The Billionaire's Gamble Page 0,4

blankets, pillows and generally just being a nuisance until Sabrina got out of bed. Better to do it on her own, she knew from past experience.

Frowning at the window, she hurried as fast as her muddled mind would allow. “Doesn’t it ever get cloudy here? I want snow, woman!” she said and padded down the stairs in her red Christmas socks and red sleep shirt with a reindeer on the front.

Sabrina enfolded her sister in her arms. “Merry Christmas,” she said grumpily, still not recovered from her sleep, or more specifically, her lack of it.

Eyeing her sister’s rumpled mass of bright red curls, she chuckled under her breath. “Uh oh. Did you miss your run this morning?” Nina said cheerfully and dropped her presents under Sabrina’s tree then headed for the kitchen to start coffee.

Sabrina followed and sat down on one of the stools pulled up to the counter. She pushed her fiery red hair out of her face and propped her head onto her hands. “Yes,” she sighed, grateful to her sister for initiating the caffeine jump start since she’d slept through her physical one.

Nina stopped dumping coffee grounds into the coffee maker, her face showing her astonishment over Sabrina’s announcement. “Wow! This is a first. You never miss your morning run. What’s your jogging group going to say?” she joked and dumped an extra scoop of coffee into the machine for good measure.

Sabrina’s eyes were already closing and she ignored her sister’s cheerfulness. “Who cares, just speed up the process,” Sabrina yawned. “And could you shave some ice and sprinkle it around outside please? I don’t understand why you like this area so much. There’s no snow. There’s no change in the weather. It is sunny every day!” she said, her tone expressing her frustration.

Nina laughed and poured the water into the coffee machine. “Sabrina, it’s the desert. You’re not living on the east coast anymore. You’re living in the world’s largest adult playground. The weather is beautiful. Get used to it.”

“Hmmph,” was Sabrina’s only muffled response as she laid her head in her arms on top of the kitchen counter.

Nina drove home her point with more statistics, not giving Sabrina a chance to fall back to sleep while the coffee brewed. “The average monthly rainfall here is less than a quarter of an inch. You’re not going to get a whole lot of snow,” Nina went on. She laughed at her sister’s shudder at that tid bit of information. “Sorry, most people learn to like it. Eventually.”

Her sister didn’t sound very sorry, Sabrina thought as her eyes faded a little more. “Why are you so cheerful?” she groused.

Nina smiled as she leaned against the sink, watching her older sister fall back to sleep on the counter. “Perhaps because it’s a wonderful day and I get to spend some time with you?” she suggested.

That opened Sabrina’s eyes wide. “Oh,” she started to say, instantly feeling guilty for being so grumpy when her sister had only sweet things to say about their planned day together. “I’m sor…” she began, but then stopped when she saw her sister’s teasing look. “You’re evil, Nina,” she grumped, her chin falling back onto her palm, not having the energy to hold it up on her own. “What’s going on?” she demanded.

Nina laughed delightedly. “I just got a good grade on an exam. Sorry for being in such a good mood, but you’re the perfect target right now. Defenseless.”

Sabrina ignored that and changed the subject, lifting her head up to look across the tiny kitchen at her sister. She suddenly remembered why she was so tired and her nervousness instantly reappeared. “Are you sure you can’t come to dinner tonight?” Sabrina asked, the butterflies immediately starting up in her stomach again in anticipation of seeing Sid later in the day.

Nina shook her head and took the stool next to her sister. “Sorry. I have to study this afternoon and I have a show tonight.”

Sabrina sighed and propped her head onto her hands, elbows resting on the counter as she pushed her disappointment aside. “I know. How’s that going?” Sabrina asked.

Nina grimaced, imitating her sister’s propped up chin. “Rough. But that’s okay. I’ll get through it.”

Nina had moved to Las Vegas three years ago, right after graduating from Georgetown University with an undergraduate degree in history. Nina had gone off to Las Vegas, determined to be a glamorous show girl. After only a few months, she’d known that it wasn’t her dream job. The hours