I didn’t want him looking at her eyes or any other part of her. I pulled Naomi’s chair out for her.
“Wait! Do I get a victory dance? How do I pay everyone back?”
“You definitely get a victory dance,” Tanner said, lecherously patting his lap. Ian saved me the trouble and slapped him in the back of the head.
“Naomi. Now,” I said, hooking my thumb toward the door.
“Hold your horses, Viking.” She carefully counted out equal shares of the chips and started returning them to their original owners.
Grim shook his head and covered her hand with his tattooed one. “You won fair and square. You’re keeping the winnings and you can have my stake.”
“Oh, but I couldn’t,” she began.
“I insist. And when I insist, people do what I tell them.”
Naomi didn’t see a scary biker sort-of-criminal making that proclamation. She saw a cuddly, tattooed fairy godfather. When she tossed her arms around his neck and gave him a noisy kiss on the cheek, I saw the man actually smile. A feat previously thought to be impossible.
“For that reaction, you’ll keep mine as well,” Lucian said. Naomi whooped and rounded the table and kissed him loudly on the cheek.
Ian and Winona did the same and laughed through Naomi’s stranglehold hugs.
“Get that niece of yours something pretty,” Winona told her.
Christ on a cracker, exactly how much of her autobiography had she shared with them?
“I’m, uh, just gonna hang on to mine,” Tanner said, pulling back the chips he’d loaned her.
The rest of the table glared at him.
“Cheap-ass,” Winona said.
“Come on. It’s been a rough week,” he whined.
“In that case, here’s a tip from me,” Naomi said, handing over a $100 chip.
The woman was a sucker. And it looked like Tanner was officially in love.
“Ladies, gentlemen, what do you say we call it a night? I hear there’s a band out front tonight. We could steal one or two of Knox’s private bottles and reminisce about the good old days,” Ian suggested.
“Only if Lucy promises me a dance,” Winona said.
I waited until they’d cashed out and exited the room, leaving Naomi and me alone.
She looked up from the pile of cash they’d left in front of her. It was one hell of a tip. “Can we leave the lecture for tomorrow so I can just enjoy?”
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “But I’m driving you home tonight.”
“Fine. But you’re not allowed to yell at me on the drive.”
“I can’t make any promises.”
TWENTY-ONE
FAMILY EMERGENCY
Naomi
My feet were begging for a break, but the $20,000 in my apron gave me more than enough energy to face the final hour of my shift.