Loving and Loathing Vegas (5 page)

“I’ll come with you,” Ennis said, smiling.

Jackson’s jaw dropped. Wasn’t expecting
that
.

“Oh…. Okay,” Jackson said. He looked helplessly toward the restroom. He had seen the inside of Old Gary’s restroom. The Baths of Caracalla were far, far more sanitary.

Ennis seemed to get the hint. “Outside. This place is useless for babies.” He snorted.

Was that derision? Did Ennis have kids too? Jackson brightened. He’d have a Christmas date after all.

“Follow me,” Ennis said, taking Jackson by the elbow. He led him out the door to his car.

Jackson held his tongue as they stopped at the rusted-out Volkswagen Bug. “That’s your car?” he asked, uncertain.

“Yeah,” Ennis said without hesitation. “It was the last one on the lot.” He gingerly reached for the basket, and Jackson complied. Ennis lifted Jeshebet and then laid her on the hood of the car. “Oh, you dropped an atom bomb, didn’t you, little miss?” he said as he unfolded her blanket and then worked at her diaper. “Got the baby wipes?”

Jackson was too busy deciphering the information to realize Ennis had asked him a question. Luckily, the horrific smell rising from Jeshebet’s butt reminded him. “Oh! Baby wipes. Right,” he said, and rifled around in his messenger bag. He handed over the plastic box of wipes.

Ennis smiled and set to work on tending to Jeshebet. Jackson didn’t know what to make of it. Ennis was like a natural with her. She never broke eye contact as she cooed and babbled. Ennis smiled at her and babbled gibberish back at her.

“You’re really good with her,” Jackson said in awe. “She’s very picky about who she likes.”

Ennis tickled Jeshebet’s cheeks and she cackled with delight. “My sister has kids,” he said. “When my nephew was born, he attached to me instantly. There were many impromptu diaper changes.”

Jackson’s heart swelled. Humans weren’t so bad. Though the little wiggly ones were still questionable. Ennis affixed Jeshebet’s new diaper, and Jackson slipped into place with her basket. He and Vegas would find her parents soon enough. Once Ikestanski got back from vacation in Tampa, he’d be back on the case.

As Ennis settled Jeshebet in her basket, he murmured at her. “Clean up aisle four, we have a baby on the loose.”

Jeshebet erupted into giggles.

“So, why did you come all the way out to the middle of nowhere?” Jackson glanced to the driver side of the Bug. A thick manila folder full of papers sat in the passenger seat. “With the last car on the lot, as you say.”

Ennis fell quiet. He laughed, but it came out as a sad, remorseful sound. “Chasing a ghost,” he said softly.

Uh-oh.
Jackson mentally crossed him off the dating-material list. He clung tighter to the baby’s basket. Now, how to make a quick escape without seeming weird about it?

“My boyfriend vanished into thin air one day,” Ennis said, squinting at the blazing daylight.

Oh. Shit. Another weirdo. He and Cillian would be the best of buddies.

Jackson frowned. He had to take the high road about it. He was Cillian’s new boss, after all. And Vegas….

Jackson bit the inside of his cheek. He couldn’t think of that anymore. He’d lost the bet. It was best to just accept defeat and move on.

Their eyes met, and Jackson feigned interest to cover for his hurt.

Ennis tilted his chin to the car, indicating the manila folder. “I’m a journalist, and my editor gave me a lead that he’s here.” His gaze softened. “The guy that runs the Charms of Zephyr. That weird charms and crystals place. You know him, right?”

Oh. God. Cillian really
was
perfect for him.

“Kinda…,” Jackson said with a catlike smile. “He’s nice.”
Crazy.
“Kind of different.”
Crazy.
“Really friendly.”
Crazy.

Jackson cursed himself. He’d failed his driver’s test on taking the high road.

Ennis nodded. “I’ve been trying to get the nerve to approach him. I wouldn’t know what to say.”

Jackson blinked.
Wait. What is happening?
He put it together. “He’s your boyfriend?”

“I’m pretty sure,” Ennis said. “I just freeze every time.”

Jeshebet blew spit bubbles, and Jackson reached in the basket to dab her mouth.

“Why did he leave?” Jackson asked. Cillian may have rubbed him every wrong way, but hearing about him from Ennis’s perspective was heartening.

Ennis chuckled. “He’s… well… how do I put it? Pretty spacey.”

