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Electronic Release: June 2014

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

Sassafras Jones had been working as an architect in Los Angeles until the economy tanked and she was forced to move back home to Las Vegas to live with her mother. Taking a job as a cocktail waitress wasn’t exactly a lateral career move, but she was to the point that she would take what she could get.

Sassy never could have guessed that she would find herself back in the company of her old college friends, and crushes, Ryan Ducheine and Colbie Hammond. But after a chance meeting with them both she begins to wonder if maybe moving back home was the best decision she ever could have made. And when their feelings for her become clearer, she realizes that no matter what ‘bad boy’ image they both managed to project to the rest of the town, she may actually belong firmly in both their hearts of gold.

To my husband, for allowing me time away to remember how to be an author.

XoXoXo
Dakota

Chapter One

As the plane began its descent into McCarron Airport, my heart dropped. I’d sworn I was never coming back to this desert, but after the economy tanked and I lost my job at the architecture firm in Los Angeles, I really had nowhere left to go.

As the plane taxied toward the terminal, I let out a heavy sigh at the thought of living with my mother again, working as a waitress at some casino, flashing my gams in the hopes of an extra five-dollar tip. Sure, it had been good enough when I was working my way through UNLV, but I was an adult now. I had a degree, and I’d had a career. Life wasn’t supposed to bring me back to this tourist trap.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching our gate. Please remain seated until the flight crew gives clearance to vacate your seats. The current temperature in Las Vegas is one hundred and seven degrees with clear skies. We hope you enjoyed your flight, and we thank you for flying with us today.” The crackle of the intercom ended as the pilot turned off his microphone, and I settled back in my seat, glaring at the ceiling of the airplane cabin as if it had done me some personal wrong.

Truth be told, I wasn’t leaving anything good behind. Unemployment had not suited me at all. It was boring yet thoroughly exhausting. There had been no other jobs to fall back on. Even waitressing in a local bar was out as those jobs were resolutely held by struggling actors waiting for the big break anyone could have told them was never going to come. There were few friends and no lovers to miss me so there had been no teary airport goodbyes. The studio apartment I’d rented for six years had come fully-furnished and I’d accumulated so little in the way of possessions that my entire life had fit in two checked bags and a carryon tablet, cell phone and toiletries bag.

I could say I was pissed about having to leave behind my life in California, but when push came to shove, there wasn’t much of a life to leave. Everything had been about my job, and when that was gone…there hadn’t been anything else.

After a twenty-minute wait in the now-sweltering plane, since they’d turned the air off, we were finally released. The whoosh of the doors into the airport proper came with a blast of cold that turned the sweat beading on my skin into gel. All I wanted to do was get to my mom’s and take a shower. I needed to wash away the perspiration and the stench of desperation that seemed to follow me everywhere lately.

Heading toward baggage claim, I tried to tell myself that maybe coming home would be good for me. I didn’t have to look at it as a curse. It could be a chance to start over, to find a new path. Maybe, I could look up some old friends from college, find a job in a local firm and work on designing the next monster casino on the strip. Even as I thought it, I rolled my eyes at the forced optimism. That shit was not going to happen.

Knowing myself as I did, I would go to my mother’s, unpack my things and find a job bussing tables or serving drinks to drunk assholes in a casino somewhere. I would sleep until noon, work until three a.m. and try to just exist in this pit of a city.

I grabbed my bags from the conveyer and headed toward the exit, not looking forward to walking out into the full heat of the day. Everyone always says nonsense about “dry heat” not being so bad, but I’ve never seen any of those people sit with their head in a fucking oven for twelve hours a day.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk was like walking into a solid wall as the oppressive Vegas sun beat down on me. If I missed anything about LA, it would be the balmy eighty degree highs every day.

“Sassy!”

I bit back a groan at the sound of my mother’s voice. She was waving emphatically as she ran toward me. If I hadn’t recognized her voice, I wouldn’t have been able to pick her out of a crowd.

Her hair had been bleached into a beautiful honey blonde that really suited her well. Last time I’d seen her, she’d been sporting her natural mousy brown locks. The cut was more flattering as well. She was dressed in a long khaki skirt with a white button down blouse and was wearing actual makeup. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d seen her face done in all the time I’d lived with her. Something was different for sure, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had inspired such a change in her appearance.

I allowed her to pull me into a hug and shifted my bags so I could awkwardly pat her on the back.

“Mom,” I said as I backed away and looked her over. “You look fantastic.”

“Thanks,” she beamed, lightly patting my cheek. “You look…tired. Let’s get you home.” She took one of my suitcases and led me back to her car. When I’d left she had been driving a fairly old Buick, but as she approached a white Mercedes and popped the trunk, I realized there was quite a bit she had failed to mention in our monthly phone conversations.

