Steve.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
I frowned. “Kinda?”
He furrowed his brow. “What does that mean?”
“I told him yesterday that I would be in this morning.”
“Oh, okay. And your name?”
“Cassie.”
“Let me see if he’s available.”
He turned and went through a door at the back of the store, while I looked inside the case of beautiful diamond rings. There were no prices on any of them, but I assumed just by the size of the large rocks sparkling in the light, that I would need to sell a kidney to be able to afford one.
A few moments later, Steve stepped out. “Cassie, you made it.”
I smiled and gave a slight nod. “I did.”
“Well, come on back and let’s chat in my office.” I followed him through the door and down a short hall before turning into a windowless office. Inside was a desk with two chairs, and stacks of papers lying around on the desk and filing cabinets. “Have a seat.” He closed the door as I sat.
“Thank you so much for giving me your info.”
Steve took a seat in his chair on the other side of the desk. “As I said yesterday, I’m hiring.”
“Yes, but …” I swallowed and then frowned. “I’ve never worked in a jewelry store before.” I was starting to become nervous, my palms sweating slightly.
“Did you bring your resume?”
My blue eyes widened, and I whispered sheepishly, “I don’t have one.” I never thought about a resume or that I would need one, as my previous jobs had only required an application.
He leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him. “Is the casino your first job?”
“Second.”
Steve nodded. “That explains it.”
“Is that going to be a problem?”
“Where was your other job?”
“The sandwich shop, Freshly Baked.”
“So no retail?”
“No,” I admitted and frowned again.
Steve gave me a warm smile. “That’s okay. We all have to start somewhere.”
“Right.”
“Tell me a little about yourself.”
“There really isn’t much to tell.”
“Sure there is. Tell me about your family.”
I took a deep breath. Not many people knew about my parents. After they died, I got really depressed. The days turned into weeks and then months without me wanting to be around people. A few of my parents’ friends tried to reach out, but I let Keith handle them. Then I realized Keith spent all of the money that he had been given to help us, and I got a job. My focus had always been on surviving, and I didn’t have time to form relationships.
“Well, my parents died two weeks before my sixteenth birthday, and things became hard since it was just my older brother and me. I started to work at Freshly Baked after school and on weekends to keep the lights on, then I graduated, and I’ve been working ever since.”
“Wow, Cassie. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you.” I smiled tightly, trying to show it didn’t bother me, but it did. I missed my parents every day and wondered what life would be like if they were still here.
“When did you start working at the casino?”
“Just about four months ago. I was hoping to make more money with tips and all, but since I’m the new girl, I get the slow shifts.”
He nodded and paused for a moment before speaking. “Well, as I told you yesterday, I’m looking for someone to help out around here. It was my daughter, but she’s going off to Yale in a little more than a month, and I need to have someone trained and able to cover her shift.”
“I’m willing to learn—and quickly. I promise I won’t let you down.”
Steve smiled. “Aren’t you curious how much the pay is? And what hours I need you to work?”
I chuckled slightly. “Yes, sorry. I’m just excited to work for you if you want to hire me.”
He grinned. “Good to know. Let’s start you off at minimum wage plus twenty percent commission on everything you sell.”
“Wow, thank you,” I breathed. I didn’t know if it would be more than what I made in tips at the casino, but just the thought of not having to deal with drunks and loud people was enough to make me take the job on the spot. Plus, the hours would be much better. From what I saw posted near the front door, the store was only open ten to six.
“Put in your two-week notice, and then we’ll get you started here. During the first week or so, I’ll have you come in and train with me. After that, you should be good to go on your own.”
I reached out my hand as I stood. “Thank you so much. I won’t let you down.”
I always hated leaving my mom, but Vegas was where the money was, and I had to go back.
I was hopeful she would get the job at D
ovie’s because I knew it would be good for her to get out of the house. As for Holly, I was the perfect gentleman. Paid for lunch and took her back home. I knew she wished for more by her endless flirting, but I didn’t want to give her hope of anything more with me.
When I got back into town, I texted Gabe: Back in Sin City. Need me today?
A few minutes later, he texted: Yeah. Meet me at Club 24. Autumn and I are running a class in an hour. Let’s see if you can handle it.
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. I fucking could handle it. I was a Marine, and I specialized in hand-to-hand combat. I was a trained killer.
Me: I think I’ll manage.
Parking my black, limited edition, four-door, Ford-150 in the parking lot of the gym, I cut the engine and got out. Being able to drive a luxury vehicle was another perk of the job. Life was good.
All the guys worked out at Club 24, and most of us were good friends with the owners. In fact, I always wondered why the youngest brother, Blake Montgomery, never asked us how to get into the game. From what I knew about him, he would be good at escorting—he was good-looking, and the women seemed to love him.
I checked in with the front desk and made my way to the room that Gabe used for his class. He really did have a sweet deal getting in with the Montgomery brothers. Like me, he’d left the military before he could get retirement from the Army, and I was happy that he’d found something he loved to do and could help others. Helping others was something I loved to do too, and that was why I didn’t hesitate to offer my assistance since Paul was going to Quantico.
“Hey,” I greeted as I walked into the room where Gabe and Autumn were setting up. I expected to see Paul since he hadn’t left for the FBI yet, but he wasn’t there.
“Hey,” Gabe greeted back.
I hugged Autumn. “Where’s Paul?” I asked.
Gin & Jewels Page 3
