Vegas Heat (22 page)

“I’m trying . . . what I’m trying to say is . . . I can’t come back to the ranch. If I do, I won’t be able to leave. You had too much of a hold on me. I can’t allow that to happen again. I have to stay here. I have to take over for Ash. He’s doing what has to be done for Sunny. I have to respect that. If he doesn’t have that much time left, I need to do what I can. Please tell me you understand. It’s my family, Simon. I turned my back on them once. I’ll never do it again.”

“Fanny, you don’t know the first thing about running a casino. Ash can hire qualified people. He’s jerking your strings, and you’re allowing it. I didn’t sign on for this, Fanny. At the risk of repeating myself, your children aren’t kids anymore.”

“No, Simon, this time he is not jerking my strings. A family business cannot be run by outsiders. I didn’t know anything about the clothing business in the beginning either. I can learn because I have to learn. Don’t you see, I have to try and make it right for everyone?”

“Fanny, listen to me. Sell the damn casino. If you don’t, it’s going to destroy us. Jesus, you know how much I hate that business and that town.”

“I can’t do that either. I am so sorry. I think I always knew this was going to happen at some point. Is there anything I can say to make you want to come here and run the casino with me?”

“Not if you paid me my weight in gold.”

Fanny’s voice was a bare whisper. “I know. You always knew my family would come first. You tried to rob me of them, Simon. I’m having trouble dealing with that.”

Simon’s whisper matched her own. “Yes, I knew. We both gambled. Something both of us said we would never do. This is the result. What if you fail, Fanny? Then will you come crawling back to me?”

“That’s an awful thing to say to me, Simon. I’ll know I gave it my best shot. All any of us can do is our best. If I fail, it won’t be for lack of trying. I can’t turn my back on my family. I did it once when I married you. Do you realize, Simon, that I don’t know my grandson? I never framed his pictures. I didn’t hear my own daughter’s pleas. Ash, of all people, knew those things. I didn’t. I’m having a really hard time with that, Simon. Ash has stepped in and taken my place with Sunny. That alone is eating me alive. It’s a good thing, so I can live with it. Right now they need each other. The only thing left for me to do is what I’m doing now. I wish it were different.”

Simon’s voice was so angry and choked, Fanny had trouble distinguishing the words. “I would do anything in the world for you. Except move to that hellhole. Inside of a week they’d have to lock me up.”

“I know. That’s why I’m not asking you to come here. I love you, Simon.”

“Not enough to turn your back on that damn casino.”

“The casino is only part of it. I cannot, I will not turn my back on my family.”

“Ash isn’t your family anymore.”

“He’s the father of my children and he’s dying. This is tearing me up inside, Simon. We can talk it to death, but in the end we’ll be back at our starting point. The day we left to come here you knew I wasn’t happy with the way things were between us. We need to talk about us very soon. Will you send Daisy here? Her crate is in the garage.”

“What am I supposed to do now? We had a life up until a month ago. Do you want a divorce? Are we separating? I need to know.”

“I . . . I didn’t think that far ahead, Simon. I’ll do whatever you want. Perhaps in time things will change. I’m in no position right now to make promises.”

“Aren’t you coming back for your things?”

“I can’t. If I see you, if I see the dogs and the ranch, I won’t leave. I’ll hunker in and be miserable. You’ll find a way to keep me there. I can’t allow that to happen. I have to begin over right here. I have such rage and anger inside me. Last night I smashed up this apartment and had the electric company turn off the power in the casino. Does that give you some idea of the state I’m in?”

“Fanny—”

“It is what it is. I love you, Simon.” Fanny waited for Simon to repeat the words she’d just uttered.

“The way you say a part of you will always love Ash? That’s not good enough for me, Fanny.” What she heard next was the connection being broken. She knuckled her burning eyes.

Bess had said something about pancakes. Fanny climbed from the bed and straightened the sheets. Ash Thornton’s credo; never look back. She needed to subscribe to that credo starting right now.

