Lost in Las Vegas (17 page)

“You two can go,” said Taylor as she signed the check. “I’ll get your tickets.”

“What about you?”

“There’s a good bass player at House of Blues tonight. You can meet up with me there after my mom’s concert.”

Eliza tried to get Taylor to change her mind, but she refused. “I’ve seen her a bazillion times. And this bass player is really good.” Then Taylor walked them to the theater and secured the tickets as well as backstage passes before she took off. DJ decided not to worry about Taylor as she and Eliza found their seats — once again, down close to the front and in the center. And, once again, the concert was amazing and wonderful. Even Eliza seemed impressed.

“Should we go backstage?” she asked DJ.

“Sure. Eva said she wanted to meet you.”

“Me?” said Eliza.

DJ nodded and, acting like she’d done it before, led Eliza back to where an usher brought them to Eva’s dressing room. And there, she introduced Eliza. Eva smiled graciously as Eliza gushed about the concert.

“Where’s Taylor?” Eva directed this at DJ, but before she could answer, Eliza jumped in.

“She headed out already.” Eliza laughed. “I guess going backstage to meet your own mother isn’t such a thrill.”

Eva laughed, but her eyes remained on DJ, a questioning look and sadness there. DJ forced a weak smile, and then they said good-bye and took off to catch up with Taylor. On the way to the club, DJ warned Eliza that she was not going in.

“Why not?” demanded Eliza.

“For one thing, I’m not old enough. Besides that I don’t have fake ID. Furthermore, I don’t want fake ID. So tell Taylor I’m going to bed.”

Eliza looked disappointed. “Then I’ll tell you good-bye now. I’m flying out of here at 12:40 a.m.”

DJ looked at her watch. “Do you know that it’s half past nine now?”

“I’m aware of the time. My bags are packed, and the limo is scheduled. I’m fine.”

“You better not get drunk and miss your flight.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Then, to DJ’s surprise, Eliza hugged her. “It was fun . . . well, sometimes.”

“Merry Christmas,” said DJ.

“To you too.” Then Eliza pulled out her fake ID, flashed it to the security guard, and walked into the club. Just like that. Easy breezy. And DJ went up to the suite, got ready for bed, tried to read awhile, but was soon asleep. Easy breezy. But when DJ woke up, it was nearly one in the morning and Taylor was not back. If all had gone well, Eliza should be in the air, which meant that Taylor was down there by herself and probably drinking.

While one part of DJ was totally fed up and didn’t care, another part remembered the troubled look in Eva’s eyes tonight. So DJ got out of bed, pulled on her sweats, and headed down to the club. Hopefully, Taylor was still there. And hopefully Eliza had made her flight.

DJ hung around the entrance of the club, looking in to see if she could spot Taylor until she was approached by a security guard. “Are you coming in?” he asked.

“No,” she said, quickly concocting a plan. “But my friend is here. And she’s underage. You let her in with fake ID, and now her dad is coming here, and he’s got a cop with him, and there’s — ”

He unhooked the velvet cord. “Come with me. You point her out, and she’s out of here.” He was already talking into his little radio device, alerting someone else.

“Thanks,” said DJ as they made their way through the crowded room. And there up front on the dance floor, was Taylor, dancing with several guys in a way that would’ve been considered porn if she’d been dressed like last night. DJ pointed her out. “Her name is Taylor,” she told the guy. He relayed this to whoever was listening, then took DJ back out to wait. She looked nervously over her shoulder like she expected the cops any minute. Then another security guy escorted Taylor out and shoved her toward DJ. “You kids stay out of here! You show your face again, I’ll be calling the cops.” The other guard winked at DJ as she dragged a staggering Taylor away.

16

IT WAS AFTER TEN
by the time DJ woke up the next morning. Taylor, safe in bed, appeared to be sleeping it off as DJ quietly made her way to the bathroom. She took her time in the shower and getting dressed, but Taylor was still sleeping. Big surprise. But DJ could smell coffee, so she went out to see Eva in the kitchen, humming quietly as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Good morning,” said DJ.