Jackson slapped his hand over his mouth, trying to hold in his cackling. But his shoulders shook, and he failed and burst into gales of laughter. Oh. This was pure gold. He swallowed down air, trying to calm down. “Sorry…,” he wheezed. “Sorry. Trust me. I know all about that.”

Jackson paused as his
ah-hah
moment hit him right between the eyes. If he could reunite these star-crossed lovers, would Vegas see the light? Would Vegas finally see what had been right in front of him the whole time? Ennis seemed genuine about Cillian. Would the feeling be mutual? It couldn’t hurt.

And if the feelings weren’t there, at least Jackson would get them to talk. And Jackson knew he’d have to face the inevitable of his bubbly, bright-eyed employee being an item with the chef.

“Tell you what. Vegas knows the guy pretty well. I’ll have him introduce you two,” Jackson said. “We’re having a Christmas special at Eaven. You guys should come by. Vegas is making his candy cane chocolate silk pie for the party. On the house.”

Ennis cracked a slow smile. “I saw something on TripAdvisor about his pies. That’s you guys?”

Jackson laughed, and Jeshebet giggled with him. “That’s us. Vegas always makes something deadly. Lately, it’s baby food for this one.” He swayed the basket, and Jeshebet clapped her little hands.

“You guys raising her?” Ennis asked as he leaned against the Bug. “I’ve seen you guys together. He seems like an awesome dad.”

Jackson sputtered. “Oh!” He blushed before he could control it. “Vegas and I aren’t
together
. We’re just roommates.”

It was Ennis’s turn to spit a laugh. “Fuck. I haven’t heard the roommate thing since college.” He clapped a hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “I get it. Conservative town and all. Open relationship, I guess? Not my speed, but it’s cool.”

The hair on the back of Jackson’s neck stood up. “No, no. We really are roommates,” he insisted. “We’ve lived together for years.”

Ennis narrowed his eyes and made a smarmy grin.

“I’m not helping my case, am I?” Jackson asked.

“Nope.”

“We really are just roommates.” Jackson scowled.

Ennis scratched his chin. “Sure, sure.”

“Anyway.” Jackson made a valiant attempt at changing the topic. “Come to the party this weekend. We might even be able to wrangle a tree from Santa Fe that won’t fall apart in transit.”

“Have you thought about a Christmas cactus?”

Jackson grinned. “I’d settle for a tumbleweed at this point.”

J
ACKSON
STRAIGHTENED
his Santa hat in the restroom mirror, the word “Naughty” emblazoned into the fluffy lining. He smirked, thinking that no one would get the joke of just how naughty he could be.

He stiffened when he heard a knock on the door.

“How long you gunna be? Jeshebet’s getting fussy,” Vegas said through the door.

Jackson nodded to his reflection. He could do this. A full diner and a grumpy baby. He had this down. It would do good to take his mind off losing the bet. Jackson didn’t expect the tranquility of realizing he lost, and he had been selfish by trying to win at all costs.

He had Jeshebet to take care of, and the responsibility brought him peculiar comfort. Maybe she was his little Christmas miracle. It ate him up inside that after New Year’s he’d have to give her up. He’d never forget how a tiny, wiggly, stinky human could make him understand what it was like to care for another.

He stepped out of the restroom and found Vegas waiting at the door. Jackson hesitated, noting the completely flustered expression on Vegas’s face. Was he blushing? Or was he just hot from working in the kitchen?

Vegas averted his eyes and took a chug from his water bottle. He coughed into his fist.

“You okay?” Jackson asked.

“Y-Yeah,” Vegas said, and Jackson arched a brow, noting his timidity. Vegas was many things, but timid was never one of them. “Cillian’s here to help out.”

Jackson breathed deep through his nose, letting his chest fill completely before letting it go. That name on Vegas’s lips would take some getting used to. It wouldn’t be the first time Vegas passed him over, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

He smiled, and this time didn’t have to force it. “Jeshebet probably needs changing. I hope Cillian can man the front of the house for a little bit.” He started to head off to the manager’s office, where they had jury-rigged yet another bassinet for the baby out of printer paper boxes. But Vegas took him by the wrist, halting him. Jackson turned, curious, as Vegas gulped down another large swig from his bottle.

“Listen,” Vegas began, and then swallowed dryly. “I really need to tell you something.”

Using Vegas’s grip on his wrist, Jackson jerked him closer and then hugged him tight.

