His face jerked up, his eyes wide with alarm. “Why would you say that?”
“Noah,” she leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Where would you be right now if you weren’t here with me in Liberal, Kansas?”
He placed his phone on the table and sat back in his chair. “If you had gotten married, probably in a hotel room in Kansas City.”
“You weren’t planning to take a flight back to Seattle today?”
“No.” He frowned. “Josh and I were supposed to have a meeting tomorrow.”
Guilt washed through her. “We need to go back. You have to go to that meeting.”
He shook his head, his eyes hardening. “No we don’t. Josh can handle the meeting and I was owed some vacation time.”
“Just last month you told me that you’d used up all your vacation time.”
He groaned, then leaned closer. “Libby. This is where I want to be. With you.”
“Because you feel sorry for me.”
He laughed. “Sorry for you? Why would I feel sorry for you? Well, other than the fact you’re wearing clothes from Walmart.”
The way he was blowing off her concerns irritated her. “Noah, I’m serious.”
“Libby. So am I.” He sighed, then put his hand over hers. “Are you having fun?”
“Well, yeah. But that’s not the point.”
He smiled, that dazzling megawatt smile that usually won him any woman he wanted. She’d been immune to it. Until now. Her insides warmed and her breath caught in her chest as she stared into his deep brown eyes.
“The point is,” he continued, apparently unaware of the impact he had on her, “this is where I want to be. With you. There’s no self-sacrifice involved. You should know me well enough by now to know that I’m incapable of that particular trait.” He gave her a wry grin, and she decided to let it drop even though she didn’t agree with his assessment of himself. But she also knew him well enough to know when it was pointless to argue with him.
She flashed him a smile. “Okay. You’ve sold me. You want to be here. I want to be here. We both want to be here. What are we doing tomorrow?”
He pushed out a breath, looking more relaxed. “It’s a surprise, of course.”
“Why? Today was my day. Tomorrow can be yours.”
He shook his head. “No can do. You don’t have a license, so you can’t drive.”
Well, shit. He was right. “Where are we staying in Vegas and when will we get there?”
“Caesar’s Palace. I made reservations for Tuesday night.”
She reached her hand across the table. “Let me borrow your phone.”
“Why?”
“I need to call Blair.”
He hesitated. “Why?”
“Since when did you start giving me the third degree? I’m going to see if she’ll send some things to me at the hotel.”
“Okay.” He tapped on his screen before handing it over. “Do you need some privacy?”
“No,” she released a mock laugh. “That went so well with Megan last time. I need a witness in case Blair figures out a way to reach through the phone line and strangle me.”
“You don’t have to call her, Lib. I can get you anything you need.”
“Like a driver’s license?” He shrugged. “Yeah, exactly.”
She tapped in Blair’s number, her back tense as she waited.
“McMillan,” Blair answered. “If you do anything to my best friend, your balls are mine.”
Libby couldn’t help but grin. “What’s Garrett going to say about you taking another man’s balls?”
“Libby,” her friend said, her voice thick with relief. “Garrett won’t say a thing. I have a whole trophy case full of men’s testicles.”
Libby had no doubt about that. Blair Myers Hansen had made a name for herself as a hardass divorce attorney, which was paving the way for the new practice she’d opened with Garrett.
“Where are you, Libs?”
“Ah . . .” She glanced out the window. “Billy Blue Duck BBQ.”
“Maybe not so specific.”
“Liberal, Kansas.”
“When are you coming home?”
She glanced at Noah, but he was staring out the window. “I’m not sure yet. Probably not until later in the week.”
“You’re spending a week in Liberal, Kansas?”
Libby chuckled. “No. We’re on our way to Vegas.”
“Vegas? You hate Vegas.”
“Yeah . . . well . . .” She swallowed. “Noah’s taking me on an adventure. He’s planning it all and I’m letting him.”
“So you’re okay?” Blair asked in a quiet voice that caught Libby by surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah,” she answered. “I am.”
“You know we’re here for you, no matter what, right? Megan feels terrible about what she said.”
“It’s okay,” she said, almost meaning it. Megan had hurt her deeply, but she couldn’t exactly blame her for the things she’d said.
“Talk to us next time, okay?” Blair sounded insistent. “No judgment, no matter how much Megan spouted off.” Not giving her a chance to respond, much less protest, Blair continued. “You did it because of the curse, didn’t you?” She paused. “Your birthday.”