Chapter 51

• Our Vegas weekend couldn't have gotten off to a better start, and we hadn't even left yet. James, Kat's fiance, had lost his phone the first night of his bachelor party in Mexico. His contact with her would be limited. That meant our three nights in Vegas were largely going to be unfettered. The other pre-Vegas stroke of luck came with my Bellagio host, Nicole. She had come through with a two-bedroom villa. It was 6,500 square feet, had a private gym and massage room, a private pool and outdoor hot tub, and 24-hour butler service.
• Much to my glee, I also had scored an invitation to Kat's wedding. A handful of guys at my bank who had hung out with James regularly in the months leading up to it received them in the second wave of invites. It was delicious when Kat told me. She marveled at how I'd been able to get on the list. I told her it was only the first of many surprises that would come in the month leading up to her nuptials.
• We rode in a limo to the airport for our Vegas adventure, drinking 1996 Krug and chatting with the ease of a couple, which I had started to realize is exactly what we were. Even if it was a non-traditional setup.