In the kitchen she sat down at the table. “Simon doesn’t want to live here. He asked me if we were getting divorced.”

“He just needs a little time, Fanny. When he starts to miss you so much he can’t stand it, he’ll show up. He needs you too much to walk away.”

“He’s not doing the walking, I am. You’re wrong. Nothing in this world could make Simon come here to live. Absolutely nothing. He’s going to send Daisy down by air. I’ll have to pick her up at the airport.”

“Eat, Fanny.”

Fanny mashed the pancakes on her plate. “What do I do now, Bess?”

“You take it one day at a time. What’s meant to be will be.”

“We’re home, Dad. Five bucks says Jake is here in”—Sunny looked at her watch—“forty—five seconds.”

“That’s a sucker bet,” Ash said, engaging the lift device in the van. “However, I’ll take it and say he gets here in thirty-nine seconds. Here he comes, chocolate ice-cream cone in hand, two fat kittens on his trail. Thirty-eight seconds! Fork it over, young lady.”

Sunny fished in the pocket of her jeans and handed over a five-dollar bill.

“Here you go, sport. Tell Pop Pop where it goes.”

“Jake’s bank?” the little boy giggled.

“How much do you have in your bank?”

“A fortune.”

“Attaboy. Climb on and we’ll ride into the house.” The little boy climbed onto Ash’s lap, his chubby arms circling his grandfather’s neck.

“Luv you, luv you, luv you,” Jake said, smothering Ash’s face with kisses.

“What about Mommy?”

“Luvs her, too.”

“Man, you’d think we went away for two months instead of an hour at the grocery store. You kids never greeted me like this when I came home. Or, did you and I just can’t remember?”

“Sometimes we did. Sometimes we didn’t. Mom always waited to gauge your mood and then told us if it was okay. Most times it was. Go inside. I’ll carry the groceries in.”

“I can carry something. Just dump it in my lap.”

“Dad, stop babying me. I can do it. I want to do it. I want to do everything I can while I can. Let’s have some lemonade in the garden.”

“Make that beer and it’s a deal. God, I can’t tell you what a relief it is since the elevator was installed. That was good thinking on your part to have it done while we were at Johns Hopkins. No mess, no bother.”

“I did it as much for me as for you. Tyler and I had an unholy row about it. He said it was an asshole thing to do.”

“Guess what? Tyler’s an asshole,” Ash said. “We shouldn’t be talking like this in front of Jake.”

“No, we shouldn’t. It slipped out. He’s heard worse when Tyler and I went at it. Come on, slumber bunny, time to take a nap. You need to tell me how your sister did while I was at the store with Pop Pop. Did she cry?”

“Lots and lots. Hers sleeping now.”

“That’s good. Run to the bathroom the way Daddy showed you. Lift the seat, okay?”

“Where’s Daddy?”

“Daddy went away.”

“Him come back?”

“Sometime. Pop Pop is here now. He’s going to sleep in the room next to yours. Won’t that be nice?”

“Uh-huh. Him eat eggs with me.”

“You bet. Give me a kiss. Sleep tight.”

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” the little boy giggled.

Sunny checked on the sleeping baby. How beautiful she was.
Please, God,
she prayed
, let me stay here long enough to see them both grow up.

The garden was in full bloom, the colorful chaise longues vying for attention with the rainbow of flowers. Ash slipped from his chair to the thick padding and stretched out his legs. “Take a load off, kiddo, and let’s talk. I say we start with Tyler and get that out of the way.”

“I’m okay with it. I’ve had a whole year to get used to the idea that the marriage wasn’t working. It’s better we split up now than later. He’s young. He has a wonderful career ahead of him. He needs a wife who can do that social thing. I can’t do that. Sooner or later he’d cheat on me, and I’d be devastated. He can see the kids when he wants, he’s promised to send support money. We’ll alternate holidays, that kind of thing. He loves Jake. He’s hardly had time to get to know Polly. If he starts to make demands, well, isn’t that why there are so many lawyers? I don’t think he’ll mess with this family. Now that’s out of the way what else do you want to talk about?”