“Oh, good morning, DJ,” said Eva. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes.”

“And Taylor?”

“Sleeping like a baby.”

Eva smiled sadly. “Yes, she’s not a morning girl. But she did get in . . . not too late last night?”

“Not too late.”

She nodded. “I’m so glad you came, DJ. Taylor needs a friend like you.”

DJ forced a halfhearted smile.

“Help yourself to coffee. My breakfast is on the way. Feel free to order whatever you like.”

“Actually, I think I’ll go down. I’ve gotten kind of addicted to Starbucks lately.”

“Yes, a friend of mine claims they put something in their coffee.” She smiled and picked up the newspaper. “Enjoy.”

DJ grabbed her bag. “I have my phone. If Taylor wakes up, she can call me.”

“I’ll tell her.”

DJ went to Starbucks and ordered her regular mocha, this time with a bagel. She decided to call Rhiannon — just for moral support and encouragement. But Rhiannon’s phone went straight to messaging. So she tried Casey, determined not to mention that Eliza had been here. When she answered, Casey sounded grumpy.

“What’s wrong?” asked DJ.

“My parents.”

“You didn’t ask them if you could come to Vegas, did you?”

Casey laughed. “No. I’m not stupid. And after I heard about Eliza, well, I’m not insane like some people.”

“How did you hear?”

“Rhiannon told me. What a mess.”

“Don’t rub it in. At least she’s gone. Now it’s just Taylor.”

“Lucky you.” Then Casey used a bad word, which really wasn’t a good sign.

“What’s wrong?”

Casey lowered her voice. “My parents just started World War Three.”

“Oh . . . that’s too bad.”

“Yeah . . . and on Christmas Eve too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not really anything new . . . I mean, my parents always seem to fight more during holidays than any other time.”

“I never knew that.” DJ had spent a lot of time in Casey’s home while growing up. She always thought of them as a perfect, happy family.

“Well, they don’t do it if anyone is around. I mean, besides us kids.”

So DJ told Casey about last night’s meltdown. “I was so bummed,” she admitted. “I’m sure I was feeling envious of you around that time, wishing I was with a normal family, celebrating the holidays with love and good cheer.”

Casey laughed with sarcasm. “Talk about a fractured fairy tale.”

“Well, it might not be that great, but I think it’s better than trying to keep Taylor out of trouble. What a way to spend Christmas!”

“Seems like you would’ve thought of that sooner.”

DJ could tell she wasn’t going to get any sympathy from Casey. If anything, it seemed that Casey was still jealous — and grumpy. “Well, hang in there,” DJ finally said. “I’ll be praying for you.”

“Pray for my parents — they’re the ones who need it.”

DJ closed her phone and shook her head. Was it just her imagination or was the whole world a mess? Were there any “normal” families out there? Ones with genuine love and good will toward each other? Conner seemed to have a decent family — and they were probably having a good time skiing in Montana. And even Eliza, despite her lack of good sense, seemed to have a fairly good family — or maybe it was just an act, the kind that the very wealthy are so clever at putting on.

DJ tried not to feel sorry for herself as she walked through the hotel lobby. Although it was decorated for Christmas, it was too much and over the top — just like everything else in Vegas. Even the Christmas music sounded overdone and gaudy and fake. Really, who spends Christmas in Vegas?

Then she thought of Eva. She was here to work and didn’t really have much choice. And, although she was a bit oblivious, she seemed to have some inkling that all was not well with her daughter. And yet what could Eva do? Lock her up? That’s when it occurred to DJ that perhaps she could make this Christmas a bit more cheerful for Eva . . . and maybe for Taylor too. Not that Taylor would notice or care.

