Runaway Vegas Bride / Vegas Two-Step: Runaway Vegas Bride / Vegas Two-Step

“What the hell is the matter with you?” Wyatt practically roared the moment Jane disappeared from sight.

“She is a prissy little thing. I still can’t believe she hit me.”

“She didn’t hit you,” Wyatt reminded him.

“But she meant to. The only thing that stopped her was you. And then she hit you.”

Wyatt sighed, feeling a headache coming on, as it often did when he had to deal with Leo. “Did your doctor change your medication or something? Because you seem…particularly outrageous lately, even for you.”

“I’m just enjoying myself here,” Leo claimed, slapping his hands to his chest. “Life was meant to be enjoyed, boy.”

“God help me,” Wyatt muttered. “Are you trying to get kicked out of this place?”

“No, I love it here. This is the best old folks’ home I’ve ever been in. Best-looking women, the friendliest, the fittest. I think this place is God’s gift to Leo Gray.”

“I doubt God sees it that way, and I know for a fact that Ms. Steele doesn’t. She sees it as you potentially ruining this place, and she’s this close to kicking you out.” Wyatt held his thumb and his first finger an inch apart. “One more thing, and I swear, you’re gone.”

Leo made a disgusted, dismissive sound. “We done? ‘Cause I’m supposed to meet someone in thirty minutes, and I need to spruce up a bit. A man can’t just let himself go.”

“Please tell me it’s not one of Jane’s relatives.” Wyatt said, then wondered, would it be better or worse if it wasn’t Kathleen or Gladdy?

“You gonna start policing my social calendar, boy?” Leo challenged.

Wyatt sighed. “There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to control you.”

Leo looked particularly pleased with himself. “Didn’t think so.”

“But I’m telling you, you’re going to get kicked out of here, and Ms. Steele’s going to blackball you with every retirement home administrator she knows, and she claims that will cover the entire state of Maryland. Think about it, Leo.”

Jane found Gram and Gladdy in Gram’s room whispering urgently to each other. They clammed up the minute they saw Jane.

That was odd.

“What are you two up to?” she asked.

Gram got a sad, disapproving look on her face. “Talking about you, my girl.”

“We can’t believe the things we’re hearing, Jane. You attacked that sweet Leo Gray?”

“He is not sweet! He’s trouble! How can you both not see that?”

“He is sweet as can be and just delightful to be around,” Gram insisted. “Do you have any idea how boring most men in their eighties are? Sad and grumpy and complaining about one thing after another. Their backs, their head, their eyes. It’s really disheartening what you have to choose from in men at our age, Jane.”

“You could just give up on men altogether,” Jane suggested.

Gram and Gladdy groaned, then looked at each other like it was too horrible an idea to even think about.

“Surely you’ve both had enough men by now,” she tried.

“I hope to have a man in my life for as long as I’m breathing,” Gram said.

Gladdy nodded her head, obviously agreeing. “You’ve just never learned how to truly enjoy a man, Jane. If you had, you’d understand.”

“Enjoy a man?” She winced, remembering being called a prude and Gram and Gladdy feeling sorry for her, just because she didn’t turn her life upside down for every man who showed the slightest interest in her. “I’ve had enjoyable men in my life before.”

“Name one,” Gladdy challenged her.

“I.…uhhh…“ She had to think, then came up with, “Andy Scovol. He was great fun. We did all sorts of things together, and I still miss him since he moved away.”

“He was your best friend in fifth grade. That was eighteen years ago, and he wasn’t a man. He was a boy. I bet you never even kissed him,” Gram complained.

“Of course I didn’t kiss him. He was my friend. It’s okay to be friends with men, isn’t it? Surely it’s not all about sex.”

Gladdy sighed. “Jane, we worry about you.”

“And I worry about the two of you, too.”

“Well, don’t. We’re fine.”

“Fine,” Gram agreed.

“But you won’t be if you both keep running around with that man, Leo.”

Gram gave a dismissive huff. “We told you. He’s so much fun to have around.”

“Well, you should know he’s been having fun with both of you.” There, she’d just blurted it out.

“Of course he has,” Gram said. “We’ve had dinner together every day this week. We played doubles today in tennis, and we’re going dancing downtown Saturday night.”

“That’s not all he’s been doing.” It had to be said, Jane knew. “I’m sorry, but it’s not. His nephew says he’s incapable of being faithful to any woman or of making any kind of long-term commitment.”

Gladdy laughed. “Honey, we’re both in our…seventies. How can a long-term commitment even apply at our age?”

Jane let the lying about their ages go. It wasn’t the issue.

“He’s been romancing you both. Gram, you think you’re in love with him, and he was here, in this room…doing things with Gladdy yesterday.”

Gladdy looked outraged.

“I’m sorry,” Jane told her. “But he was.”

“Doing…things?” Gram asked.

“Oh, pooh. I had something in my eye, and he was helping me get it out. I’ve already told Kathleen about it, and she understands perfectly. Don’t you, Kathleen?”

“Of course I do.” She patted Gladdy’s hand with lifelong affection. “Gladdy and I would never let a man come between us.”

“But…but you said you were in love with him.” Jane tried.