Mel’s brother, Mark, flew down from Seattle to join Wyatt and Luke.

A welcome basket of fruit and wine sat on the coffee table in the sitting room of their suite, compliments of Chef Owen, whose name was given to one of the restaurants on the canal linking several of the casinos together. Along with the wine was the offering of dinner and drinks, complimentary, of course.

“It’s crazy,” Zoe said, setting aside the note that came with the wine. “When I couldn’t afford a meal, no one was willing to pay, now that I can, everyone wants to treat me.”

Jo pulled a fresh strawberry out of the mix and nibbled the end. “I like your friends.”

Mel stood before the open blinds overlooking the Vegas strip. “This view is spectacular.”

Zoe pulled up space beside her friend and draped an arm over her shoulders. “After the year you’ve had, you deserve it.”

Mel placed her head on Zoe’s shoulder and thanked her without words.

Jo slipped in, a hand on Zoe’s other shoulder. “So what are we going to do first?”

Zoe turned and removed the bottle of champagne chilling in the bucket. “A toast.”

She ripped the foil from the bottle and gently pulled the cork, not spilling a drop before filling glasses.

“To Wyatt and Mel?” Jo asked.

Zoe shook her head. “No, there’s time for that next month. Tonight is about us.” Zoe lifted her glass and the others followed suit. “We didn’t do too bad. I have a feeling the best is yet to come.”

Jo clicked her glass to Mel’s, and Zoe pushed in.

“To us!” Mel drank first, then let out a huge squeal. “We’re in Vegas!”

“This is going to be so much fun.”

Zoe glanced at her watch and set her glass down. “Okay, ladies. Our day is about to begin. Grab your purses.”

Jo looked at Mel. “Where are we going?”

“The spa! Duh!”

Mel squealed again and beat them to the door.

“I’ll take the couch.” Mark dropped his bag on the floor after walking past the two double beds in the room.

Luke offered a weak protest. “You don’t have to. I can—”

“Bad back. It’s better for me.”

Wyatt shoved his bag on a bed and opened the minibar. He pulled out three beers and handed them around. “I haven’t been here in years.”

“I can beat that!” Luke had always wanted to go but never found the time or the playmates. He opened a basket on the side table that had his name on the tag.

“What’s that?”

He dug through the wrapping and found a bottle of Irish whiskey, several bags of nuts, and gourmet crackers along with a note. Zoe tells me you’ve never been to Vegas. Here is a card to get you into the players club. Tell them Felix sent you. And remember, it’s not Vegas if you’re sober. Drink up!

“I like Zoe’s friends.”

Wyatt removed the whiskey and ditched his beer. “Now we’re talking.”

“What’s on the agenda, gentlemen?”

Luke lifted the get into the club card. “Gambling or strip club?”

Mark’s eyes lit up. “Yes and yes!”

“Oh, my God! This is amazing.” Mel’s muffled words drifted through the room where all three of them lay facedown on massage tables while masseuses removed all the tension of their flights.

“Miss Gina needs to offer this at the inn.”

Zoe lifted her face long enough to glance at Jo. “That’s not a bad idea.”

Zoe’s technician found a knot under her shoulder and she moaned.

“This is my first professional massage,” Mel told them.

“That’s a shame,” Jo’s tech said.

“Mine, too.”

“That’s just not right.” Here Zoe had less than of both them growing up and more experiences with some of the finer things in life than either of them.

“Where do you ladies live?”

Jo and Mel said River Bend at the same time.

Zoe explained in plain English. “Nowhere-ville Oregon.”

“I have to go to Waterville to get a pedicure,” Mel told them.

“I don’t bother,” Jo said.

“Pedicures are the best.”

“Only when you’re wearing open toed shoes,” Jo reminded her. “I wear boots.”

“Not this weekend, you’re not. Pedicures are next, and if you don’t have shoes, we’re going shopping.”

Jo huffed.

“I don’t want to hear it. Little black dresses and men we don’t know buying our drinks.”

Zoe’s tech spoke up. “Sounds like one of you knows how to do Vegas.”

“They’ll learn.”

“Men slip shit into drinks,” Jo warned.

“You let them pay for drinks, Jo . . . but you don’t let them hand the drinks to you.” Zoe had been around the block a few times. “Besides, you’re the only one of us bound to pick up someone tonight.”

“I wanna see that,” Mel said.

“You should have seen the guy in Dallas. He was hot,” Zoe told her.

“He certainly was!”

Jo had them laughing and talking about dick size.

The technicians snickered and kept their comments to themselves.

“Remind me to thank this Felix guy when I meet him.” Wyatt was doing what every self-respecting bachelor did at his bachelor party weekend in Vegas: he was glossy eyed and well on his way to passing out.