Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Charli

At noon, I headed down to the parking garage with Carina in tow. I found Hunter’s black Escalade in parking spot 32B, as he’d promised. I’d never driven such a fancy car before but figured it couldn’t be much different than my old pickup truck.

With Carina fastened safely in the car seat, I headed across town to my own apartment. It paled in comparison to my new accommodations. It was far enough off the Strip that the rent was cheap, but not cheap enough when you hadn’t been working. There was no fancy doorman or elaborate lobby, but luckily, there was an elevator. I never appreciated it until I injured my leg. Going upstairs with crutches would have been brutal.

Once we arrived, I pushed Carina’s stroller into the elevator. Before the doors could close, I heard, “Hold the elevator.” My hand shot out to stop the doors from closing and Mr. Thompson hobbled in with his miniature poodle. “Thanks, Charli.”

“Are you and Lucy coming back from a walk? ”

He held up his cane with one hand and the dog with his other. “We can’t go too far these days, but it’s good to get outside. Neither one of us are spring chickens anymore.”

I winked at him. “I think you’re still dashingly handsome. Any new lady friends?”

“Nope. I’m taking a break. The ladies are crazy. My bump and grind aren’t what they used to be.”

I chuckled into my hand. I loved Mr. Thompson. He might have been old, but he was young at heart. “I bet your bump and grind are just fine. You’re a catch. If I were a few years older…”

He waved me off. “Enough about me.” He glanced down at Carina and made a silly face, making her giggle. “How about you? You have a new beau?”

I tickled Carina’s toes. “Nope. I have a new job nannying. I’m here to pack up my apartment. I’ll be living across town to take care of this little one.”

“Hmmm.” Mr. Thompson scratched his chin. “Nice family?”

“Single dad, actually,” I said, pushing my hair behind my ear.

He perked up. “Rich?”

I had no idea what Hunter’s finances were, but he had expensive taste. “Richer than me.”

“You know what they say. It’s as easy to fall in love with a rich man as it is a poor man. Maybe this’ll be the one. ”

Being my neighbor, Mr. Thompson had witnessed my string of failed relationships over the years. “I’m not looking for a man, but the job pays well.”

“Don’t close yourself off to possibilities.” He bumped me with his shoulder. “ You’re a catch.”

The last thing I needed to do was form a romantic connection with Hunter Dorsey. It was a bad idea for so many reasons, the least of which was his sunny disposition. He made the Grinch seem like Man of the Year.

The elevator doors opened, and we both got off on the fifth floor. “I’m moving today, so if I don’t see you again, thank you for always being so kind to me.” I gave him a hug and patted Lucy on the head. “I’m going to miss you.”

“You’re easy to be kind to, Charli. Take care of yourself and don’t be afraid to fall in love. You deserve it.”

We said our goodbyes and parted ways to our respective apartments. Once inside, I let out a sigh. The apartment was small—one bedroom, one bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a small sitting room—but it was the first place I’d ever lived alone. I’d been so proud when I signed the lease. I felt like a real adult with a real job that paid the bills. Giving it up felt like moving backward instead of forward.

Regardless, it wouldn’t take too long to pack. I wished I had the foresight to collect some boxes. It wasn’t like I didn’t know I had to move; the only question had been where. There were a few shoved in one of the closets, but they wouldn’t be nearly enough.

I reached down and pulled Carina from her stroller. “Well, girlie, I guess we better get started.” I carried her to the bedroom, laid her down in the middle of the bed, and scattered some toys around her. She seemed perfectly happy, shaking the plush frog and listening to the rattle inside.

Pulling my suitcase from the closet, I began emptying the dresser drawers and stuffing my clothes inside. There was no need to be organized. I’d unpack in a few hours and refold my clothes then. When my suitcase was maxed out, I began stuffing clothes into garbage bags. It wasn’t fancy, but it’d have to do.

There was no way I could move everything today. Hunter was insane if he thought I’d be able to move the furniture myself and take care of a baby. Typical man thinking. Even if I found superhuman strength to carry a bed frame and dresser, which was doubtful, there wasn’t even enough room in the Escalade. The easiest thing to do was call a moving company and pray they could fit me in before my lease ended at the end of the week. I chastised myself for not having a plan.

Reckless.

Rash.

Careless.

My mother’s words echoed in my head .

A knock at the door pulled me from my pity party. It was probably Mr. Thompson. Most of my neighbors kept to themselves. The younger people worked in the casinos or bars. I suspected a few of the women were escorts, but it wasn’t my business how people earned their money. We all had to make a living. The older people were much like Mr. Thompson, who hadn’t planned out their retirement very well. In their defense, Vegas wasn’t called Sin City for nothing. There were a million ways to waste your money here.

Another more urgent knock sounded before I made it to the door with Carina in my arms. “I’m coming!” I swung the door open, and it wasn’t Mr. Thompson. Two overly cheery women stood on my doorstep smiling with two very brawny men behind them. If they were selling something, they were out of luck. I needed every penny I had. “Umm. Hello?”

The short blond held up a tape gun. “We’re here to help you pack. Mr. Dorsey sent us.”

My ears must have been deceiving me. “Hunter sent you?”

“Uh-huh,” chirped the taller brunette. “We brought boxes, bubble wrap, and muscle.” She hiked her thumb over her shoulder at the guys. “We have a truck too.”

I stood there dumbstruck.

The blond leaned around me to look inside. “This shouldn’t take too long at all. We’ll have you moved in no time.” She smiled even bigger at me. “That is if you let us in.”

It was a nice surprise. Maybe Hunter wasn’t a bad guy after all. “Of course.” I stepped back to let them in. “Some things are going into storage, and some are coming to the apartment.”

“You’re in charge,” the brunette answered. “Tell us what’s going where, and we’ll mark the boxes appropriately. Guys, why don’t you start with the couch and TV stand? Us girls will start in the kitchen.”

The guys lifted the couch as if it weighed nothing and were out the door without saying a word. The girls, Tina and Carrie, started to empty my kitchen cabinets, carefully wrapping the plates and glasses in bubble wrap like they were fine china. They weren’t. I bought them at the dollar store .

“This isn’t going to take long at all,” I said to Carina as I bounced her on my hip. “Your daddy got us helpers. Wasn’t that nice?”

She reached for my hair and gave it a tug, then laughed like I’d said the funniest thing ever.

“Cute baby,” Carrie said, or maybe it was Tina. I already forgot who was who.

“Thanks.” She assumed Carina was mine, and I didn’t correct her. I figured we’d be getting that a lot when we went out, and honestly, it wasn’t anyone’s business if Carina was mine or not. I was already falling in love with her.

Within a couple hours, my apartment was completely bare. All my prized possessions were packed and loaded into the truck. The only thing left to do was turn in my key.

I sent Hunter a text message with a smiley face emoji. Thank you for sending the movers. It was a huge help! Then, I propped Carina on my hip and held up my phone. “Smile for Daddy.” Snapping the picture, I sent it too.

All I got back was a thumbs-up emoji.