The House on Prytania (Royal Street #2)(72)
Author: Karen White
“But surely Lorda and Mimi know about it.”
“Yeah, but that’s it. Unless my grandfather or great-uncle told anyone, and anyone they told is probably long dead.”
“What about Sunny?”
He thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Not yet. Hasn’t come up, I guess. It’s a great way to scare the crap out of someone in the dining room, or just pop up downstairs after someone saw you go upstairs using the front staircase. I think I’ll find the right opportunity to let Sunny know about it.”
He gave me a seductive grin that I wanted to tell him should be reserved for Sam, but it was too late. I turned away and headed for the door, thinking about choices and regrets, and all the ways we live our lives attempting to ensure that one doesn’t result in the other.
CHAPTER 26
When I returned to the apartment that evening, I found Sarah lying on the sofa, wrapped up in one of Jolene’s robes, with a thick green goo spread over her face, her toes separated by cotton balls and all nails painted a bright pink. Jolene’s Bluetooth speaker played gentle spa music in the background as a lavender-scented candle burned on top of the coffee table. The scents of garlic and tomato sauce billowed from the kitchen in an interesting collision of smells that wasn’t as horrible as it should have been.
Sarah raised her hand in greeting, then pointed at her face. “Can’t talk.”
I nodded in understanding, having been the subject of more than one of Jolene’s mask concoctions that dried to cement so that any mouth movement was impossible. I wasn’t exactly sure what she put in them, and I was too afraid to ask. She’d make lemon bars or brownies as a treat if I didn’t complain.
Looking for Mardi, I started to ask Sarah where he was before my question was answered by Jolene walking in from the kitchen, followed by Cooper holding Mardi. My dog ignored me as he slathered kisses on Cooper’s jaw.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Cooper said. “Jolene texted me and said she was making some of her famous spaghetti and meatballs, so what’s a guy supposed to do?”
I laughed, embarrassed at how happy I was to see him, and my dog, and my dog with Cooper.
“And he gets two servings of lemon meringue for dessert because he helped me find Mardi’s ass,” Jolene said as she emerged from the kitchen. “Mardi hid it between the oven and the cabinet, and I somehow missed it.” She held up the Eeyore toy while Sarah did her best not to crack her mask.
Cooper managed to keep a straight face as he handed me Mardi, who quickly delivered a kiss to my nose. “You can just call him Eeyore, you know,” I said as Jolene disappeared back into the kitchen and I followed her.
Jolene looked up from where she was stirring a large pot simmering on the stove. “But not everyone knows what that is. Everyone knows what an ass is, and since Mardi is always hiding his, we all know what to look for.”
“Actually,” I said, “I don’t think that’s right. . . .”
“Can I take this off now?” Sarah yelled out from the living room. “My nose already fell off.”
Jolene and I moved to the kitchen doorway. “Go ahead,” Jolene said. “Use warm water and a rag and soak it until the mask is soft. You don’t want to take off the outer layers of your skin, all right?”
Sarah gave me a wide-eyed look of panic as she headed toward the bathroom. I set Mardi down and faced Cooper. “Why don’t you ditch your jacket and take a seat and I’ll get you something to drink? I can’t wait to hear about your new job. What would you like?”
“I’ll take a be— I mean, water is fine.”
“Beer is fine, Cooper. Really. That’s all behind me. All we have is Faubourg—is that all right?”
“Sounds great, thanks. I figure I should start drinking what the locals drink, right?”
“Exactly.” I returned to the kitchen to pull out a bottle and a pilsner glass. I normally wouldn’t have thought about using a glass, but Jolene was watching, so I carefully poured the beer, then grabbed a cocktail napkin. I stopped in the middle of the living room and watched Cooper high-fiving with Mardi.
“Wow—did you just teach him that?” I asked as I handed him his glass.
“No. I held up my hand like I used to do with my dog, and Mardi tapped it with his paw. When I said, ‘Other paw,’ he tapped it with the other. His previous owner must have taught him.”
I sat down next to Cooper, bending down to scratch beneath Mardi’s ears. “I wonder what else he knows. We tried to find his owner, but no one ever claimed him. Chances are, if his old owner did happen to see him on the street, they wouldn’t recognize Mardi with his newly discovered flair for fashion.”
Cooper laughed. “And who’s responsible for that—you or Jolene?”
“You seriously have to ask?”
His face sobered. “I haven’t seen you in a while, so I wasn’t sure if you’d changed your position on pet clothing.”
I settled back into the couch. “For the record, I haven’t. But Jolene gets up before I do, and the damage is already done before I’ve had my first cup of coffee.”
Cooper slid back, too, crossing a foot over his knee and stretching one arm along the back of the couch behind my head. “I hope you don’t mind me surprising you like this. Jolene made it sound like the invitation came from you, too.”
“You’re always welcome here, Cooper.” I met his eyes and felt my cheeks flush. “I mean, I promised my parents that I’d help you get settled so you’ll feel more at home. I was thinking we should set up a time for you to look at the house on Esplanade soon. And if you decide you’re interested in purchasing it after the renovation, JR Properties has a lot of rentals you can look at until it’s ready. Or I can help you find a brand-new condo or town house or apartment if you decide that crumbling plaster and old pipes aren’t your thing. I know the neighborhoods pretty well now, and I’ve learned a thing or two from Melanie about real estate.”
He smiled, looking so much like the Citadel cadet who’d been my first love that my chest hurt. It took me a moment to find my breath again.
“Let’s start with the Esplanade house, and we can go from there.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll check with Beau and set up a time that works for you.”