Suddenly, DJ remembered her slot winnings and her determination to leave it all in Las Vegas. It was time to go Christmas shopping. This turned out to be a challenge since the hotel shops either seemed outrageously expensive or else they catered to the sort of glittery glop that Vegas was so famous for.

After awhile, she finally discovered an elegant shop with some beautiful pieces of hand-blown glass. After browsing for quite some time, she found what she hoped would be appropriate gifts. For Eva, it was a beautiful hand-blown bowl with swirling colors of red, gold, and rust. And for Taylor it was a quirky hand-blown clown figurine. Okay, she wasn’t sure if there was some symbolism there, but the clown was actually rather sweet and charming. She got them both wrapped and then selected Christmas cards. Along the way, she saw a florist shop where she stopped to order a festive bouquet of red roses and ivy to be delivered to the suite. Feeling pleased with her finds and her attempt at Christmas spirit, she headed back to the suite.

“Where have you been?” asked Taylor when DJ came into the room.

“Out and about.” DJ set her shopping bags on the coffee table.

“Shopping?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, you could’ve left a note or something.” Taylor frowned as she tightened the belt on her satin robe. “I had no idea where you’d gone.”

DJ controlled herself from pointing out that Taylor had been doing the same thing. “I told your mom I was going to Starbucks and that you could call me if you got up.”

“She wasn’t here either. She must’ve already gone to rehearsal. Tonight’s and tomorrow’s concerts have a Christmas theme, so they needed some extra practice.”

“Oh.”

“Are you still mad at me?” Taylor gave DJ her most appealing smile. “Or can we let bygones be bygones?”

“What does that really mean anyway?”

“You know, bury the hatchet. Forgive and forget. Start over.”

DJ sighed. “I guess so. But just for the record, I get worried about you. And I don’t think you should go clubbing alone.”

“I wasn’t alone. Eliza was with me.”

“Her flight was long gone, Taylor. You were dancing with a couple of strange guys — very seductively too.”

“You were there?” Taylor looked surprised. “Inside the club?”

“I saw you. Okay?” DJ was mad now. “And it worried me. And your mom’s worried too, Taylor. For good reason. What you do is dangerous. Seriously messed up. Don’t you get that?”

“I get that you’re overreacting.”

DJ took a deep breath. She hadn’t meant to lose it like this. She’d meant to be kind and gracious. And yet . . .

“Look,” she said gently. “I just wish you’d be more careful, Taylor. And I can’t help if it’s upsetting. Seriously, I’m ready to give you a big lecture about Natalie Holloway and those jerks in Aruba . . . but I won’t.”

“Thanks for sparing me.”

“Well, you don’t know what might happen, Taylor. This is Vegas.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

“And I got to thinking . . . what kind of people spend Christmas in Las Vegas?”

“People like us?”

“Yes, but I’m not talking about us, Taylor. I’m talking about thugs and jerks and losers and abusers — people who are more comfortable with gambling and drinking than being with their families.”

“Maybe they don’t have families.”

“Maybe some of them don’t.” DJ frowned. Actually, that pretty much described her. But that wasn’t her point. Why couldn’t Taylor get this? “Don’t you ever get scared, Taylor? Don’t you have any sense of fear whatsoever?”

Taylor shrugged.

“I mean what if you got into a situation . . . you know, over your head. What if some jerk pulled a knife or gun on you and forced you to go out and get in his car?”

Taylor just laughed. “I would scream my freaking head off.”

DJ nodded. “Yeah, well, that would probably help. But what if the guy was really clever? What if he got you somewhere remote before you discovered he was a jerk?”

“I wouldn’t be that stupid.”

“What if you were drunk, Taylor? What if your senses were impaired?”

“Oh, DJ, you are such a worrywart.”

“I just want you to think.”

“Sometimes I think you’re, like, about forty-five years old.”

“Thanks.”

“So, let’s change the subject.” Taylor walked over to the window and looked down. “What are we doing today?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t we start at the pool again . . . until we figure out something else.”