Only in Vegas (17 page)

He smiled determinedly.  “I’m thinking that all’s fair in love and war.”             

CHAPTER TWELVE

It had been four weeks, three days and fourteen hours since Angie had said her goodbyes to everyone back home and drove to Florida to begin her temporary managerial position at Sunset Travel’s Miami office. 

Leaving Pittsburgh - no, make that leaving Trey - had been the hardest thing she ever had to do.  Granted, Rick’s never ending attempts to win her back had pushed her very close to the brink of sanity, but her decision to transfer was made with Trey in mind.

Trey had made it clear that he needed space from her right now.  It seemed he had yet to deal with the feelings he had for her.  More than friendship kind of feelings.  She could only hope that distance really did make the heart grow fonder.

Though she and Kathy talked daily, she had only spoken to Trey a few times since arriving in Miami.  She missed him more than she would have thought possible.  She had not only left Trey behind, but a big piece of her heart.

During her calls with Trey, they talked about everyday things like work, weather, and, of course, the Steelers.  She never brought up the status of their relationship, not wanting to pressure him as Rick had done her.  It was best to let nature take its course.

If only
nature
hadn’t decided to take its good old time about doing so.

No matter what, when this transfer was over and she went back to Pittsburgh, she was going to let Trey know exactly how she felt about him.  It was something she felt better said face to face, not over the phone.  Unfortunately, that moment was still months away.

Angie pulled into her covered parking space at her new, though only temporary, apartment building and shut off the engine.  The tune to “White Christmas” was still playing in her head as it had been since she’d heard it on the radio that morning at work.

As if she wasn’t homesick enough already.

She never thought she’d be missing the cold, wintry holidays, but at that moment she’d give anything for a white Christmas!  The only white she would be seeing this year was sand and lots of it.

She hurried across the sunbaked parking lot and stepped through the ivy-covered archway leading from the private parking stalls to her apartment complex.  The sight that greeted her stopped her dead in her tracks.

“Hot pink,” Angie groaned.

The smell of paint still lingered thick in the air.  Just when she thought nothing could be worse than the god awful shade of sea foam green her apartment building had been when she first moved in.

Flamingo pink!

Was there some kind of law in Florida prohibiting the use of any normal colors?  She had a whole new appreciation now for colors like beige, grey and white.

Forcing her gaze to the coral colored stones lining the walkway, she continued on.  It was an unusually warm winter day, though not without several fleeting rainstorms that did nothing but cause chaos with her already unruly curls.

The
afternoon sun was out again, hanging overhead in a fiery blaze that caused vapors of steam to rise from recently rain dampened pavement.

She supposed she should be grateful that her transfer to the Miami office hadn’t taken place in the summer.  She’d been to Florida during those months before and the humidity was almost unbearable. 

“You’re a third of the way there,” she reminded herself as she stepped up to the security door at the main entrance of the apartment complex.  Not quite two months and she would be home again. 

Angie quickly punched in her key code and pulled open the glass door, feeling the welcome rush of cold air against her skin. 

“Ah,” she sighed, closing the door behind her.

Gathering up a handful of dark curls, she fanned the cool air across the back of her neck.  She was never so grateful for air conditioning.

“Home already?” came a soft, quivering voice from the nearby hallway.

Angie smiled.  “Hello, Mrs. Thompson.”  She crossed the carpet of muted pink seashells to the row of mailboxes that lined the heavily stuccoed wall.  “I don’t usually work on Saturday, but I had a few accounts I needed to take care of this morning.”  She spoke loudly, knowing the older woman who was hard of hearing.

The woman nodded.  “I didn’t realize it was Saturday already.  Days all seem to run together when you’re retired, you know.”

“I’m sure they do.”

“You’re such a hard worker.  They’re lucky to have you.  Maybe they’ll ask you to stay on even after that other girl gets back.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.  Besides, I’m ready to go home.”  Then she quickly added, “Not that I haven’t enjoyed your company.”

“Home is where the heart is,” the woman replied. “Speaking of which, have you heard from your young man lately?”

“Young man?”

The corners of Mrs. Thompson’s mouth lifted in unspoken pleasure as she stepped up to her own mailbox.  Reaching into the front pocket of her dress, she slipped out a small key and inserted it into her mailbox. 

“You know,” the woman said.  “The one who calls and makes your eyes sparkle for days afterwards.  Oh, what was it?  Tim.  Tom.  Something like that.”  She leaned forward to add in a confidential whisper, “Only sexier.”

Angie laughed.  “Trey.” 

The woman pointed a slightly crooked finger her direction.  “That’s it.  A good strong name like Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart.  He’s a keeper, honey.”

Mrs. Thompson had welcomed Angie to the complex with a basket of assorted teas which she joined her in sampling on occasion.  It was during one of those occasions Trey called and Mrs. Thompson had been quick to pick up on Angie’s feelings for him. 

“He’s not mine to keep,” she explained as she pulled a handful of mail from her box and stuffed it into the leather bag she used as both briefcase and purse. 

“But he will be.  Never give up on love, my dear,” she said with her usual warm, grand-motherly kind of smile, then turned and walked away.   

“I won’t,” Angie called after her.

“And remember,” the elderly woman called out over her shoulder as moved down the brightly lit corridor, “True love always finds a way.”

Her neighbor’s parting words stayed with her as she made her way to her apartment, several doors past the one Mrs. Thompson had gone into.

She was barely in the door when she heard the sound of tiny feet scampering toward her across the tiled floor.  Kneeling, she extended her arms, calling out to the tiny ball of fur that was racing in her direction. 