I dumped my bags into the back of the car then climbed into the passenger seat, relieved at the feel of the cool air circulating from the vents. Mom got behind the wheel and quickly gunned the engine then pulled the car out of the pick-up lane and merged into traffic.

“So,” I said after we hit the highway and started heading for her home in Henderson. “Who is he?”

“Sassafras Jones,” she snapped. “I do not need a man to want to make changes to my life.”

“I know that,” I said with a nod. “But who is he?”

She turned to shoot me a glare, but I knew I was right. There was definitely someone. Her mouth had quirked up at the corner which always meant she was hiding something. My mother was the worst liar ever. She never bothered playing cards because she knew her expression was a beacon to anyone at the table.

“I will have you know,” she said loftily, “I didn’t meet Mike until after I changed some things. You can’t make someone else happy if you aren’t happy with yourself. You have to learn to let go of the past, let go of the hurt, before you can put yourself out into the universe with something to offer. The world doesn’t need any more takers, Sassy. The world needs givers.”

Oh Christ. My mother had been infected by New Age. It had hit LA hard in the recent years, and I could recognize a crystal sniffer a mile away at this point. Though…I had to admit, she wore it well. As much as I dismissed the craze, something about it had clicked with my mother. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe what she said, and if that was what she got out of it then good for her. But my experiences in California usually led to conversations about aliens and Wicca and the healing power of smudge sticks.

“Whatever you say, Mom,” I agreed. “You look great and you seem happy, so I’m happy for you.”

“Good,” she said, her tone sounding relieved. “I was worried you might judge or be mad at me.”

“Mad at you?” I looked at her in shock. “Why on earth would I be mad at you?”

“Sassy, I don’t want you to ever think anyone could replace your father in my heart. I was afraid that when you found out I’m seeing someone you’d get angry that I was dishonoring Joakim.”

“Oh, Mom.” I blinked back tears as I reached over to take her hand. “Dad’s been gone for ten years. It’s taken you far too long to move on. Dad would have wanted you to find someone else. I could never, ever be angry at you for finding someone to fill a void in your life.”

I couldn’t believe she’d been worried about such a thing. I also couldn’t believe it had taken her over a decade to find someone new. I’d always known my father had been the love of my mom’s life. They’d been high school sweethearts, fought against the wishes of my grandparents to be married and had never looked back when my father’s American Indian relatives had shunned our family because of it. They’d had many wonderful years together before my dad was killed in the line of duty as a fireman, battling a wild fire that had raged out of control.

My mom and I had been heartbroken, obviously, but she had carried that ache with her for so long, I’d worried she might never look for happiness again. Now, it seemed she was finally reaching for it with both hands, and I could be nothing but pleased and excited for her. In fact, seeing her so content for the first time in so long made me sort of glad to be back to share it with her.

And hell, maybe if I couldn’t snap out of my own funk, I’d start buying my own smudge sticks and see if I could get some of that soul-healing power for myself.

Chapter Two

It didn’t take long to get settled into a routine. Mom had gotten me an insta-job at the Fiesta Casino, where I’d finally met Pit Boss Mike, her shiny new beau. I had to admit, he seemed like a really great guy. Very handsome, very polite and extremely helpful.

We all knew that being a cocktail waitress wasn’t exactly my dream job, but I made sure both Mike and my mother knew how incredibly grateful I was for the paycheck. Hopefully, since I was able to live at home and my mom refused to allow me to pay rent, it wouldn’t take me long to save up enough money to get my own place.

The hours were long at the casino, but the tips were good. Since it was more of a locals place than a touristy spot, the clientele was friendly rather than rowdy. Within a few weeks, I was getting to know the regulars and had even made friends with a bartender named Mindy. Twice a week, we went out for coffee after work.

It was…comfortable. Vegas actually felt more like home this time around than when I’d lived here for twenty-some years previously.

“Sassafras Jones?”

I turned at the sound of my name and almost dropped my tray of drinks to the floor. Sitting at a blackjack table were two men I’d thought I would never see again. Clumsily, I dragged my feet over to them, praying I didn’t look as dead shocked as I felt.

“Ryan? Colbie?” Their names across my lips sent a shudder through me that I was sure they had seen. These two men were the only things I’d ever missed about Vegas. We’d all met in college and become fast friends. I’d always been attracted to them, both of them, but had never been able to choose between them so I’d forced us all to stay in the friend zone rather than attempt to alienate each other by trying for anything more.

“Damn, Sassy,” Colbie said as he got to his feet. “You look…”

“Like a waitress?” I said with a laugh.

“Like home,” Ryan growled as he too moved closer to me.

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