The House on Prytania (Royal Street #2)(46)
Author: Karen White
“I got it from Beau. He has one, too. He gave it to me when he started teaching me how to drive.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“No,” I said in answer to her unspoken question. “We are not a couple. He has a girlfriend, Sam, who you’ll also meet. She and I are . . . friends.”
“Uh-huh,” Sarah said, sounding wholly unconvinced.
Melanie joined us. “Everything all right?”
She was looking at both of us, but I knew her concern was for Sarah.
“Yeah,” Sarah said, nodding. “All good.” She held up her arm to show Melanie the rubber band. “Nola gave this to me.” Snapping it against her wrist, she said, “I just need to do that to remind myself that I’m bigger than my fear.”
Melanie reached out and took Sarah’s hand, then mine. “My girls,” she said proudly. “Always remember that we’re stronger together.”
The front door opened. After one last nervous glance at the house, Sarah followed Melanie and me to the door.
Mimi stood between Beau and Sunny, greeting us warmly with hugs and handshakes. Jaxson and Christopher appeared to help with coats and take drink orders, and I almost laughed at Jaxson’s expression when he met my dad, mostly because it reminded me of the way that JJ looked at Jolene.
As we crossed the foyer, I watched as both Sarah and Melanie glanced behind them at the portrait of Charles Ryan before continuing into the parlor. When I introduced Cooper and Beau, it was like watching two prizefighters sizing each other up. They were the same height and had similar builds, and even though Beau wore his hair longer and shaggier, and had opted for jeans and sneakers instead of khakis and loafers like Cooper, it was clear even to the casual observer that they had a lot in common, namely having been raised by Southern mamas. After their excessively long handshake, which seemed to be a contest to see who could squeeze harder, they both entered the parlor to pull out chairs for the women before bringing them their requested drinks.
JJ stood in the middle of the parlor, sniffing the air. “I smell garlic, cayenne, paprika, and . . .”
“Oregano,” Mimi finished with a smile. “That’s Cajun seasoning I’m using in my jambalaya. I wanted to share something quintessentially New Orleans with you. I’ve already made this for Nola and Jolene, but they promised me that they could eat it again. Are you a budding chef?”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s why we have to leave Sunday. I’ve got a junior cooking contest in Savannah starting Monday.”
“How marvelous. If you like, I can take you back into the kitchen before supper and you can help me plate the food and bring it in.”
JJ grinned, looking even more like our father than usual.
Sunny sat on the sofa holding Mambo the black cat, allowing Sarah to gently stroke his sleek fur, the fat tail undulating back and forth like a cobra as the cat purred in delight.
“You must be wearing catnip or something,” Christopher announced. “Because that cat doesn’t like anyone except for Sunny.”
Sarah shrugged. “Dogs and cats seem to love me, which is a good thing since I love them, too. I’m actually thinking about becoming a veterinarian.”
“That’s a great idea,” I said, thinking about how much easier her life would be if she didn’t have to deal with humans—either the living or the dead kind.
“Mambo tolerates me,” Jolene said, reaching into her purse. “But he’ll love me forever when he sees what I made him.” She pulled out a purple, green, and gold bow tie attached to a small cat collar. “Isn’t this the cutest? I made one for Mardi, too, so they can wear them when they’re together.”
Sunny’s eyes widened in alarm. “I wouldn’t if I were you. He’s not declawed.”
As if to prove the point, Mambo let out a hiss, stopping Jolene’s approach. Placing the bow tie carefully on a side table, she said, “I’ll let you try later.”
“I’ve never seen a cat so exclusively attached to one person,” Beau said. “Since the day that cat waltzed in here, Sunny has been the only person he will allow to handle him.”
“And he wasn’t a kitten when we adopted him,” Mimi added. “He knew how to use a litter box, so he clearly belonged to someone and had been around other people. It’s just a little insulting, because I’m the one who feeds him and wouldn’t mind even a rub against the legs in thanks. Instead, I just get hisses, and Sunny gets all the love.”
“I understand how you feel,” Jack said, earning him a gentle slap on the arm from Melanie. “But how strange. Even for a cat.” He studied Mambo with a thoughtful expression.
“Thinking of something for your next book?” Jaxson asked.
“Who knows?” Jack said, studying the cat for another moment before turning his attention to Jaxson. “Everything is fodder for a writer.”
“Well,” Melanie said, “since we’re giving out gifts, I’ve got something for Beau and Jolene, to thank them for all their help with Nola’s house. I wanted to give them as birthday gifts, but Nola kept on forgetting to tell me the dates, so I figured now was as good a time as any. I also brought suspenders for Thibaut, so promise you won’t ruin the surprise.”
“No, ma’am,” Jolene said as Melanie handed two beautifully wrapped boxes to Jolene and Beau and sat back to watch them open their presents.
“It’s—” Beau began as he ripped through the wrapping paper on his.
“A label maker,” Jolene said with undisguised joy. “I’ve always wanted one, but Mama said that I didn’t need one more thing meant for organizing. She was wrong, of course. I’m just going to go to town with it in my kitchen, that’s for sure. When Nola empties the silverware from the dish drain, she always puts the oyster forks where the demitasse spoons are supposed to go, and this should be a big help.”
“Huge,” I said, my eye roll halted by Mimi and JJ announcing dinner.
Dinner was enjoyable and relatively uneventful except for Jack’s constantly having to remind JJ to eat instead of staring up at the orgy painted on the ceiling. I was seated in between Jolene and Cooper, Jaxson seated on the other side of Jolene. Jack sat on Jaxson’s left side, meaning that Jaxson spent the entire meal talking to my dad. Unfortunately for Jolene, Jack didn’t seem to mind being monopolized by Jaxson, their conversation evolving from books, to history, to politics, and then to books about history and politics.