She gives the signal to Xanny.
Xanny then takes in a deep breath, and with a shrill yell, she starts up, “Are you trying to cheat me? What kind of casino is this?” Her tone is high and piercing.
Our clerk stands. “Please wait. Just a moment.” He hurries off to help his counterpart, who’s currently dealing with Xanny’s wrath.
“You know what you did! I turned in chips worth over $5,000 and you think you can give me a few hundreds back? Where’s the manager?” She lays it on thick, and Lenny adopts a stern expression to back her up.
The security guards are already in motion. The moment they sweep past us, we both move toward the back hall.
Xanny is going even crazier, threatening violence to the point where Lenny has to hold her back while the guards are yelling for her to calm down. It’s quite a scene–and the perfect distraction.
“Oh my God, there’s the room!” Zoey hurries down the hall and stops at a nondescript door. Just like Xanny said. She keys in the code, but the lock flashes red. “Oh no, they changed it.”
“I’ve got this.” I attach a small electronic device to the lock. After a few beeps and red lights, it turns green.
“Let’s go.” Zoey opens the door and creeps into the staff break room. It’s empty, but the scent of some microwave meal is still hanging in the air.
“To the left.” I guide her past the small round tables and into the locker room.
“Let’s see. Number 1147. Not this one. Nope.” She goes down the row until she finds Xanny’s old locker.
She uses the combination lock, spinning back and forth until it opens with a click. “This is great. I should work for the FBI.”
I groan. “Let’s not.”
Her laugh is musical, a beautiful sound I love to hear. “Okay, I suppose that might cause some complications.”
“Let’s get the cash and get out.” I watch as she opens the locker then pauses. “What is it, little one?”
She stands, frozen, then slowly raises a hand to her mouth. When she turns to me, she has tears in her eyes, and when I drop to one knee, she lets out a little gasp of surprise.
Reaching up, I take the ring from the locker and hold it out to her.
“I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you. It’s only ever been you, and it will only ever be you. Will you marry me?”
She nods, a tear dropping down her cheek. “Yes!”
“Of course she said yes.” Xanny punches Lenny in the arm as they and the security guards watch us from the break room. She’s holding Bentley in her other arm, a little white tie around his neck.
“You were all in on it?” Zoey gawks at them. “Even you, Bentley? Oh my God!”
“We couldn’t turn this down. Watching you get the surprise of your life? Come on.” Xanny grins.
“And you.” Zoey looks at me, love in her eyes. “You got me.”
“That was my plan.” I slide my ring on Zoey’s finger, then rise and pull her into my arms. “You’re mine, little one. Forever. Our deal is finally done.”