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The scent of warm, fresh tortillas welcomed them as they entered the restaurant, Lola’s Kitchen.In honor of their mother’s favorite, they all ordered the same thing:enchiladas suizas.

From her seat at the window, Abby scanned the parking lot.

“What are you doing?”Charlie asked.

“Google said there’s a lot of theft in Bakersfield, so I’m keeping an eye on our luggage,” Abby said.

“No one wants your Yosemite Sam nightshirt and ratty old toothbrush,” Charlie said, going to get a drink.

“You never know,” Abby said.

They ordered at the counter and while waiting for the food to be brought over, Morgan got a Coke from the machine and sat across from Abby.

“How can you drink that poison?”Abby asked.

“They were out of Tequila.”Morgan pointed at the machine.“Besides, I need the caffeine, I’m the one driving.”

Charlie joined them, holding a big glass of water.“At least Charlie cares if all her teeth fall out,” Abby said.

“I’m vain that way,” Charlie said.

The worker brought their food over, and Charlie took a bite of her enchilada, reveling in the cheesy, saucy concoction.

“So, what are we going to do when we get to Vegas?”Abby asked.

“We’re going to check into the hotel, then go directly to the guy’s house,” Morgan said.

“I have a better idea,” Abby said, crunching on a tortilla chip.“I think first we should soak up some sun by the pool, then hit the slots.”

“We aren’t going to Vegas to have fun,” Morgan said.“We’re going to talk to Mom’s mystery man.”

“Can’t we do both?”Abby pouted.“I haven’t had a vacation since I had Hudson over a hundred years ago.”

“Why don’t we compromise,” Charlie said.“We can go to the hotel, Abby can relax, and then we go to his house first thing tomorrow morning.”

“That seems fair,” Morgan said.

By the time they turned into the M Resort Hotel in Henderson, it was late afternoon.As Charlie got out she felt the oppressive heat from the sun radiating off the hood of the car.

“It’s so hot here,” Morgan said, fanning her face with the ticket the valet handed her.

When Charlie pulled open the heavy glass door to the hotel, she luxuriated in the blast of cold air that greeted her as if Jack Frost had sneezed in her face.The women checked in and then headed through the maze of gambling tables to find the elevators to their room.

Abby froze at the sight of a Wheel of Fortune slot machine.“Can you take this to the room with you?”she said, pushing her suitcase over to Charlie.“I need to do one thing first.”She all but skipped away.

“Stop once you lose twenty!”Morgan called after her.“You have to pay a third of the hotel bill.”

“I’m going to win because Mama’s kids need a new pair of shoes.”Abby chuckled.

Charlie shook her head and muttered a soft ‘ugh’, as she and Morgan dragged the three suitcases into the elevator.

Abby joined them ten minutes later and thirty dollars poorer.“I was so sure I’d win.I’m good at Wheel of Fortune on TV,” Abby said.“I guess my kids are going to keep getting hand-me-downs.”

Abby looked out the floor-to-ceiling window that spanned the entire length of the back wall.Charlie noticed how the natural light coming in lit up the highlights in Abby’s hair.

“Where’s the Vegas strip?”Abby asked.“All I see is miles and miles of dirt out there.”She continued staring out at the view of a never-ending desert.

“The strip is twenty minutes away,” Charlie said.“We’re in Henderson.”