Tate woke to the alarm. Eleven o'clock, two at home. She groaned and threw back the covers. She wasn't about to meet Baxter without showering. Good thing their massage appointments weren't until three. The plan was to sit by the pool. Late February meant cold and snow at home. Even if it was seventy degrees, it would feel warm to the New Englanders.

Dressed in a sleeveless dress with a short hem, she was ready to get some vitamin D. She put on a sweater to keep the chill of the central air off her skin. Nodding to the mirror, she looked good for the morning after a night of drinking. With any luck, Baxter would have coffee.

When the door to Baxter's suite opened, Jimmy smiled at her. Her heart ached as she took in his beautiful face. There wasn't a hint of jet lag or the late night. His towel dried hair still looked damp. Notably missing was the product to make it look perfect. Tate preferred the imperfect look.

"You look rested." She slid past him casually.

"I checked out the gym earlier."

She looked back at him, causing him to smile. "Good for you. How's Ivy?"

Baxter stepped out of the bedroom as he pulled a tee shirt over his head. His hair was damper than Jimmy's. "She's in the shower."

"Looks like you just stepped out. Is she hungover?"

"Headache. Embarrassed. Hang tight you two. I need to get her luggage. Help yourselves to coffee."

Tate lunged at the room service cart. She cut a pastry in half and ate it almost whole before she fixed a cup of coffee."

"Hungry." He chuckled.

"Starving. Do you want coffee?"

"I had mine with my breakfast."

"How do you function on so little sleep?"

He shrugged. "I guess. I'm used to it."

As she sipped her coffee, she looked over the rim at him. Casual Jimmy in jeans might be her favorite. The shorts on sailing Jimmy were hot too. Obviously, Jimmy with no clothes or just boxers won hands down.

"You know if you like what you see, we could bury the hatchet for the weekend and share some cake."

She stepped forward and poked him in the chest. It satisfied her desire to touch him. "Not. A. Good. Idea."

He grabbed her finger. "Why?"

The lock turning caused them both to step back. She occupied herself drinking her coffee. Baxter smiled as he disappeared into the bedroom.

"I would have slept longer if I knew he was going to be late."

Jimmy laughed. "Baxter is always late. Plus, you needed coffee."

"Sorry, Tate. Ivy was slow to get up this morning."

Tate looked at her brother. "If you're looking for blame, it was the veil's fault. Drinks kept appearing in front of her. All of us. Why do men buy a bachelorette drinks?"

Jimmy chuckled. "The kind hoping she wants one last hoo-rah."

Baxter's face contorted. Tate reasured her brother. "Don't worry. We danced in a pack. Doyle handled the gawkers."

Ivy stepped out of the bedroom. "We had fun didn't we?"

Her question caused Tate to smile. "We did. Tonight we have a show, with no veil."

"I doubt I'll drink tonight. I need water."

Like a ninja, Baxter lunged to the fridge and handed a cold bottle to Ivy. "Attentive." Tate looked at Jimmy who grinned.

Baxter cleared his throat. "Combined parties isn't the tradition. I love you, Ivy, but you came to do lady things, and we came to drink and gamble."

Tate scoffed. "No strip clubs."

"Not on my itinerary," Jimmy clarified.

"Baxter, what's on your itinerary?" Tate turned to her brother.

"Lunch. Casino, Dinner, casino. Maybe a walk downtown or some time by the pool."

"Tate?"

"Lunch." She looked at her watch. "In ten minutes. Pool. Three pm massages. Dinner and a show at nine. Some shopping."

Baxter said, "Maybe we'll see you by the pool or in a restaurant. We'll stay out of the spa and stores and you can stay away from the casino. Sounds good?"

"Yes, boss." Tate didn't have a problem; she didn't come to hang out with her brothers and have Jimmy sniff around her.

"I'm cool. This is your weekend, Bax."

"Okay. Can Ivy and I go to lunch?"

Baxter caressed Ivy's cheek and kissed her lips. "Have fun."

Both Jimmy and Tate looked away only to meet the others' eyes. He winked, and she felt the heat in her cheeks.

"Come on, Tate." Once in the hall, Ivy said, "I hope I can eat."

"Did you get sick?"

"No, I fell asleep with you and woke up with Baxter."

Tate laughed as the elevator arrived. They met the others for a pleasant lunch. No one talked about Ivy and the pretty drinks. They almost finished their lunch when the men entered and sat at a table on the other side of the restaurant. Ivy waved as they went to the pool. The men stopped by after their lunch.

Jimmy's sunglasses didn't hide his visual assessment of Tate's legs. As his group headed to the casino, Joey stayed behind.

"Can I stay? I'm really Ivy's friend. I've known her the longest."

Doyle peppered him with questions about Ivy growing up. Eventually she said, "You're missing the fun. Don't you gamble."

