"Stop," I groaned to myself. I pressed my fingertips against my temples and took a few deep breaths. I had to stop obsessing over my failed marriage. I realized long ago I didn't love him. It was the failure part that bothered me. I didn't like to fail at anything.
Ever.
So to be kicked out of my own home and be going through a divorce at my age rankled the shit out of me. I chose to not think about the abuse he'd thrown my way like maybe forgetting about it would make it so it never happened.
I blew out a breath and tossed the covers off, shivering as the cold air in the apartment hit my bare shoulders. This apartment had shitty insulation and the windows never sealed properly so when it was cold outside, it was cold inside. I grabbed a soft cardigan from the chair beside my bed and slipped it on. Something non-physical inside of me ached and I couldn't put my finger on it.
The coffee pot started up as soon as I walked into the kitchen and I smiled. I didn't know how my body knew to wake up at the exact time I set for my coffee maker to go off, but I didn't mind the Pavlovian response. My mouth watered as I padded over to the fridge to get the creamer out.
A few short minutes later, I sat out on my balcony listening to the wind rustle through the trees. I'd put up a privacy screen so people couldn't see in, but I could see out well enough. Above me, the sound of baby birds chirped noisily as their mama fed them. I first noticed the nest a few weeks ago and while I was annoyed at first by it because I'd just bought the hanging basket, I decided the birds were more important than the Calibrachoa plants I'd transplanted. I'd adjusted the screen so there was enough room for the mama to get out and forage and figured soon enough all the birds would be gone. Then I could try again.
The events of last night came back to me and I couldn't help but feel unsettled by it all. Tanner was an interesting man, for sure. A puzzle to be solved.
But I'd always been shitty at puzzles and I preferred to keep them locked up next to my board games rather than solve them. I liked things to fit together in neat little pieces. The thought of it made me laugh.
Not a single thing in my life had fit together in neat little pieces since I saw Greg pounding away at that tiny blonde inside of the sauna I had built from scratch.
I sipped at my coffee and wondered how much longer I had before I had to find a real job. Eventually people were going to realize it was me swiping wallets. My record was clean, and I wanted it to stay that way. The settlement should come in any day now and once it did, I'd have a lot of freedom. My ex-husband was a very rich man, and he probably thought that would protect him. After all, our prenup did say I had to prove his infidelity and even though I'd seen it with my own eyes, it was my word against his.
But Greg always had been an arrogant asshole. As soon as he'd kicked me out of the house, I'd logged into our security system and downloaded the footage from the house for the last two weeks.
What I got was way more than I bargained for. I quietly made several copies of the footage and logged out of the system, vowing not to say a word unless Greg pushed me.
And push me he had. I'd hired my attorney a few days later and sent him the footage I'd downloaded. I'd never seen a lawyer's face light up with avarice like his did. He'd turned to me and said, "You'll get every single dime of your prenup money, Ella. I don't often make promises, but this is open and shut."
And he was right. The agreement was struck within days, but so far I'd yet to see a dime of it.
But I'd been saving most of the money from my French Quarter earnings and thefts, so I had some time before I had to find something more to sustain me. I didn't have to work for the next few days, so I had some time to explore the city today.
I loved New Orleans. The food. The art. The culture. The accent.
I wasn't from here originally. I'd met Greg when he was on a business trip at a beach in a small town in Michigan. But as soon as I got here, I knew I loved it.
I drained the last of my coffee and went to get dressed. There wasn't much to do today and I couldn't spend a lot, but I was craving beignets and a good cafe au lait and I knew exactly where to find it.
6
Tanner
I'd been following Ella for an hour now. She kept looking over her shoulder as if she sensed someone, but I'd had years of experiencing melding into a crowd. The sunlight glistened on her dark hair making it spark electric blue. She looked the same and yet so different from the picture Clara gave me. Her hair wasn't as styled as it had been. Instead of looking sleek and polished, it looked like she'd let it air dry and dragged her fingers through the curls. She wore little makeup, and she dressed in clothes that made her look much younger and much less like a Stepford wife. I also noticed her fingers weren't sticky while she perused the booths. Instead, she lingered over some and when she found something she liked, she haggled and paid them. I guess she valued art, but she didn't value customers.
My lips twitched as I watched her berate a man who tried to flirt with her while also refusing to lower his prices.
"So you want me to go out with you and yet you can't fork out a fifteen percent discount on this obviously not real silver bracelet?" she demanded, outrage quivering in her voice.
The man, an older gentleman, with a weaselly look, narrowed his eyes and licked his lips. The hackles on the back of my neck stood at attention. The only thing he should be looking at was the knuckles on the end of my fist. "I'll give you a bigger discount than that if you come home with me."
Rage, hot and pure, raced through my body, and my feet turned of their own volition in her direction. I couldn't help myself. I was going to kill him.
Ella snorted. "Old man, do you know how many vendors around here have bracelets?"
My feet slowed and my heartbeat began to calm.
"I could find this same bracelet in at least two other stalls, but I'm lazy and ready to go home. So tell me. Can I get this for $15 or am I going to have to kick you in the balls and scream that you're harassing me?"
A snort of laughter escaped me as I ducked back into the crowd but made sure I was still close enough to listen. There was a long pause and the old man made a disgusted noise. "Fine then, you harpy. $15 and we'll call it good."
"Twelve now because you called me a harpy," Ella said. "I'm wounded, kind sir. Wounded and sad."
I burst out laughing and covered it with a cough. The old man growled. I watched as Ella pulled a twenty out of her purse and made him make change. If she hadn't been my mate, I might have fallen in love with her right then.
He handed the bracelet over grumbling under his breath the entire time until Ella reached up and patted his face. "Stop being a spoilsport, you dirty old man."
Her eyes sparkled with amusement and the old man finally shook his head and took her hands in his. "You're a pain in the ass, Miss, and I hope I never see you again, but you brought a spark to this old man's heart."
She grinned at him and left the booth, affixing the bracelet to her wrist as she left. I wandered behind her until she went into a local beignet shop. I breathed a sigh of relief it wasn't the touristy one. She had good taste. This place made them the old fashioned way and didn't dump a half pound of sugar on top of your plate. I waited outside and watched as she got her order and sat down at a table with her back to me. I walked in and put my finger over my lips.