“Your mother.”

“How about something else? How about those test results you say you didn’t get?”

Ash shrugged. “Let’s talk about both things. Your mother first. She loves you very much. I know that for a fact. Can’t you ease up a little?”

“What did I do wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. You were polite, you kissed her hello, and you kissed her good-bye. You two used to be so close. How can you negate that?”

Sunny shrugged. “Mom had other things on her mind. I was so miserable I’d call her two or three times a day. One day she snapped at me over the phone. She said ‘what do you want this time?’ I didn’t want anything, I just wanted to talk to her because I missed her. I was going to tell her that, too. I didn’t call after that. She called once a month, you know, duty calls. I didn’t want that. I made sure I was never around between one and three on the first Sunday of every month. It was the same with Sage, Birch, and Billie. They started doing the same thing I did. They weren’t available. They let the machine take the message. You know what, Mom never even noticed. She made the call. We weren’t there, our tough luck. This family has gone to hell.”

“She’s going to take over the casino. What do you have to say to that?”

“Whoopee,” Sunny said snidely. “What did Uncle Simon have to say about it?”

“I don’t imagine he likes it at all. He’ll probably stay in California and Fanny will stay in town and they’ll visit on weekends.”

“That won’t last. Mom is one of those touchy-feely people. She’ll want him with her. I don’t think she can do it, Dad. Do you want me to give her a hand? I could do mornings.”

“I think she can handle it. Let’s give her a chance. We can take the kids down in a few weeks. We could even do a picnic if you’re up to it.”

“No. That is not a good idea. It won’t work, Dad. Sage, Billie, and Iris are coming up next weekend. Sage is going to barbecue if you can believe that.”

“Are you inviting your mother?”

“No, and don’t keep asking me to do things like that. She had her chance, and she blew it. I have one last thing to say, and then we aren’t going to talk about Mom anymore. I heard Bess tell Billie that when she went to the ranch to see Mom, there were no pictures of any of us in the house. I sent dozens of pictures of Jake. Mom got married, moved away and that was the end of us. It didn’t just sting a little. It stung a lot. So, what did your tests show?”

“Well, the good news is they said I have three pretty good years ahead and the bad news is the rest of the years are downhill. I look at it this way, three is better than zip. After that, who knows, maybe someone will come up with something that will work for my condition. Attitude is everything.”

“Aren’t you going to miss Babylon? You don’t have to stay here with me.”

“I want to. I love Jake. I want to watch him grow up. I want to be a part of his life, and I want to be around in case Tyler starts getting strange ideas. The noise, the crowds, the late hours, the drinking, the cigarette smoke, it started to get to me. We built it, got it off the ground, and it’s taken off. They said it couldn’t be done, but by God, we all pulled together and did it. Now, it’s time for me to rest on my laurels. For the first time in my life I’m looking forward to doing absolutely nothing.”

“There’s plenty of nothing up here. What would you like for supper?”

“How about some good old pan gravy, pork chops, and those seasoned potatoes?”

“Sounds good to me. Mitzi made fresh bread today.”

“Ah, soft butter, strawberry jam, and a good cup of coffee. Better than any dessert. And before we go to bed one of your peanut butter and banana sandwiches.”

“Absolutely. Take a nap, Dad. Polly is due to wake up, and I don’t want her waking Jake. I’ll put your supper order in and see you later.”

“I think I will take a nap.”

The moment Sunny was out of sight, Ash squeezed his eyes shut. “I tried, Fanny. I’ll keep at it. It’s the least I can do for you,” he muttered as he drifted into sleep.

“Listen,” Fanny said, a desperate tone to her voice, “this isn’t necessary Why do I need this ritzy outfit and fancy hairdo? This is not who I am. I’m a simple person with simple wants and tastes. I feel like I’m playing dress-up.”