Freya said, "We can't afford it. We broke the bank on decent clothes to wear."

Tate sat up. "Ivy, we could have let Freya raid our closets."

Her friend looked down. "I'm not as tall and I had a baby."

"Then Doyle's closet." She was curvier and slightly shorter than Tate. "Honestly, Dani wears my clothes all the time and Ivy borrowed a gown."

"She won Baxter with that gown." Dani teased.

"I did not. Here Joey, take my card. Go play the slots." Ivy smiled. "We have massages and I have a headache."

Freya whispered, "I have never had a massage before."

Ivy announced. "Neither have I. Come on, Frey, live it up."

Tate shook her head. Ivy hadn't changed. She may have acclimated to Baxter's life, but she was still as sweet and honest as when she was so poor she lived with her parents.

They emerged from the spa with smiles. "My headache is gone."

Dani sighed. "I'm in love with those hands."

Giggles escaped as they walked into Saint Laurent. Tate looked through designer clothes with nothing particular in mind. Maybe she should purchase something from the lingerie shop and, and what?

Nothing. She could love Jimmy, but they could never be. Their history prevented them. Their fate was etched into the asphalt on the road leaving Marblehead.

She watched Freya look at a price tag and step back like it contaminated her. "Come on. I don't need anything. Do any of you?"

"Definitely not in here," Doyle mumbled. "Let's hit the streets."

"We have time before our dinner reservation, unless we want to shower." Tate typically showered off the massage oils, but the natural oils felt light on her skin.

The upscale hotel held back the excitement of Sin City. The sidewalks were as crowded as New York City during rush hour. Even though it was daylight, the bright lights put Time's Square to shame. They wandered to the fountain where a show was in progress. Further up in the crowd she recognized the back of heads. Freya and Ivy did too and navigated to their lovers' sides. Doyle pulled Tate through with Dani at her heels.

Somehow she was pressed between Kasper and Jimmy. Her brother wore a baseball cap and sunglasses. Tate rolled her eyes. Jimmy leaned down. "We're his entourage."

She tried to laugh at his words, but her body betrayed her. She felt more lightheaded than during the massage. A snort escaped in place of a laugh. Jimmy laughed as he held her close in the thick crowd.

When the show ended and the crowd dispersed, Jimmy stepped away causing a shiver to run through her. It wasn't cold out and she wore her sweater.

Doyle leaned comfortably against Kasper. "Anyone win big?"

They frowned. Baxter said, "I lost my winnings from last night. Sweetheart, you are my good luck charm."

Tate stepped forward. "Tough. She's not spending the night in the casino with you."

There was a murmur from the testosterone about where she would spend the night. Tate rolled her eyes, but when she met Jimmy's smirk, she laughed too. As they walked the strip together, Jimmy kept to her side.

Passing another wedding chapel, he stopped. "They must sell a lot of cake in this city." There was a cake in the window display.

"It's styrofoam. Come on." She pulled on his tee shirt to get him to move on. The others were ahead of them. "People will think you're drunk. Everyone knows you're allergic to marriage."

He stopped walking. "Everyone?"

"Mostly."

"Huh. I hate being predictable." Jimmy strolled off.

Tate's mouth dropped open. Literally, a bug flew in. Just as well she stood alone as she spit it out. Still recovering from his words, she didn't think of Amelia's disappointment over her unlady-like act. Kanes didn't spit anywhere and definitely not on the street. In the bathroom, Amelia taught them to empty the toothpaste from their mouths without the force of spitting.

The group had turned back before she caught up to them. Dani smiled. "Tate, I thought we lost you."

"Nope. I'm here." She smiled, but her insides were dancing around making her feel funny.

Kasper put his arm around her. "You okay?"

She hugged him. "I am now. I'm with one of the hottest men in America. Take off the disguise and let's see if we can trend."

He shook his head. Dani laughed. "He should take off his shirt and climb that palm tree."

Kasper looked up at the tree, and Tate feared he would take the dare. "Nah. I'm not taking my shoes off on this sidewalk. The trick to climbing is doing it barefoot."

As they meandered back to the hotel, Hudson asked about learning to climb. "They didn't show it, but it took practice. I had scrapes from failed attempts."

"You looked good, man."

"You should try it. You would look great on camera and you're athletic."

Dani agreed and encouraged him. She seemed taken by her boss's friend. Jimmy leaned into Tate. "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

Did he have a death wish for her? She stumbled, and he caught her before she fell on the pavement.

"Be careful." Once again everyone was too self absorbed to notice they stopped walking.

"Stop trying to kill me." She walked away first. Jimmy stood and laughed.

Back at the hotel, the ladies retreated to their rooms to get ready for dinner. Tate didn't know what the testosterone did and didn't care. She needed distance from one of them.

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