The House on Prytania (Royal Street #2)(38)
Author: Karen White
“That could take quite a while.”
He flashed a warm smile. “Yeah, we figured. That’s why we thought we’d invite you to our beach house next weekend. To give us all time to talk and come to an understanding of recent events.”
I studied the condensation dripping down my glass, my thumb tracing one of the droplets. “My family arrives tomorrow for a visit. My parents and brother are leaving this Sunday, but my twelve-year-old sister, Sarah, will be staying the week.”
“Then bring her. I’d love to meet her. And so would my aunt and uncle. They’ve always wanted a house full of kids.”
“I’ll have to ask. It’s her last day in New Orleans. But if I agree, I’d also like a friend to come with me. It would make me feel more . . .”
“Secure,” Michael finished for me. “I don’t blame you. My family and I have done nothing so far to make you feel safe with us, so of course you can bring Sarah or anyone else. As long as it’s not Beau Ryan.”
I almost laughed. “Don’t worry. Beau’s not a friend. He’s acting as the general contractor for my house project, and we might be expanding our working relationship with a new rehab of a house on Esplanade. But there’s nothing . . . romantic . . . between us.” Or at least nothing that could be labeled romantic. Whatever it was between Beau and me defied explanation. “I was thinking about asking Jolene.”
Michael nodded. “Good choice. I like her.”
“It’s hard not to. Just a heads-up, but you’ll need to work hard to get back into her good graces. As a matter of fact, before I left the apartment this evening, she told me to remind you that she has another Barbie head and won’t hesitate to use it.”
A startled expression crossed his face. “Duly noted. I’m assuming she’d use it to pummel me?”
“That, or she’d put it in your bed as a warning.”
Our eyes met before we both burst out laughing, the tension of the evening melting away until I began to feel as if this were a normal date. Almost. Because the ugly specter of revenge that had been sitting at the table all night was still there, staring me in the face. The dominoes were being stacked in place, and all I had to do was move very carefully so I wouldn’t knock the first one over and start an avalanche.
CHAPTER 14
Jolene volunteered to drive us to the airport to pick up my parents and siblings, even though my dad and Melanie insisted that an Uber was just fine. Jolene had nearly had a conniption—her word—at the thought of not meeting my family at the airport, insinuating that only having the plague or bleeding from the eyeballs would excuse me. When I pointed out that I didn’t have a car, she looked hurt that I didn’t consider her, and therefore Bubba, a part of my family; if I did, I wouldn’t have thought twice about asking her to make the airport run. It was hard to argue with Jolene, even though I knew on inspection many of her arguments wouldn’t stand up in a strong wind. It was just easier to give in.
The only thing reassuring about driving on I-10 with Jolene behind the wheel was that the lanes were wider than the city streets, giving her more room to maneuver without chipping paint on passing cars—Bubba was larger than every vehicle we passed except for a dump truck and a tractor trailer. Still, by the time we pulled into the passenger pickup area at Louis Armstrong International, my fingers had stiffened into a clawlike shape from gripping the door handle, and my throat and tongue felt like sandpaper from silent screaming.
I spotted my dad first. He was usually the tallest in a crowd, making it easy. Now it was especially easy, since every woman was already looking in his direction, as well as several men. I’d like to think the attention was because he was a well-known writer, and not because of his looks. During the “low period”—what Melanie and I called the time when Jack had been dumped by his agent and was just trying to stay published—his publisher had made him pose shirtless for his back-cover author photo. I thought I’d never be able to show my face in school again and had considered faking my death and moving to another country.
He was in the middle of an earnest discussion with Melanie. At least, she was being earnest; Jack was just giving her that half smile that meant he was irritating her on purpose. It was how they communicated and it seemed to work. Most of the time. There was always a lot of kissing and making up, which would make JJ and Sarah cover their eyes with their hands, but to me it had shown the type of love and permanence I had craved as a child and young adult. And still did. Knowing that it existed gave me hope.
As if he could feel me looking at him, my dad turned and saw me. “Nola!” he shouted. Heads pivoted as Jack, Melanie, JJ, and Sarah all ran toward me with outstretched arms.
“Group hug,” Melanie declared as eight arms embraced me.
It was embarrassing and awkward and we were making a spectacle of ourselves, yet I closed my eyes and reveled in that sense of love and belonging that had eluded me for so many years, and that I had treated so casually and irreverently more than once. I hoped I’d outgrow that need, and was unsure if we could all survive intact again.
Each parent claimed a bear hug and a smacking kiss on each cheek before I could disentangle myself. “You look wonderful, Nola,” Melanie said, the corners of her eyes creasing with lines I didn’t remember. “I love what you’re doing with your hair. And are you wearing a dress?”
“Who are you and what have you done to my daughter?” Jack said with mock horror.
“Very funny. It’s good to see you, too. Before you give me too much credit, it’s Jolene’s dress, and she’s the one who French-braided my hair. Mom, you two have already met, but Dad, this is Jolene, the one you’ve been hearing about.”
I turned to introduce my friend, now standing between JJ and Sarah, who both looked up at her with apparent adoration, ignoring me completely. I rolled my eyes, something Jolene had told me I needed to stop doing since it would give me wrinkles, but I felt the occasion called for it. “Dad, this is Jolene McKenna. Jolene, my dad.”
Overlooking her outstretched hand, my dad gave her the same sort of bear hug he’d given me. “Thank you,” he said. “For everything.”
She pulled back and shrugged, a pretty pink blush covering her cheeks. “Nola is family. I take care of my family.”
I wanted to roll my eyes again, but I couldn’t because I felt the surprising sting of tears. I wondered if that meant I was growing up.
“And this is my brother, JJ, and my sister, Sarah.” I rubbed their heads like I’d done when they were small, although I was a little startled to notice that they were almost as tall as me now.