Play Fair (The Devil's Share Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

with me?”
    Her voice was steady. “I don’t have any money.”
    What was I supposed to say to that? Well, kiddo, as a matter of fact you do have money. Whether by design or accident, you hit the genetic jackpot! “I have money and I would very much like to give you some…to go shopping with.”
    “Really?” Now those baby blues held hope. Just a tiny spark of hope.
    My chest swelled with emotion, and suddenly I wanted to give this kid the whole damn world. “Yes, will you go with me?”
    “Okay.”
    “Okay? Okay, good. We’ll go after the monkey show is over.”
    Landry turned back toward the TV. “Chimpanzees aren’t monkeys; they are apes.” She used the remote to point at the screen. “You need to pay closer attention.”
    ***
    I had no clue where to take a young girl shopping. I knew where I liked to shop, and I knew where Lexi and Dylan liked to shop…so we went to Nordstrom’s. We walked in and headed straight to the personal shopper section. I did not need to incite a chick mob in front of Landry. She needed normalcy, not grown women asking me to sign their breasts. Our personal shopper’s name was Garrett; he was as gay as the day was long. And I loved him. He made Landry laugh, so in my book? He was a superhero.
    “What about these?”
    I looked up from the game I was playing on my PS3 to see Landry standing in a very pretty sundress. She was smiling. “It’s perfect. We’ll take it in every color.”
    Garrett put his hands on his hips. “Whatever you say, Daddy Warbucks.”
    Landry looked up at him. “Who’s Daddy Warbucks?”
    Garrett put his hand on her shoulder, steering her back toward her plush dressing room. “You’ve never seen Annie ?”
    And that’s how the next hour went. If Landry was smiling I told her she looked amazing and I loved whatever she was wearing. If she looked uncomfortable, I shook my head. This all seemed to make her happy. But she still wasn’t really talking to me. I could hear her laughing with Garrett in the dressing room and she held his hand as they flitted around the store. Still, she never said much to me. I was trying not to take it personally. I was freaked out too. Total uncharted territory.
    We were standing at the private cash register while they totaled up our purchases and boxed up all Landry’s new clothes and shoes. I looked down when she tugged on my shirt. “What’s up, Buttercup?”
    She held her hand out. “You said I could use your money.”
    “Yes, ma’am, I sure did.” I smiled and pulled out my wallet. “Here you go.” I handed her my black AmEx card.
    She stood on her tiptoes and placed the card on the counter. Garrett took it from her. “Thank you, my lady.”
    I looked down when I heard her giggle at his words. She was wearing a pair of black leggings with a bright pink tutu and t-shirt. She had on a pair of bright pink Chucks. She looked like she’d just stepped out of a GAP Kids catalogue. Much better. There was just one more thing… I cleared my throat. “Uh, Garrett? Is there a good place to get a haircut around here?”
    He looked up, an understanding smile on his face. He grabbed the phone next to him and hit one button. “I need a favor…”
    ***
    Ten minutes later and Landry and I were sitting side by side in the Nordstrom’s salon. I didn’t even know Nordstrom’s had a damn salon. Landry looked a little nervous. “Have you ever had a haircut before?”
    She nodded her head. “Sometimes my mom would cut my hair.”
    I had a million questions for this kid. I wanted to know about her mom, I wanted to know how she survived an obviously hard childhood. But at the same time, I was afraid to ask. Afraid to know what she’d had to endure. “Well, this will be a lot like that. Only better. They are going to wash our hair, and then cut it, and then blow-dry it. Is that okay?”
    She nodded again.
    “After we’re done here, we’re going to go pick up a friend of mine from the airport. Her name is Bryan and she