Aurelia hadn’t traveled much and rarely stayed in a hotel. Still, she knew what a regular room looked like, and this wasn’t it.
To her right was a beautiful bathroom done in marble and glass. There was a stall shower and a big tub, double sinks, a vanity and plenty of mirrors. It was like a movie set or something out of a fairy tale. Past the bathroom was the bedroom. Except it was more than a bedroom. There was a king-size bed with beautiful linens and big nightstands. Beyond that, three steps led to a sunken living room. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered her a view of the pirate boat floating in front of Treasure Island.
She turned in a slow circle, taking in the room again, then looked at Stephen. “I don’t understand,” she said. “This can’t be my room. It’s so beautiful.” She laughed. “Tell me we never have to leave.”
“If we win big downstairs, we can stay as long as you like,” he told her.
Aurelia smiled. “I’d like that.”
They agreed to meet in half an hour and go down to the casino. Aurelia used her time to put her brown hair into hot rollers and pray that it came out okay. She changed into white jeans and a turquoise-colored silk blouse she’d bought on sale nearly a year ago.
She normally didn’t spend much money on her casual wardrobe. All of her clothing budget was spent on work clothes, and everything she didn’t spend on her own living expenses either went to her mother or her small savings account. But the shirt had been so beautiful, she’d been unable to resist it.
After spreading out her newly purchased cosmetics on the marble counter, she carefully applied moisturizer, then concealer. The powder foundation went on as easily as the girl at the makeup counter had promised. She kept her eye shadow simple by brushing on a light taupe color. After mascara, she applied blush, then lip gloss. The last step was pulling out the hot rollers and finger combing her hair. She bent at the waist and doused herself in hairspray. As she stood, she flipped her head back and surveyed the look.
In a bathroom full of mirrors, there was no escaping reality. But this time it wasn’t so bad. Aurelia looked at herself from several angles. She would never be stunning, but for once in her life she was pretty. At least she felt pretty, and that might be enough.
She’d barely slipped into her shoes when Stephen knocked on her door. She picked up her purse and went to meet him.
“Hi,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt.
“Hi, yourself,” he began, then stopped and stared at her. “Wow, you look great.”
“Thanks.”
She was aware of the man and the camera just beyond Stephen’s shoulder. For a moment she wished it could just be the two of them. That even a small part of their time together could be real. But it wasn’t. She had to keep reminding herself of that.
“What do you want to do first?” Stephen asked. “Slots, blackjack, or do you prefer roulette?”
“I’ve never gambled,” she admitted. “What do you suggest?”
As they spoke they walked toward the elevators. Stephen pushed the button for them to go down. The doors opened immediately. As they stepped onto the elevator, she felt him put his hand on the small of her back.
It was nothing, she told herself. Men did that sort of thing all the time. She’d just noticed Finn doing it to Dakota. But she couldn’t help being aware of how he touched her. The silk of her shirt seemed to intensify the heat from his hand. As the elevator started down, she felt a little light-headed and told herself it was from the vertical movement and nothing else.
They walked out of the elevator and into the craziness. It was fun and bright and loud. Aurelia didn’t know where to look first.
“Are you hungry?” Stephen asked, pointing to the Grand Lux Café.
“Maybe later,” she said. Right now she was too excited to eat. There was too much to see.
An older couple walked past them. “Don’t you love seeing a family traveling together, George?” the woman asked. “She brought her baby brother to Las Vegas. Isn’t that nice?”
Aurelia stepped away from Stephen. She didn’t know if he’d heard the comment or not. The camera guy had his lens trained on the old people, so she knew that moment was going to make the show.
She started walking, not sure where she was going. Humiliation heated her cheeks and stole the pleasure she felt at being here. She thought about running after the couple and telling them what was going on, but what was the point?
Stephen kept pace with her. “You okay?” he asked.
His obvious confusion told her he hadn’t heard their words, at least not yet. Reminding herself they were just friends didn’t make her feel any better.
She stopped in the center of the casino and faced him. He was so nice, she thought. A good guy. But there was no way…
“Excuse me. What are you doing?”
Aurelia and Stephen turned toward the well-muscled man in the dark suit. The name badge said that he was with security. His expression told them he was very serious about his job.
He pointed to the camera guy. “You can’t film here.”
“We’re doing a reality show,” Stephen said. “Didn’t the production company clear this with you?”
“No.” The man from security moved toward the camera. “Turn that off now or I will turn it off for you.”