“You
were
a simple person,” Billie Coleman said. “The key word is were. Image is everything. I am so glad I had this dress with me. If you don’t make any sudden movements, the pins will stay intact and you’ll be fine. You could pass for a Wall Street banker in this outfit. First appearances are everything.”

“Your hair and makeup are perfect. You march into that room like you’re in control. We’ll be right behind you,” Bess said.

“And say what?” Fanny demanded.

“You say what we just discussed. You say things will remain as they are. Then you say, for now. You emphasize the words ‘for now.’ That alone will keep everyone on their toes. Remember, you are not stepping into Ash’s shoes, you’re stepping into Sallie Thornton’s. That’s how your staff, the casino owners on the Strip, as well as the media are going to view you. It’s not a bad thing, Fanny. Sallie was a legend in her own time. Even if you don’t think you can wear her shoes, pretend they fit. The way I see it, men don’t like taking orders from a woman. That’s going to be your biggest hurdle. You speak once, you speak softly, and you carry a big stick. If it worked for Teddy Roosevelt, it will work for you,” Billie said.

“I don’t answer any questions, especially where Ash is concerned,” Fanny said. “I have that down. For now, it’s business as usual. After the meeting we’re bringing all the personnel files up here to go over them. Then, over the next few days, we’ll conduct one-on-one meetings with all the key players.”

Bess clapped her hands. “See. You got it. Practice that look where you stare right through a person. Power is the most powerful aphrodisiac in the world, and right now the word is out and everyone in this town is frightened out of their wits. Turning off the power last night was a stroke of genius. All the owners on the Strip are wondering why. The fact that you did it to your own casino has them all in a tizzy. They’re just waiting for your next move. Tonight we have to decide that next move. You’re the star of this meeting, Fanny. Bess and I are just observers. It’s five minutes to five. Time to go downstairs. Before we go, Fanny, did you really tell those guys you turned the power back on so you could make coffee?”

“Yes. I imagine the word is out on the street about that little tidbit by now.”

“Always keep ’em guessing,” Billie said as she held the door open for Bess and Fanny.

“Remember now, Fanny, you aren’t a Girl Scout leader. March in there like you own the place.”

I can do this. know I can do this. I will do this. will do this because I have to do this
. Fanny opened the door to the grand ballroom. She almost faltered at the sea of faces staring at her. She walked across the room and up the four steps to the bandstand. She held her hand up for silence and wondered why she bothered. If a pin dropped, she could have heard it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. I’ll make this as brief as possible. As of today I will be in control of this casino. You will take your orders from me and you will answer to me and no one else. If this is going to be a problem for any of you, you should leave now.” Fanny waited several minutes to see if anyone was going to walk toward the door. “It’s business as usual.
For now
. One last thing. Babylon business stays in Babylon. I don’t think I need to spell out what that means to any of you. Oh, one other thing, always be aware that I have friends on the
other side of the street
. That’s all, ladies and gentlemen. You may resume your duties.”

When the door closed behind the employees, Bess did a jig and Billie clapped her hands. “You handled that just right. The other side of the street? I saw two people turn white when you said that.”

“Let’s have dinner in the private dining room. We’ll work the floor and make our presence known afterward. I’m so nervous I need to sit down,” Fanny said.

“Dinner’s good,” Bess said. Billie nodded.

Over potato-crusted salmon and a crisp garden salad that Fanny only picked at, she said, “I hoped . . . all day I was . . . I wanted to believe Simon would come. My brain knew he wouldn’t, but some small part of me wanted to believe he would. How do I turn that part of my life off? What kind of person am I that I can do something like this? I need a goal, something to strive toward. Like . . . in two years, maybe three, I can go back to Simon and he’ll be the way he was when we first got married. I don’t know if I can handle two bad marriages. To brothers, no less. When Ash is ... when . . . Long-distance marriages never work. If I have to stay here for the rest of my life, I’ll go out of my mind. The words,
for now,
mean this is a temporary situation. This is a lifetime commitment, so who’s fooling who here? I know in my heart Simon won’t wait for me. I hate it. I just hate it.”

