understand at all. It would probably anger him.”
“Oh, we couldn’t have that, now, could we? Silly old fool! It beats me why you and your grandmother put up with his ways.”
Her instant fury didn’t bode well for him. “Probably the same reason I’m putting up with you. I have a huge tolerance for fools. Now, not another word, or I swear I will stay in this bed and hum so loud I won’t hear you.”
He faded.
She jumped out from under her warm covers and rushed through her morning routine, fixing her hair, cleaning her teeth and creaming her skin. A short time later, perusing her wardrobe, Carrie looked for the tailored grey suit she wore most Mondays to school. On her meager finances, she had a limited wardrobe of work clothes, choosing between the same few outfits and dressing them up with scarves, pins and a selection of carefully selected blouses and sweaters. She had an instinctive knowledge of the colors and styles that best suited her, which kept her from making many fashion mistakes, and invariably she looked quite striking. It helped, as well, that the few clothes she did own were of good quality to begin with and draped her graceful figure with a classy style that many women envied.
“Are these the only clothes you own?” His surprised reaction put her on guard until she felt the sincere interest behind his question.
“Yes, why?”
“My sister’s and my mother’s closets are the size of your whole room and they’re full to bursting. I never knew there were women who could make do with such a small supply.”
“It must be lovely to have a great many things to choose from.” She didn’t try to hide the yearning note that crept into her tone. “Some mornings I look at my choices, and each article has been worn so many times, and in so many ways, it’s a challenge to freshen them up. But I do love a challenge, so I try my best.”
“You shouldn’t have to. Living at home must cut down on expenses for you.”
“Yes, but I give most of my income to help support the house and assist with the Poppets’ costs, not that you need concern yourself with this.”
“You give your money to your grandfather?”
How is it that a spirit can yell, she wondered.
“No! I help out my grandmother. And we won’t discuss this anymore, thank you.” Her tone brooked no arguments.
“Sorry.”
Changing the subject seemed to be the most prudent way to handle his uneven disposition. “You know I’m a teacher but I have no idea what your profession is.” An impertinent question popped into her mind and, without further ado, she blurted it out. “Do you live alone?”
“Yes, sort of. I live in the penthouse apartment at my casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.”
“You own a casino? How fascinating is that! What’s it called?”
“It’s called The Parks Casino and it’s on Las Vegas Boulevard, which is otherwise known as The Strip. It has only six hundred and fifty-four rooms, small compared to others still in the planning stages.”
“You are truly lucky. I’ve seen pictures in magazines of Las Vegas with all the colored lights and fabulous buildings. Your life must be so full and interesting. How did you become a casino owner?”
“I started out as a gambler. I was pretty good, if I do say so myself, but I learned one important lesson.”
“What lesson?”
“The house always wins. I decided to switch sides, from gambler to owner. After some high-stakes poker games where I won big, I used the money to build my own place. It’s opulent, still in the beginning stages, and has a million things needing to be ironed out to get it up and running smoothly, which is why it’s extremely important for me to get back there. I left my brother…”
“Ashley! And your sister’s name is Scarlett.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at her brilliance.
“How did you guess?”
“Easy. Gone with the Wind is one of my favorite movies.”
With a deep sigh, he answered, “Yes, you’re right, of course.
“Oh, we couldn’t have that, now, could we? Silly old fool! It beats me why you and your grandmother put up with his ways.”
Her instant fury didn’t bode well for him. “Probably the same reason I’m putting up with you. I have a huge tolerance for fools. Now, not another word, or I swear I will stay in this bed and hum so loud I won’t hear you.”
He faded.
She jumped out from under her warm covers and rushed through her morning routine, fixing her hair, cleaning her teeth and creaming her skin. A short time later, perusing her wardrobe, Carrie looked for the tailored grey suit she wore most Mondays to school. On her meager finances, she had a limited wardrobe of work clothes, choosing between the same few outfits and dressing them up with scarves, pins and a selection of carefully selected blouses and sweaters. She had an instinctive knowledge of the colors and styles that best suited her, which kept her from making many fashion mistakes, and invariably she looked quite striking. It helped, as well, that the few clothes she did own were of good quality to begin with and draped her graceful figure with a classy style that many women envied.
“Are these the only clothes you own?” His surprised reaction put her on guard until she felt the sincere interest behind his question.
“Yes, why?”
“My sister’s and my mother’s closets are the size of your whole room and they’re full to bursting. I never knew there were women who could make do with such a small supply.”
“It must be lovely to have a great many things to choose from.” She didn’t try to hide the yearning note that crept into her tone. “Some mornings I look at my choices, and each article has been worn so many times, and in so many ways, it’s a challenge to freshen them up. But I do love a challenge, so I try my best.”
“You shouldn’t have to. Living at home must cut down on expenses for you.”
“Yes, but I give most of my income to help support the house and assist with the Poppets’ costs, not that you need concern yourself with this.”
“You give your money to your grandfather?”
How is it that a spirit can yell, she wondered.
“No! I help out my grandmother. And we won’t discuss this anymore, thank you.” Her tone brooked no arguments.
“Sorry.”
Changing the subject seemed to be the most prudent way to handle his uneven disposition. “You know I’m a teacher but I have no idea what your profession is.” An impertinent question popped into her mind and, without further ado, she blurted it out. “Do you live alone?”
“Yes, sort of. I live in the penthouse apartment at my casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.”
“You own a casino? How fascinating is that! What’s it called?”
“It’s called The Parks Casino and it’s on Las Vegas Boulevard, which is otherwise known as The Strip. It has only six hundred and fifty-four rooms, small compared to others still in the planning stages.”
“You are truly lucky. I’ve seen pictures in magazines of Las Vegas with all the colored lights and fabulous buildings. Your life must be so full and interesting. How did you become a casino owner?”
“I started out as a gambler. I was pretty good, if I do say so myself, but I learned one important lesson.”
“What lesson?”
“The house always wins. I decided to switch sides, from gambler to owner. After some high-stakes poker games where I won big, I used the money to build my own place. It’s opulent, still in the beginning stages, and has a million things needing to be ironed out to get it up and running smoothly, which is why it’s extremely important for me to get back there. I left my brother…”
“Ashley! And your sister’s name is Scarlett.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at her brilliance.
“How did you guess?”
“Easy. Gone with the Wind is one of my favorite movies.”
With a deep sigh, he answered, “Yes, you’re right, of course.
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