“I’ll get Geoff,” the camera guy said as he turned and practically ran away.
“Is he coming back or do I have to chase him down?”
Aurelia wasn’t sure if the security man was talking to them or not. Apparently, it didn’t matter. He pulled a walkie-talkie out of his jacket pocket and spoke into it. She had a feeling that this wasn’t going to end well.
“We’ll go,” she said taking Stephen’s hand in hers.
Stephen glanced at the security guy’s annoyed face and nodded. “I don’t think either of us would like jail.”
They turned.
For a second, Aurelia wondered if they would be allowed to simply walk away. But nothing happened as they dashed up an escalator. As the stairs carried them to another floor, she was able to draw in a deep breath.
“You okay? I thought you were going to faint,” Stephen told her.
“I was terrified,” she admitted. “I can’t believe Geoff brought us all here without making arrangements with the hotel. It’s not a surprise they don’t want us filming. They don’t know what we’re going do with it. It could be a scam. Or a trick to cheat or something.”
She had more to say but suddenly couldn’t speak. Stephen was riding on the step behind her. Without warning, he rested one hand on her hip as he leaned toward her.
Aurelia did her best to act casual. Shrieking in surprise wasn’t very appropriate. Besides, she’d taken his hand in hers to pull him away from the security guy—although that had been different. She couldn’t explain why, but knew it was.
When they reached the top of the escalator, they stepped off. She planned to continue her analysis of what it all meant, only she couldn’t. Not when it seemed as if they’d entered another world.
Above them, the ceiling was painted sky blue with clouds that almost appeared to float by. They were in the hotel, but she felt like they really could be outside. There were stores and restaurants and…
“Look,” she breathed, pointing to the narrow boats floating on a man-made canal. “Gondolas.”
“Want to ride?” he asked, then urged her forward. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
There wasn’t much of a line, so in a matter of minutes, she was carefully stepping into the gondola. It wobbled on the water, but she managed to sit down without falling. Stephen sat next to her.
There wasn’t a lot of room, so he was close. Close enough for her to feel the softness of his long-sleeved shirt against her hand and the pressure of his thigh against hers.
“Ever done anything like this before?” he asked as he looked around. “No.”
Never. Not even in her dreams.
They took the leisurely boat ride through a winding course. People walking by stopped to wave. Music echoed off the ceiling and reverberated all around them. She caught sight of stores whose names she’d only seen in magazines. Everything about the moment was perfect.
Then Stephen put his arm around her and it all got better.
When they rounded a corner, a man was waiting with a camera. He told them to smile, then snapped their picture. Once the ride was over, they went to check on the digital image displayed on a computer screen.
“You’re beautiful,” Stephen told her.
Aurelia knew he was being kind, but she was pleased with how the photo had turned out. They were both looking at the camera, with genuine smiles. She noticed they were leaning into each other and looked very much like a couple. If one ignored the age difference.
“We’ll take two,” he said, then paid for them.
“I should buy them.”
“Why?”
Because she made more than him. Because he was still in college and this wasn’t a date. But she didn’t want to say any of that, so instead she simply said, “Thank you,” when he handed her the thin bag containing the pictures in a paper frame.
“Hungry?” Stephen asked, pointing to one of the outdoor restaurants.
“Yes.”
“Good. Me, too.”
It was midafternoon, and there wasn’t much of a crowd. They were seated immediately at a small corner table next to a plant. Despite being in the open, the space felt private. Intimate.
The server gave them menus. Even though she was hungry, Aurelia couldn’t imagine eating. She chose a salad and iced tea. Stephen ordered a pizza and soda.
“You know why I decided to do the show,” she said. “Why did you?”
He picked up his fork and turned it over in his hands. “A lot of reasons. I wanted to get out of South Salmon and this was a good way.”
“A good way? You left college in your last semester. How is that smart?”
Stephan rolled his eyes but Aurelia persisted.
“Getting an education can’t hurt. What are you going to do when the show is over?”
Stephen put down the fork and leaned toward her. “I don’t want to fly.”
“I don’t understand. You want to drive back to Alaska?”
He laughed. “No. I mean I don’t want to be a pilot, like my brother. I don’t want to go into the family business.”
“Oh.” She knew all about family expectations. Despite the fact that she was nearly thirty, she had never once been able to please her mother. “Is that what Finn wants? He expects you to go into the family business?”