“Jackpot!”

The puppy, its tail wagging furiously, jumped up and down on its little hind legs, planting several wet kisses on her cheek.

“I think somebody missed me.”  Laughing, Angie scooped the little white dog up, and closed the door behind her. 
Being a Saturday, she’d only had to work a half day, but it was still nice to know someone missed her.  “I missed you, too.”

She turned her head to avoid another onslaught of wet kisses from her pint-size companion.  Not that she was complaining.  It was nice to be welcomed home.  

It had been a little over a week since she brought Jackpot home to live with her.  The two had bonded almost immediately.  She had gotten the frisky little pup from a woman who worked at the Miami office.  She had brought Jackpot home from the animal shelter for her daughter who ended up being allergic to him.  Rather than see him go back to the pound, Angie found herself offering to take the pup. 

How could she have resisted anyway after hearing the pup’s name?  Jackpot reminded her of Vegas.  And Vegas reminded her of the week she spent there with Trey.  A week she would never forget.

Taking Jackpot in was a decision she hadn’t once regretted.  He was playful and loving and helped ease some of the loneliness she’d felt since coming to Miami. 

Angie set the squirming pup on the floor.  “How about a treat?”

The words were barely out of her mouth before the pup went scurrying into the kitchen in a blur of white.  A clear sign she had already spoiled him rotten. 

Laughing, she followed him.     

Sunlight streamed in through the partially open slats of the mini-blinds.  She walked over and raised the blinds while Jackpot danced around her feet, barking impatiently.

“All right, Mr. Impatient, hang on.  I’m getting it.”

She reached into his treat jar and held it up for him to see.  “Have you been a good boy?”

The puppy barked and danced in a circle.

She bent to give him the treat.  Jackpot grabbed hold of it and raced off, tail wagging behind him.

Angie emptied her mail onto the breakfast bar and settled onto one of the chairs to sort through it.  She reached for her letter opener just as the phone rang.

“Hello?” she said, bringing the handset to her ear.

“Good, you’re home.  I was afraid you’d be at the beach or something.”

“Kathy?” she said, her the hint of desperation in Kathy’s voice.  “What’s wrong?” 

“What’s right would be a more fitting question,” her friend answered.

Dropping the letter opener onto the stack of mail, Angie shoved it aside.  “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing is the way it’s supposed to be.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“I wish.”

“Is this about a guy?”

“Yes.”

“Who?”  Kathy had so many boyfriends it was hard to know which one she was referring to.

Her friend sighed.  “It’s my brother.”

“Trey?”

“Yes.”

Trepidation moved through her.  “Has something happened to him?” 

“Yes, something’s happened.  My brother’s lost his freaking mind!”

The yes nearly had Angie’s heart stopping, but then the rest of Kathy’s statement caught up.  “He’s lost his mind?”

“I shouldn’t be telling you this.  It’ll upset you more than it upset me.”

“Damn it, Kathy, tell me what’s wrong.”  She was ready to reached through the phone and pull the words out of her friend’s mouth.

“Trey’s getting married.”

Mental replay.  “He’s what?”

“Damn it, Angel, I hate to be the one to have to tell you this, knowing how you feel about my brother.  Apparently, he’s asked Traci Sanders to marry him.”

“Traci from the cruise department?”  Angie’s raised voice brought Jackpot running over to her, whimpering.  “It’s okay,” she said, scooping the pup up in her arms.

But it wasn’t okay.  Her heart was breaking. 

“It’s okay?” Kathy gasped.

“I wasn’t talking to you.  I was talking to Jackpot.”

“Oh, thank god,” her friend said with a sigh.  “For a moment there, I thought maybe you had lost your freaking mind, too.”

Angie tried hard to maintain her composure.  “Trey never said anything about dating anyone.”  Then again, she hadn’t asked.   

“It seems my big brother has suddenly decided marriage would be a wise business move.”

“Marrying Traci is a wise business move?” Angie practically shrieked.  “She has blue hair!”

“Not this week.  It’s orange.”

“What could Trey see in someone like her?  She has places pierced on her body I never knew could be pierced.”

“Do you really want me to take a guess at that one?”             

“No.  On second thought, don’t answer that.  I didn’t realize Trey even knew Traci.”

“He doesn’t really.  At least not as well as he should if he’s going to ask her to marry him.”

Angie wanted to cover her ears.  If she didn’t hear this, it wouldn’t be true.  The man she had waited all her life for, the man she loved with all her heart, couldn’t be marrying someone else.  “Kathy, if this is some kind of joke, it’s not funny.” 

“I wish it were,” her friend said.  “I guess they’ve been going out for a couple of weeks.  Lunch dates mostly.  And I don’t think it has as much to do with business as it does with his being a guy on the rebound.”

He’s the one who pushed her away.  How did that make him eligible to be on the rebound?  “So he intends to marry someone he’s only had a few lunch dates with?  He is out of his freaking mind!”

“I guess he figures if he can’t have the woman he really wants –
you
– that any woman will do.”

He never asked her! 

“She’s barely out of high school.”  Angie was still in shock.

“One good thing is she’ll be able to push him around in his wheelchair when he gets too old to walk.”

“I should be pushing him!  Not her.”

“You can tell that to Trey when you get to Vegas.”

“What?”  She gave her pup another treat and set him on the floor.

“He and Traci have decided to elope.  They called to tell me on their way to the airport.

Angie gasped.  “They’re getting married today?”

“Not if I have anything to do with it.  They aren’t planning to get married until later this evening.  You have to go talk some sense into my brother.  He’ll listen to you.  I know he will.”