“Fanny, give it a chance. Give Simon a chance, too. This is only day one. You could turn out to be so good at this business you might not want to give it up. A week from now, a month from now, Simon can have a change of heart. Sometimes the things you hate most in life are the very things you end up loving the most. It’s strange but true. I wasn’t going to bring this up, but this might be a good time to offer you a goal. This casino makes tons of money. Why not think about building one of those centers like they have in Texas for people with multiple sclerosis? Think about this, too. Maybe you could build a separate facility where a patient’s children can come for periods of time. Think in terms of Sunny. Think about how much good you can do. It’s what Sallie did, Fanny,” Billie said.

Fanny’s eyes glistened. “I don’t want to be like Sallie. I just want to be me, Fanny Thornton. You’re right, though, I could do that. I’ll look into it.” She lost some of the glazed look in her eyes at Billie’s suggestion.

“Fanny, you
are
you. I didn’t say you should turn into Sallie. Sallie did thousands of wonderful things for the people of this town. Her private life had nothing to do with her philanthropic goodness. Use the money from this casino to do good things. Maybe you won’t hate it so much if you have worthy goals and you achieve them.”

“I think Billie’s right, Fanny. I’ll pick John’s brains and see what he says. You can set up a foundation. I think, and this is just a thought, but I’ll bet my wedding ring Chue’s sister Su Li will come back and oversee it for you. Oh, Fanny, it’s a wonderful idea.”

“It will take a fortune,” Fanny said.

“It will take several fortunes. I’ll see to it that the Colemans contribute half. We could make it a family foundation. We’ll be helping Sunny and hundreds of people like her. I vote yes,” Billie said.

“I don’t have any money to give, but I can give my time. If my vote counts, then mine is yes, too. You need to cast your vote, Fanny,” Bess said.

“Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Maybe some good will come of this after all. Thank you both for coming here today. Let’s eat our dessert and then work the floor for a while. After that, we’ll go upstairs and brainstorm like we used to do in the old days.”

“Hear, hear!” Billie said.

Across the street in a windowless room, men, impeccably clad, took their seats at a highly polished table. An elaborate centerpiece of fresh orchids sat in the middle of the table. To the left of the floral arrangement was a sterling silver coffee service. To the right, an identical sterling silver tray with crystal decanters containing one-of-a-kind cordials and old brandy. Crystal ashtrays and fresh packages of cigarettes were at each place setting.

The man at the head of the table, a Harvard graduate, opened the meeting simply by raising his hand for silence. His voice was cultured and resonant. “If my information is correct, The Emperor of Las Vegas is no longer with us. Do you see a problem, gentlemen?” The men shrugged as one. “How did it happen?” was the second question. Again, the men shrugged.

The man at the head of the table poured coffee. “The incident that occurred last night did not affect any of us. Business-wise, we made money. I understand that the explanation for the incident was that Mrs. Thornton was making a statement. I think we would all be wise to take that particular statement at face value. Mrs. Thornton is in total control of Babylon. I do not believe Mrs. Thornton has any desire to cross over to your side of the street.

“Mrs. Thornton has a sterling reputation, as did her mentor, Sallie Thornton. The Strip, this town, needs her. As long as your gentlemen stay on your side of the street she gives all of you respectability. The lady has class, power, and wealth. To my knowledge, that power and wealth have never been abused except once. All of you felt that abuse because some of you tried to cross the line and pull an unsavory business deal.”

“A deal is a deal. We buckled under to a woman,” a voice at the end of the table snarled.

“You conducted a business deal. Your tone of voice is not appreciated, nor will it be tolerated. You are not hoods, you’re businessmen. You knew the ground rules when you hired me. Remember that.”

“Mrs. Thornton is in the rag business. What does she know about the gambling business?” someone asked.

“I would imagine you’ll find out very soon. Mrs. Thornton is a lady . . . of her word, as you all know. You might be wise to work behind the scenes to aid her endeavors if those endeavors turn out to pertain to something other than the gaming business.”