“It’s implied.”
“Have you told him how you feel?”
“No. He doesn’t care about that.”
Aurelia shook her head. “You’re talking about a man who flew a thousand miles to make sure you and your brother were okay. I think he cares a lot about you.”
“That’s different. He wants me home so he can control me. If I were to tell him that I wanted to be an engineer, he’d fly me up to ten thousand feet and kick me out of the airplane.”
“Now you’re talking like a kid.”
“Hey!” He straightened. “Where do you get off saying that?”
“Look at your actions. You’re not willing to sit down and talk to Finn. Instead, you ran off. How is that mature?”
“You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I’m a disinterested third party.” Disinterested probably wasn’t the right word. Embarrassingly enough, she found herself more than a little interested in Stephen. Why couldn’t he have been thirty instead of twenty? Life was nothing if not karmically cruel.
“Besides,” she continued. “If you’re one semester away from graduation, he already knows your major.”
“The major isn’t important as long as I come back home.” He shook his head. “When our folks died, things were bad. Finn took care of us. Now he can’t let that go. He thinks we’re still the little kids who needed him.”
“You should talk to him,” she said. “Why wouldn’t he be happy that you wanted to be an engineer? It’s a good, solid job.”
“I’ve known him all my life, Aurelia. You’re going to have to trust me on this. Finn would never approve.”
She wanted to argue but didn’t. After all, there were plenty of people who would tell her to simply stand up to her mother. From the outside it seemed so easy. But from the inside, everything was different. She couldn’t seem to survive the waves of guilt every time she tried. It was as if her mother had been given an instruction manual on how to manipulate her and had memorized every page.
Stephen had been one of the few people to accept her limitations. “I do trust you,” she said.
In the square, someone called their names. She and Stephen turned toward the sound of several people running. One of the production assistants hurried up to them.
“There you are,” Karen said, sounding breathless. “We’ve been looking everywhere. Geoff is furious. We’re all packing up and going home. You have to come right now.”
Aurelia looked at Stephen, who shrugged. “I guess we’ll get something to eat at the airport,” he said.
“Hurry,” the production assistant said. “We have to get to the airport. Geoff is furious that there wasn’t a date.”
Aurelia and Stephen walked out of the restaurant. As they followed the production assistant to the elevators, he leaned close.
To her right was a beautiful bathroom done in marble and glass. There was a stall shower and a big tub, double sinks, a vanity and plenty of mirrors. It was like a movie set or something out of a fairy tale. Past the bathroom was the bedroom. Except it was more than a bedroom. There was a king-size bed with beautiful linens and big nightstands. Beyond that, three steps led to a sunken living room. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered her a view of the pirate boat floating in front of Treasure Island.
She turned in a slow circle, taking in the room again, then looked at Stephen. “I don’t understand,” she said. “This can’t be my room. It’s so beautiful.” She laughed. “Tell me we never have to leave.”
“If we win big downstairs, we can stay as long as you like,” he told her.
Aurelia smiled. “I’d like that.”
They agreed to meet in half an hour and go down to the casino. Aurelia used her time to put her brown hair into hot rollers and pray that it came out okay. She changed into white jeans and a turquoise-colored silk blouse she’d bought on sale nearly a year ago.
She normally didn’t spend much money on her casual wardrobe. All of her clothing budget was spent on work clothes, and everything she didn’t spend on her own living expenses either went to her mother or her small savings account. But the shirt had been so beautiful, she’d been unable to resist it.
After spreading out her newly purchased cosmetics on the marble counter, she carefully applied moisturizer, then concealer. The powder foundation went on as easily as the girl at the makeup counter had promised. She kept her eye shadow simple by brushing on a light taupe color. After mascara, she applied blush, then lip gloss. The last step was pulling out the hot rollers and finger combing her hair. She bent at the waist and doused herself in hairspray. As she stood, she flipped her head back and surveyed the look.
In a bathroom full of mirrors, there was no escaping reality. But this time it wasn’t so bad. Aurelia looked at herself from several angles. She would never be stunning, but for once in her life she was pretty. At least she felt pretty, and that might be enough.
She’d barely slipped into her shoes when Stephen knocked on her door. She picked up her purse and went to meet him.
“Hi,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt.
“Hi, yourself,” he began, then stopped and stared at her. “Wow, you look great.”
“Thanks.”
