Las Vegas Nights. Cat Schield

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СКАЧАТЬ out of his housekeeper’s roast beef with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus. “What college do you attend?”

      “I’m at Duke.”

      Logan turned to Madison. “Didn’t your mother tell me you’d gotten into Duke?” Maybe she liked this boy well enough to follow him to college in North Carolina. Her parents would be thrilled.

      “Yes.” She leveled a warning stare at him. “I also got into Brown University, Cornell and Mother’s alma mater, Amherst.” All prestigious East Coast schools.

      “Wow.” Trent gaped at her in astonishment. Apparently she hadn’t shared her academic triumphs with him. “That’s impressive.”

      “I guess.” She was so obviously glum about it that for the first time Logan felt sorry for her.

      “You guess?” Trent asked. “I applied to Brown and Cornell and couldn’t get in.”

      She had the grace to look a little ashamed of her attitude. “All I mean is that none of those were schools I wanted to get into. I didn’t get into my top choice.”

      This was the first he’d heard of a college she hadn’t been able to get into. Was that why she’d been acting out all spring? Paula and Ran had pushed hard to get her to apply to schools they considered suitable. Madison’s two older brothers were at Harvard and Yale, respectively. Could she have felt too much pressure?

      “What school could possibly have turned you down?”

      Logan held very still, hoping that Madison would forget he was sitting across from her and keep talking. He might be able to get her back on track if he understood why she derailed.

      Madison waved one slender hand. Her expression had gone mulish again. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t get in and I have no interest in going to any school my parents badgered me into applying to.”

      Trent was smart enough to realize he’d hit a nerve and rather than continue to pursue what was obviously a touchy subject, he stuffed a forkful of Mrs. Sanchez’s excellent food into his mouth and chewed with relish. Madison pushed beef around her plate and seemed preoccupied with her thoughts.

      Logan applied himself to his own dinner and pondered what he’d learned tonight. Madison wasn’t opposed to going to college, she just didn’t want to go to any of the ones her parents had encouraged her to apply for. And she’d been disappointed after putting all her hopes in one basket and losing out.

      Perhaps if Paula and Ran could let Madison make her own choice about where she went, she could be college-bound in the fall. He would call Paula and talk it over with her in the morning.

      * * *

      Scarlett sat on the overstuffed chair in her bedroom, her feet tucked beneath her, and stared out the window. While Harper and Violet had chosen to occupy suites that overlooked the Strip, Scarlett preferred a view of the mountains that circled Las Vegas. During the cooler months, she enjoyed hiking the trails in nearby Red Rock Park. The peace and quiet was a nice change from the constant activity around the hotel.

      It was an hour before she was supposed to meet Logan for dinner, and she still needed to jump in the shower and get ready. She’d finished her day at six so she could get back to her suite and have plenty of time to prepare, but she’d spent the past hour sitting and daydreaming.

      No. That wasn’t true. She was waiting. Waiting for Logan to call and cancel their date.

      She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and frowned. Surely he wasn’t the sort of man to stand a girl up at the last minute. He was far too honorable for that. Her stomach gave a queer lurch. Was it possible he wasn’t going to cancel on her? Scarlett jumped to her feet. She only had an hour to get ready. What had she been thinking to wait so long?

      Her cell rang as she reached the bathroom door. If she didn’t answer Logan’s call, was their date officially canceled? She shuffled back to the dresser she’d passed and scooped up the phone. To her relief, it wasn’t Logan.

      “Bobby,” she exclaimed. She hadn’t spoken with the television producer in over six months. “What a lovely surprise.”

      “Scarlett, L.A. misses you.” Over the phone Bobby McDermott came across as staccato and abrupt, but in person, he was a warmhearted teddy bear. “You must come home.”

      Her heart twisted in fond melancholy, but she kept her voice light. “Las Vegas is home these days.”

      “Bah. You’re an actress, not a hotel manager.”

      “I used to be an actress.” She thought back over yesterday’s conversation with Logan. “At least when I got work, which wasn’t often.”

      “You are a wonderful actress. You just weren’t getting offered the right parts.”

      She couldn’t argue with him there. What she wouldn’t have given for a role with some meat. Something that scared her a little and forced her to stretch. She’d never been a fame hound, although with her sex appeal and early success, she was well-known to the gossip magazines and paparazzi.

      “That’s why I’m calling,” Bobby continued. “I have something you’d be perfect for.”

      Scarlett sighed. She’d heard that before. Bobby had brought her numerous opportunities, but his opinion of her talent always seemed to clash with those of his directors. Still, it was nice having someone of his stature in her corner even if she never did get the part.

      “I’m really happy here, Bobby.”

      “Nonsense. You’re an actress. You need to act.” The producer switched tacks. “At least come to L.A. and take a meeting.”

      “There’s no point. I’m committed to staying here and managing the hotel.” She didn’t explain about her grandfather’s contest or the pride she felt for all she’d accomplished in the past five years. “You’re a darling for thinking of me, though.”

      “I’m going to send you the script,” Bobby continued, ignoring her refusal. When he had his mind set on something, it took an act of God for him to change direction. “Don’t make any decisions until you’ve read it through.”

      Knowing it was dangerous to open the door even a crack, she nevertheless heard herself say, “I’d be happy to give it a read. But I can’t promise anything.”

      “You will once you’ve finished. Gotta run. Love you.”

      She barely had a chance to say goodbye before Bobby hung up. Stewing in a disorderly mash of dread and excitement, Scarlett quickly showered and dressed. At seven forty-five, a knock sounded on her door. Her hair was still up in hot rollers and she hadn’t finished applying her makeup. Cursing Logan’s early arrival, Scarlett quickly stripped out the rollers and shook out her hair. A second knock sounded on her door, this one more insistent, and she raced to answer it.

      “You’re early,” she declared as she threw open the door. But instead of Logan, a man in a ski mask stood at her door. “Who—?”

      Before she could finish, his fist connected with her jaw. She saw stars. Then darkness.

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