ALEXANDRA LOWELL stared up at the shining façade of McKendrick’s of Las Vegas, the most exclusive hotel she would probably ever enter in her life, and hoped that this weekend wasn’t a mistake. Her bank account was practically sobbing at the expense, but her friend Jayne was in desperate straits and in need of some serious escapism, so Alex was going to forget about that poor bank account. For now.
She smiled at her three friends. “I’m setting my mental countdown clock. We’re going to have one awesome weekend in an alternative universe,” she told them cheerfully.
Serena chuckled. “Alternative universe, Alex? It’s Las Vegas, not another planet.”
Alex gave her friend a patient smile. “Serena, come on. You’ve been in my apartment. I love it to pieces, I love finally having my own home, but it’s a little box. This is…it’s…”
“An alternative universe,” Molly agreed with a laugh.
“Okay, you’re right,” Serena said. “This place is breathtaking, isn’t it? Look at all these people, the bustle, the sounds, the over-the-top opulence of it all.”
“And we’ve got a whole weekend,” Jayne said. “Darn it, we’re going to have fun, aren’t we?”
Her smile was bright, but Alex knew she was only wearing it for their benefit. Jayne was supposed to have been getting married this weekend, but that wasn’t happening. Alex’s heart hurt for her. Friends just didn’t let friends go through heartbreak alone. Friends did everything possible to cheer each other up.
“Absolutely,” Alex agreed. “This was a great idea, Serena.” Serena had been the one to suggest a Las Vegas escape, and already the excitement of an adventure was starting to build until Alex could barely contain herself.
“So…do you think it’s true that lots of unmentionably wild things happen here?” Molly asked.
“I certainly hope so,” Jayne said with dogged determination. “We deserve a little wildness. For this weekend, San Diego and everyone in it ceases to exist.”
Which was fantastic advice, Alex couldn’t help thinking. Jayne wasn’t the only one at a turning point in her life. Alex had her own issues she wanted left at home.
“Absolutely,” Molly said. “The only people who matter this weekend are you, my very best friends. We’re out to set the world on fire.”
“And no regrets,” Serena said. “When we remember this time, I want us to have major grins on our faces.”
“When we leave here,” Alex declared, “we’re only taking one thing with us—a happy glow. We’re never going to look back and question the choices we made this weekend.”
With those words, they all smiled at each other and marched toward their destinies.