Vegas went rigid from the contact.

“It’s okay,” Jackson whispered. “You have my blessing.”

The words were hard to say, but it was the deepest relief to let them go. Jackson had lost sight of what was important. Vegas’s long-standing friendship would never change. And Jackson had finally understood what really made humanity quite charming. Being Sisyphus and cleaning the grease traps for all eternity wasn’t
that
bad. Well. It was. But Jackson knew there could never be love without loss.

From the office, Jeshebet’s cranky cries drifted into the kitchen.

Jackson let Vegas go, metaphorically and physically.

Vegas shook his head, seeming confused. “Are you really okay?”

Jackson smiled softly. “I think I finally am. I never thought I’d understand what you saw in the humans, but really, they’re not so bad.”

Vegas still didn’t look convinced. “Okay. I get you’re in the holiday spirit and all, but did you hit your head or something? Because I kind of miss the old cranky Jackson.”

“What’s gotten into you?” Jackson asked. “Stressed out about working tonight?”

Vegas snorted. “I’m in my element in the kitchen. I got this covered.” He untied his bandanna from his wrist and then tied it over his hair. “We really need to talk after work.”

Jackson kept his dread off his face and instead schooled his features into a tight-lipped smile. There was no need to rub it in his face that Vegas and Cillian were an item now. But it seemed Vegas was dead set on elaborating on every detail and where the lines were now drawn in their relationship.

Jeshebet’s fussing cries from the office filtered through the silence between them.

“Anyway, gotta go change my baby,” Jackson said, nodding.

“
Your
baby?” Vegas asked, a chuckle in his voice.

It had come out before Jackson could stop himself. He considered the words and smiled. Jeshebet would be his for the brief time they had left with each other. He glanced over his shoulder at Vegas. “
My
baby,” he repeated and headed into the office.

“S
HE
WON
’
T
calm down?” Cillian asked Jackson over the rising and falling of customer chatter. He then hung the order ticket on the pass-through. “Order up,” he called to Vegas.

Jackson bounced with Jeshebet tucked to his chest as she wailed over the Christmas carols. “I fed her. I changed her. She had a nap. I don’t think I’m doing this right. I’ve been reading about babies on the Internet. I got Huggies because they were pink. I thought she’d like it. And the reviews said they were soft, but expensive. I got the organic unscented baby wipes. And some baby toys. She likes her blocks the best.” He turned to Cillian, terror-stricken. “Am I that person? Am I doing this wrong? Am I a bad parent? You can tell me. I am a bad parent. I’m even a bad, judgmental friend.”

Cillian took a deep breath and fanned his hands over himself as if banishing bad vibes. Like some Reiki bullshit.

There went Jackson with the judging again.

Cillian smiled in that sweet, nurturing way. “Jackson, just breathe. You’re rambling. I’ve only known you to ramble when you’re quite creatively cussing someone out.”

Jackson smirked. “Thanks, I guess?”

“That wasn’t a compliment, but we each have a gift that the Beyond has blessed us with,” Cillian said in the same kind tone, yet he pulled off an expert insult.

Jackson pressed his lips into a thin line as Jeshebet continued to wail. “You know I only like you part of the time, right?”

Cillian tilted his head in a childishly warm way. “That’s all right. I like you all the time.”

Jeshebet diverted their attention as she screamed in Jackson’s ear.

His lip quivered. This was a definite parenting trial by fire that not even the Four Horsemen Stables could have prepared him for. It was easier when Eaven wasn’t so busy with the typical flow of customers.

But word seemed to have gotten out on Foodspotting and TripAdvisor about Vegas’s killer holiday menu. The customers discreetly glanced in Jackson’s direction as he cradled the screeching baby.

Jackson never thought he’d be that guy in a crowded restaurant with the misbehaving child. The thought raised a sense of ire in his mind. Who were they to judge him? Who were they to tell him how to parent? He wasn’t even her real parent, and how dare anyone say anything about a little girl found in the trash.

Jeshebet was special. It was her first Christmas.

And she was having
none
of the holiday spirit.

“Maybe she’s teething?” Cillian asked.

Jackson angled Jeshebet to get a peek into her mouth. It wasn’t hard with her gaping maw. He hummed. “Don’t see any teeth.”

“Is she feverish?” Cillian asked. “She could be sick.” He moved closer, and her screams escalated into pure bloodcurdling.