The Gambler by Denise Grover Swank Page A

“Good morning,” he said, pouring on the charm.
    Their eyes widened and one of the women held back a giggle.
    “How are you two lovely ladies this morning?”
    “Good. We’re good,” they mumbled, their words slurring together.
    If Libby hadn’t known better, she would have thought Noah had gone over there to flirt with them. And even though he’d clearly stood in line with her , they were falling for it hook, line, and sinker.
    He placed his forearm on their small table and leaned forward. “I couldn’t help overhearing what you said about my lovely bride over there.” He tilted his head toward Libby and they at least had the grace to blush. “Now, I have to ask you two, do I look like a fool?”
    One of them turned from pink to scarlet while the other shook her head and mouthed “no,” horror in her eyes.
    Noah’s voice took on an air of condescension. “I can assure you that Libby has more class in her pinky finger than the two of you put together, and even if I had never been lucky enough to meet her, I wouldn’t have given either of you the time of day. I don’t care for mean, gossipy women.” He stood and grabbed the back of the chair. “Now that we’ve got that clear,” he added, his charm restored, “you ladies have a good day.”
    The other hotel guests stared at Noah and several began to clap as he replaced the chair at a nearby table.
    The two women hastily gathered their things and headed for the elevator.
    Noah grabbed his coffee and Libby’s and headed back to their table.
    She pursed her lips in disapproval. “Noah, you didn’t have to do that.”
    He picked up his fork, concentrating on his food. “Of course I did. Those two imbeciles were trash-talking you. I had to set them straight.”
    “You could have just let it go.”
    He glanced up in surprise. “I’m your friend, Libby. I can’t stand by and let you get hurt. Why do you think I changed my mind about coming to Kansas City?”
    His question caught her off guard. “I thought you came because you were supposed to be in my wedding.”
    Something unreadable flickered in his eyes and he looked down at his food. “I thought you were hungry.”
    “You’re hiding something from me.”
    He hesitated for a long moment, then met her gaze and held it. “You wanted me at the wedding. I couldn’t let you down.”
    Tears stung her eyes. “You’re the only person in this whole mess who hasn’t let me down.” She shook her head, once again reminded of her humiliation. “I’m an idiot.”
    “You’re not an idiot, Lib.” His voice was soft and understanding. “You just got blinded by what you thought was love.”
    Love? The wedding had never been about that. Her quest for love, sure, but she’d never loved poor Mitch. She was beginning to doubt she’d ever find true love. Maybe someone like her was incapable of it. People modeled what they grew up around, didn’t they? If so, she was doomed.
    They ate in silence for a minute, but then Libby found herself thinking about Noah’s nudist story and snorted out loud.
    “How’d you come up with the town name so quickly for your nudist story?” she asked. “That was clever.”
    “Well, I am pretty smart.”
    Something in his tone caught her attention. She knew he hated being treated like an idiot, especially by his brother. And she’d seen proof of his intelligence time and time again. He could add huge numbers in a flash and he was the only person she knew who could divide a five-digit number by a three-digit number in his head. While he didn’t like to talk about it, she got the impression he’d started at his dad’s company when he was really young. She’d always wanted to ask about it, so she wasn’t surprised when she heard herself blurt out, “When did you graduate from high school?”
    He gave her an embarrassed shrug. “Right before my seventeenth birthday.”
    She gasped. “You’re kidding. I always wondered how you got your degree so young. I guess it’s