Loving and Loathing Vegas Read Online Free PDF Page A

wailed in that perfect pitch that could blow out eardrums.
    Cillian watched Jackson in a panic. “She spit up a little and I went to wipe it away and she just started screaming.”
    Jackson sighed in exasperation. He scooped up Jeshebet’s basket out of her makeshift bassinet, and she instantly giggled. He scowled at her. “I swear to God you’re doing this on purpose.”
    The baby clapped her hands.
    Cillian smiled. “You really have a way with her.”
    Jackson frowned. “I guess.”
    “I think I got your phone to work, though,” Cillian said as he handed it over. “I think you got a message.”
    Jackson couldn’t contain his glee. This was it. Finally, victory was in his grasp. He unlocked his phone and tapped on the Grindr message—only for the 4G to futz out. “C’mon, c’mon…,” he mumbled. “Load. Load, please, load.”
    The baby grunted like an angry cow. The smell exploded into the diner.
    “Oh fuck,” Jackson yelped and gagged, without considering his language. He spun on his heel and collided chest to chest with Cillian. The force made Jackson drop his phone, and the telltale crunch of a shattered screen as it bounced across the tiles distantly registered in his mind.
    Tending to Jeshebet came first.
    He scrambled to the employee restroom and set the basket on the sink. Jackson frantically searched the cabinets, but found nothing but toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. His gut sank. The Huggies and baby wipes were in the back room.
    Jeshebet continued to wail, obviously displeased with sitting in her own shit.
    “Vegas,” Jackson howled out the door. “I need those diapers and baby wipes!”
    “What?” Vegas called back over the noise of the kitchen.
    Jackson poked his head out the door and held in his panic as he watched Vegas across the kitchen, tending to another order of burgers. “Diapers! Baby wipes! They’re in the back room!” Jackson roared. “Now!”
    Vegas turned to him, just as much panic in his eyes as Jackson had seen in Cillian’s gaze. He dropped his spatula on the grill and then snatched it before it could clatter to the floor. He shook his hand, and Jackson frowned, knowing Vegas had burned it on the grease. He shoved the utensil in his apron pocket, then took off for the back room.
    Jackson turned back to Jeshebet.
    She screamed, her face redder than brimstone on a scorching summer day.
    “I know,” Jackson whispered to her. “I know. It’s gross. You’re a little stink bomb, I hope you know.”
    Vegas emerged into the bathroom, laden with a bright pink package of Huggies and a box of baby wipes. He coughed. “Oh God, that’s ripe.”
    Jeshebet wiggled angrily in her basket.
    “I think that’s my cue,” Vegas said, and shoved the diapers and baby wipes at Jackson before vanishing out the door.
    Jackson had gotten the hang of changing Jeshebet over the last few days. But not all the YouTube tutorials in the world could have prepared him for this round.
    “God, why have you forsaken me?”
    He crossed himself and held his breath.

Chapter Four
     
    I T WAS two weeks to go before Christmas, and Jackson was no closer to finding a date. His latest round of Grindr dates had proved to be a disaster when the possible suitors revealed they were out in Santa Fe and unwilling to make the drive to “crappy Tez.” The town wasn’t that crappy. It had its certain, quiet charm. It wasn’t so bad for being not even a blip on the map. People could find Area 51 easier.
    Jackson blinked, bleary-eyed, as he counted out the till. Jeshebet had taken it out of him with all her baby emergencies. It had been a blessing that Cillian stepped up, being able to wing it enough to take orders. He wasn’t so bad. He’d make a good employee, if Vegas was up for it. Cillian even did an awesome job decking the place out for the holidays. The happy green and red garland twinkled in the dim light, and the plastic ornaments reflected their surroundings. They still needed a