She was aware of the man and the camera just beyond Stephen’s shoulder. For a moment she wished it could just be the two of them. That even a small part of their time together could be real. But it wasn’t. She had to keep reminding herself of that.
“What do you want to do first?” Stephen asked. “Slots, blackjack, or do you prefer roulette?”
“I’ve never gambled,” she admitted. “What do you suggest?”
As they spoke they walked toward the elevators. Stephen pushed the button for them to go down. The doors opened immediately. As they stepped onto the elevator, she felt him put his hand on the small of her back.
It was nothing, she told herself. Men did that sort of thing all the time. She’d just noticed Finn doing it to Dakota. But she couldn’t help being aware of how he touched her. The silk of her shirt seemed to intensify the heat from his hand. As the elevator started down, she felt a little light-headed and told herself it was from the vertical movement and nothing else.
They walked out of the elevator and into the craziness. It was fun and bright and loud. Aurelia didn’t know where to look first.
“Are you hungry?” Stephen asked, pointing to the Grand Lux Café.
“Maybe later,” she said. Right now she was too excited to eat. There was too much to see.
An older couple walked past them. “Don’t you love seeing a family traveling together, George?” the woman asked. “She brought her baby brother to Las Vegas. Isn’t that nice?”
Aurelia stepped away from Stephen. She didn’t know if he’d heard the comment or not. The camera guy had his lens trained on the old people, so she knew that moment was going to make the show.
She started walking, not sure where she was going. Humiliation heated her cheeks and stole the pleasure she felt at being here. She thought about running after the couple and telling them what was going on, but what was the point?
Stephen kept pace with her. “You okay?” he asked.
His obvious confusion told her he hadn’t heard their words, at least not yet. Reminding herself they were just friends didn’t make her feel any better.
She stopped in the center of the casino and faced him. He was so nice, she thought. A good guy. But there was no way…
“Excuse me. What are you doing?”
Aurelia and Stephen turned toward the well-muscled man in the dark suit. The name badge said that he was with security. His expression told them he was very serious about his job.
He pointed to the camera guy. “You can’t film here.”
“We’re doing a reality show,” Stephen said. “Didn’t the production company clear this with you?”
“No.” The man from security moved toward the camera. “Turn that off now or I will turn it off for you.”
“I’ll get Geoff,” the camera guy said as he turned and practically ran away.
“Is he coming back or do I have to chase him down?”
Aurelia wasn’t sure if the security man was talking to them or not. Apparently, it didn’t matter. He pulled a walkie-talkie out of his jacket pocket and spoke into it. She had a feeling that this wasn’t going to end well.
“We’ll go,” she said taking Stephen’s hand in hers.
Stephen glanced at the security guy’s annoyed face and nodded. “I don’t think either of us would like jail.”
They turned.
For a second, Aurelia wondered if they would be allowed to simply walk away. But nothing happened as they dashed up an escalator. As the stairs carried them to another floor, she was able to draw in a deep breath.
“You okay? I thought you were going to faint,” Stephen told her.
“I was terrified,” she admitted. “I can’t believe Geoff brought us all here without making arrangements with the hotel. It’s not a surprise they don’t want us filming. They don’t know what we’re going do with it. It could be a scam. Or a trick to cheat or something.”
She had more to say but suddenly couldn’t speak. Stephen was riding on the step behind her. Without warning, he rested one hand on her hip as he leaned toward her.
Aurelia did her best to act casual. Shrieking in surprise wasn’t very appropriate. Besides, she’d taken his hand in hers to pull him away from the security guy—although that had been different. She couldn’t explain why, but knew it was.
When they reached the top of the escalator, they stepped off. She planned to continue her analysis of what it all meant, only she couldn’t. Not when it seemed as if they’d entered another world.
Above them, the ceiling was painted sky blue with clouds that almost appeared to float by. They were in the hotel, but she felt like they really could be outside. There were stores and restaurants and…
“Look,” she breathed, pointing to the narrow boats floating on a man-made canal. “Gondolas.”
“Want to ride?” he asked, then urged her forward. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
There wasn’t much of a line, so in a matter of minutes, she was carefully stepping into the gondola. It wobbled on the water, but she managed to sit down without falling. Stephen sat next to her.
There wasn’t a lot of room, so he was close. Close enough for her to feel the softness of his long-sleeved shirt against her hand and the pressure of his thigh against hers.
“Ever done anything like this before?” he asked as he looked around. “No.”
Never. Not even in her dreams.