“That would be aiding the enemy. Ash Thornton was the enemy.”

The man at the head of the table sighed. “Ash Thornton was your competitor, not your enemy. All of you here need to recognize that the old days are gone forever. There’s a new game in town called ‘the legitimate way.’ Are there any questions, gentlemen?”

“With The Emperor gone, what do we call Mrs. Thornton?”

“Mrs. Thornton sounds appropriate.” The voice at the head of the table held a rich chuckle. A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“If there are no questions, we’re adjourned.”

Marcus Reed stood to shake the hand of each man filing past him. His job here was done.

Fanny sat down at a small table in the Harem Lounge. She wished she could kick off her shoes and remove her hose so she could wiggle her toes. How in the world did Ash do this, night after night, week after week? She couldn’t ever remember being this tired. She reached out to accept a glass of ginger ale from the bartender.

“It gets to you after a while, doesn’t it?” a man at the next table said. Fanny watched as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and yanked at his tie.

He looked like a contented customer. She needed to smile and make polite conversation even though it was doubtful the man knew who she was. “It’s these shoes. I’d give anything if I could take them off and wade in one of the pools.”

The man smiled. “What’s stopping you?” The tie was in his hands and then stuffed into his pocket. “I feel about ties the way you feel about your shoes.”

“I think I’ll just get lower heels. It was a lovely tie.”
He was flirting with her
. Fanny felt her face grow warm. He was handsome, middle fifties, dark hair tinged with gray at the temples, classic features, winsome smile.
Winsome
? He was wearing a magnificent suit, custom-tailored. She knew a thing or two about fabric.

“I like the idea of wading in the pool better. I wonder if anyone has ever done that.”

It was Fanny’s turn to smile. “I rather doubt it. Did you win or lose tonight?”

“Actually, I broke even.”

“That’s not good for the house.”

“Do you work here?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Fanny said. She tried wiggling her toes inside her shoes. A corn was forming on her little toe, she could feel it start to burn. Three more hours to go. How
did
Ash do it?

“What does in a manner of speaking mean? Marcus Reed,” he said, extending his hand.

“Fanny Thornton,” Fanny said, reaching for his hand. When she didn’t see any acknowledgment of her name, she said, “I more or less watch over things on the floor. It’s an education in itself. I might enjoy it more if my feet didn’t hurt so much.”

“That does it.” The man was off his chair in the blink of an eye. In the time it took her heart to beat twice, Fanny found herself slung over the man’s shoulder and whisked out of the Harem Lounge to the stunned surprise of the bartender. “One pool coming up.”

“You need to put me down, Mr. Reed. People are staring and gawking at us. This is not funny. What if someone takes a picture. My rear end is in your face,” Fanny said, her head bobbing up and down.

“So it is, now that you mention it. Here we are. As someone who once wanted to be an architect, I can appreciate the work and beauty of this pool. There you go, Fanny Thornton. Doesn’t it feel good?” he said, standing her up inside the pool. “I’ll hold your shoes until your feet cool off. Nylons dry in seconds according to my sisters.”

“People are staring,” Fanny hissed.

“Then let’s give them something to
really
stare at.” Marcus stepped into the pool. “Good lord, there’s fish in here.”

Fanny doubled over laughing. When she raised her head, Marcus splashed her. She splashed back. A crowd gathered, Billie and Bess in the front line. Fanny laughed harder at their startled faces. “I’m, ah ... what I’m doing is ...”

“Having fun,” Marcus Reed laughed. “Well, as much as I’m enjoying this, I really have to leave. I have a plane to catch. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Thornton.”

“I’m sorry about your shoes and pants.”

“Don’t be. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”

Fanny watched Marcus walk away. She was suddenly aware of the people staring at her, of her friends Billie and Bess. It took her a second to realize she was seeing spots in front of her eyes.
Flash bulbs
.

“Did you have fun?” Bess asked.

“Actually, Bess, I did. My feet feel better, too. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything quite so public before,” Fanny said, stepping from the pool.