“This is the one we use. It’s cleaner. Look, I’m not sure what you went through. But take your time, okay? I’ll tell everyone it’s out of order.”

I nod my head before closing the door behind me.

I’m about to bawl. I slide down the wall and sit on the restroom floor, tears covering my entire face.

Eve pops into my head. She’s the most solid and real woman I know. Can she help me? With a shaking hand, I find her number in my Contacts and press Call.

“Hey, girl.”

I can feel her smile across the line.

“Eve?” My voice comes out tiny. I swallow, trying to get my bearings.

“You okay?” She knows something is wrong.

It’s eight thirty on a Monday morning. Typically, I’d be behind my desk right now, organizing the week and fielding phone calls.

“No, I’m not.” I break down, telling her about the shooting. The deaths. I want to tell her that Slade saved me, but I can’t even get into that right now. “I’m so anxious. What am I going to do? I can’t go back to the office—”

“Okay. Take a deep breath.”

I open my mouth to inhale and hear her doing the same.

“You need some time off. Go tell Jonathan you need a few weeks.”

“But I can’t. I’m terrified of going home and being alone. I’m … I need help, Eve.”

“Why don’t you come out to Nevada for a while? I could use you at the Center, and you could use a break. Come for as long as you can. Two weeks. A month. A year. A lifetime! Whatever you want.”

“I don’t want you to tell Vincent. Or anyone. If I come, I don’t want to see it in their faces.”

“No problem. My lips are sealed.” Her voice is confident.

I stare at a frame against the restroom wall with the words, You Only Live Once, written in lime-green script.

I’m not really living my life right now. My two brothers have both moved out to New York with big careers and families. And me? I just wake up, go to work, and focus on looking great, so I can meet a guy and get married and have kids. And then, one day, I’ll die.

I tried calling Sanam yesterday, but all the girls have scattered, clinging to their boyfriends and husbands. And here I am, all alone, with no prospect for more. Even my job is a dead end. Do I want to be a lawyer one day like my father? No. Do I want to stay as a legal secretary forever? No. So, what exactly am I doing?

“Okay,” I finally reply. “Yeah, I’ll come.”

“Good. Do you want the jet?”

I already know that the Milestone, being one of the most high-end resort and casinos in America, has a private plane.

Eve clears her throat. “You were there for me at a time when I needed it the most. Let me help you now.”