They took the leisurely boat ride through a winding course. People walking by stopped to wave. Music echoed off the ceiling and reverberated all around them. She caught sight of stores whose names she’d only seen in magazines. Everything about the moment was perfect.
Then Stephen put his arm around her and it all got better.
When they rounded a corner, a man was waiting with a camera. He told them to smile, then snapped their picture. Once the ride was over, they went to check on the digital image displayed on a computer screen.
“You’re beautiful,” Stephen told her.
Aurelia knew he was being kind, but she was pleased with how the photo had turned out. They were both looking at the camera, with genuine smiles. She noticed they were leaning into each other and looked very much like a couple. If one ignored the age difference.
“We’ll take two,” he said, then paid for them.
“I should buy them.”
“Why?”
Because she made more than him. Because he was still in college and this wasn’t a date. But she didn’t want to say any of that, so instead she simply said, “Thank you,” when he handed her the thin bag containing the pictures in a paper frame.
“Hungry?” Stephen asked, pointing to one of the outdoor restaurants.
“Yes.”
“Good. Me, too.”
It was midafternoon, and there wasn’t much of a crowd. They were seated immediately at a small corner table next to a plant. Despite being in the open, the space felt private. Intimate.
The server gave them menus. Even though she was hungry, Aurelia couldn’t imagine eating. She chose a salad and iced tea. Stephen ordered a pizza and soda.
“You know why I decided to do the show,” she said. “Why did you?”
He picked up his fork and turned it over in his hands. “A lot of reasons. I wanted to get out of South Salmon and this was a good way.”
“A good way? You left college in your last semester. How is that smart?”
Stephan rolled his eyes but Aurelia persisted.
“Getting an education can’t hurt. What are you going to do when the show is over?”
Stephen put down the fork and leaned toward her. “I don’t want to fly.”
“I don’t understand. You want to drive back to Alaska?”
He laughed. “No. I mean I don’t want to be a pilot, like my brother. I don’t want to go into the family business.”
“Oh.” She knew all about family expectations. Despite the fact that she was nearly thirty, she had never once been able to please her mother. “Is that what Finn wants? He expects you to go into the family business?”
“It’s implied.”
“Have you told him how you feel?”
“No. He doesn’t care about that.”
Aurelia shook her head. “You’re talking about a man who flew a thousand miles to make sure you and your brother were okay. I think he cares a lot about you.”
“That’s different. He wants me home so he can control me. If I were to tell him that I wanted to be an engineer, he’d fly me up to ten thousand feet and kick me out of the airplane.”
“Now you’re talking like a kid.”
“Hey!” He straightened. “Where do you get off saying that?”
“Look at your actions. You’re not willing to sit down and talk to Finn. Instead, you ran off. How is that mature?”
“You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I’m a disinterested third party.” Disinterested probably wasn’t the right word. Embarrassingly enough, she found herself more than a little interested in Stephen. Why couldn’t he have been thirty instead of twenty? Life was nothing if not karmically cruel.
“Besides,” she continued. “If you’re one semester away from graduation, he already knows your major.”
“The major isn’t important as long as I come back home.” He shook his head. “When our folks died, things were bad. Finn took care of us. Now he can’t let that go. He thinks we’re still the little kids who needed him.”
“You should talk to him,” she said. “Why wouldn’t he be happy that you wanted to be an engineer? It’s a good, solid job.”
“I’ve known him all my life, Aurelia. You’re going to have to trust me on this. Finn would never approve.”
She wanted to argue but didn’t. After all, there were plenty of people who would tell her to simply stand up to her mother. From the outside it seemed so easy. But from the inside, everything was different. She couldn’t seem to survive the waves of guilt every time she tried. It was as if her mother had been given an instruction manual on how to manipulate her and had memorized every page.
Stephen had been one of the few people to accept her limitations. “I do trust you,” she said.
In the square, someone called their names. She and Stephen turned toward the sound of several people running. One of the production assistants hurried up to them.
“There you are,” Karen said, sounding breathless. “We’ve been looking everywhere. Geoff is furious. We’re all packing up and going home. You have to come right now.”
Aurelia looked at Stephen, who shrugged. “I guess we’ll get something to eat at the airport,” he said.
“Hurry,” the production assistant said. “We have to get to the airport. Geoff is furious that there wasn’t a date.”
Aurelia and Stephen walked out of the restaurant. As they followed the production assistant to the elevators, he leaned close.
