Drop Everything Now by Alessandra Thomas Read Free Book Online

hospital arrangements.
    I shook my head with a slight smile. “No, Mamá. I just have some stuff to do for me.”
    “Good, baby,” Mom said, squeezing my hand one more time before she let it go. “You need to take care of yourself.”
    “Well, I’m here for you too, okay? I’ll call in this afternoon and be back tomorrow.”
    Mom nodded, then looked up at Carol. “You’ll stay with us, right? Here with me and Mike?”
    “Sure,” Carol said, her eyes flashing to Mike. She cleared her throat. “Whatever you need.”
    Guilt twisted my stomach at Mom’s hesitation. I wanted to stay here with her, but if Ryder really had gone through all that trouble to help me find a place and a job, I needed to be there to meet him. Plus, I really did need a place to stay.

Chapter 7
     
    I headed back to the Starr and stuffed all my things back in the duffel bag—not a difficult task—and headed down to the lobby to wait for Ryder. I bounced on the balls of my feet as I scanned the room for him; luckily, I didn’t have to wait long. He was already headed toward me when my eye caught his, and I was so glad I didn’t have to call out to get his attention because I’m sure my voice would have sounded supremely doofy. He looked like a goddamn magazine ad, striding toward me in a black t-shirt and dark jeans. I had to tell myself to control my breathing, he was so gorgeous. As he got closer, I realized there were bags under his eyes.
    He gave me a lazy smile as he said, “Hi.” The days’ worth of scruff on his jaw made him look five years older in the best way possible—I wanted to reach my hand up and run it along his jaw. “I’m glad you got my note.” Goddamn, even his voice was sexy. Just the four words “You got my note” might as well have been “please jump my bones.”
    I shook my head to clear the hot-guy fog. “Uh, yeah. You were right—I was in bed. Um, I was sleeping.” Smooth, Andrea. Really smooth. “Uh, anyway. A job and a place to stay? You might be my hero.”
    “Hey, I’m glad to be of service. I mean, not just in the hotel way. But I like you. You’re not like most girls who come to Vegas.”
    I gave a short laugh. “No, I’m sure not.” We locked eyes for a long moment, and I swore if it had been a second more I would have started panting. Ryder reached up across his chest to rub his shoulder, and then I had to look away, or I would have combusted.
    “Alright,” he said, “here’s what I’ve got. First, job.” He touched my shoulder— focus, Andi —and turned me to face the casino floor. “See those girls out there?” There were so many girls out there—girls at blackjack tables, girls sweeping, girls carrying drinks.
    “Which girls?”
    “The ones with the trays.”
    “You mean the ones in the short glittery skirts with teeny white tops?”
    “Those are the ones,” he said, looking down at me warily. “I hashed it out with our staffing manager for a solid hour and got him to offer up one of those jobs. The outfit’s not ideal and the base pay’s the same as the other jobs, but the skirts get you some of the best tips in the whole casino. And I know you need the cash so…”
    Oh my God. He was nervous about my reaction. Honestly, I didn’t love the idea of wearing one of those getups, but I heard what he was saying. This was the best way of getting the most cash with as few working hours as possible.
    “I know you want to be at the hospital visiting as much as you can,” he said, echoing my thoughts.
    “That’s exactly right,” I said, looking up at him and forcing the worry about the skirts out of my head and a smile onto my face. “This is perfect. I don’t know anything about the job, but I can learn fast, right?”
    “Right,” he said, flashing me a beautiful smile. “All these girls were just starting out once, and I know one who will help you out. I made her promise.”
    “Really? You did that for me?”
    “Well, she’s a sweetheart. And she owes me.”