Zach prowled the empty casino, still feeling a pang of sorrow at the air of desertion. Casinos were supposed to be brightly lit and noisy, with lots of people winning and losing money… there was energy in a casino that you couldn't find anywhere else… and it was an energy that Zach loved. He had been in empty casinos before… building them, preparing for opening… but never one that had been put to sleep after coming to life. The Seasons… more than anything he owned… was a part of him. It had been the means to a life he had truly enjoyed, living in the desert and running this place… it had been a good life, even if it was lonely. No one had touched his heart like Maureen had, but he had experienced twenty-six weeks of love, the kind that most people might never experience… it had to be enough. Maureen was gone… and he had a son to save… and that started with a wedding.
Or did it? Kendall was known for her quicksilver moods, but she had been very angry with him when he left the penthouse. He truly wouldn't be surprised if he arrived for their wedding and discovered she had left… not just the hotel but the city itself. In fact, if he was to be honest with himself, he was expecting her to be gone. He should feel relieved… if there was ever a high-maintenance woman, it was Kendall. Cut from the same cloth as her mother, their life together would be tumultuous to say the least. Why was he feeling so… sad? Was his sorrow not just for the empty shell of a casino, but for the broken promise of a life with Kendall? That couldn't be it… he didn't love her… he barely liked her… No, that wasn't true and it wasn't fair. He admired her… he had always admired her… from the moment he met her in Erica's suite he had seen such passion and commitment, all that fire wasted on Lavery. He didn't want to like her… he wanted to blame her and her mother and her sister for Michael's death… but they had been the victims… not Michael.
And Michael wasn't the only Cambias who had victimized them… the pain he had caused was excruciating. Kendall nearly lost her sanity because of his obsession with finding out the truth about Michael – when it had been staring him in the face the entire time. She had befriended his son when he would not… and what little happiness that Ethan had known was because of her. Even that was snatched away – and that was her fault – how many times had he warned her? He really had tried to help her… but always on his own terms, and never saying what she needed to hear. Zach seated himself at an empty baccarat table; resting his face in his hands… the time for honesty had arrived. Could he be honest with himself?
At Celestino's he had watched Kendall work that Kane magic and mesmerize a room full of people… if she ever wanted to rival Erica Kane, she could do it. But Kendall deserved her own place, not one already occupied by her mother. He had introduced her as his fiancée, and enjoyed the surprised looks of business associates who were convinced that he was a confirmed bachelor. Some of them had recognized Kendall… no one said a word, but he could tell when they realized to whom he was engaged. Even he had been pleasantly surprised by a tableside visit from the chef… the man was a genius in the kitchen but a tyrant as well… and never trusted around the customers. Not only did he arrive to welcome Kendall, he had been more charming than anyone could have imagined… and Kendall had been just the right combination of woman and flirt for his benefit. The meal had been a complete success, and more proof that his intuition about her was correct.
When they visited the casino, Kendall had sparkled. After a tentative start, she was charming and outrageous, openly flirting with the people he introduced her to… but constantly keeping contact with him – as if to say, look but don't touch because I'm taken. She most definitely loosened some purse strings and opened some wallets as they made the rounds… his friends at the Bellagio owed him. She had seemed dismayed at first that he wasn't gambling, almost as if she considered it a spectator sport, but soon relaxed. He had been greatly relieved when she became bored at slots – they were a necessary evil to any gambling operation, but no casino operator ever truly liked them. There was no challenge, no grace and no intimacy with the machine that there was with a deck of cards or a pair of dice. No… that was definitely a point in Kendall's favor. Moving onto the tables, she was a little uncomfortable in making wagers… he didn't get the impression that she hadn't gambled before, just that she was afraid of making a mistake while she was with him. He wasn't sure if she was concerned about embarrassing herself or him, but in either case he would consider that in her favor as well. She would be running the casinos – and the less she behaved like a patron the better. He enjoyed gambling, but it was always tempered by the reflection his personal gaming might shed on The Seasons. A good casino owner had to be conservative at play, but never obviously so – regardless of the fact that he had won the casino with some very aggressive play once upon a time.
Time for honesty… Zach admitted to himself that he wanted to be married to Kendall. He wanted to watch her work that magic on his casinos, he wanted to experience more nights of explosive passion, and wanted to help her show her detractors that she was a force to be reckoned with… and help her prove to herself that she was strong and capable… and to feel that peculiar… happiness… that he only experienced with her. He scrubbed his face with his hands as he rose to walk the casino again. Kendall Hart made him happy… he had been away from her for only a short time compared to the day and a half they had spent practically joined at the hip… and he missed her. If they were sharing a bed at that moment, they would probably both be soundly sleeping in each other's arms. Was she awake? Was she as restless as he? Should he call her to apologize for the way they had parted? No… this was her chance to decide… besides, she should be thanking him for being so considerate.
He glanced at his watch… he'd been up nearly all night but was not feeling tired at all. In an hour the sun would rise, and he had a need to see it come up over the desert. Despite what he'd told himself, he had to visit the casita… say goodbye to Maureen… and watch the dawn of this day in the desert they had loved so much. He owed it to her… to their lost love… to himself… and to Kendall. He would bring no ghosts into their marriage – if she brought her own, they would deal with them, but his past would be laid to rest. Without pausing to reconsider, he left the empty casino and drove to the casita. He visited every room… feeling as empty as he had when Maureen had left him… for a brief moment there had been hope that Maria would return and fill the void, now that hope was gone forever… and this place was once again an empty shell. He felt no pain or sadness… that had been left in Pine Valley… he only felt an overwhelming weariness for all the pain he had caused himself and others. Wishing he had time to saddle a horse, he instead opted for an ATV for his trek to watch the sun rise. As he found the favorite spot where he and Maureen had made love under the stars, he sat and watched the dawn… whispering a brief farewell to his lost love and the life they had shared.
Zach turned the vehicle back to the house… but a haunting sadness was etched into his face and his eyes showed the torment of his soul. So much hate, so much loss… it was time to make a fresh start… and he hoped that Kendall would still be there when he arrived to make her his wife.