"I'm glad you had a good time together." His voice suddenly had an edge to it.
"Why did you doubt it?"
"Some people find them too much."
I laughed. "That's impossible. Who would say that?"
"My ex," he replied instantly.
"Oh.” My stomach dropped.
"She made it a point to avoid the family, especially my grandmothers."
"That's sad," I whispered. I couldn't imagine anyone not liking Celine and Isabeau. "How was the bayou? See any alligators?" I asked in jest.
"About half a dozen."
"You’re joking, right?"
"No. We can do a tour on the bayou whenever you want. You’ll see gators galore.” He laughed.
"Ummm... thank you for the generous offer, but I think I'll pass."
"I thought you were all about exploring."
"I draw the line at alligators."
He chuckled. "Duly noted."
My stomach rumbled. "Ugh, I need to order something to eat. I should’ve stayed longer in the Quarter and grabbed a bite. But I was a bit tired, considering I spent the night doing anything but sleeping.”
"Do you regret not sleeping, sugar?" His tone was teasing, but I could tell he also really wanted to know the answer.
"Not at all," I whispered. Swallowing hard, I added in a small voice, "You?"
Please don't let him say yes.
"No fucking way." And yep, I was grinning again. "You know what? I have an idea. Don't order anything for dinner. I'll send you something."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll send you something. You're going to enjoy it."
"You want to surprise a chef with food?" I asked incredulously.
"That king cake worked well in my favor," he said.
I had to laugh. "True. You getting me king cake in April is a big part of you getting in my pants so quickly.” I pressed my lips together, a bit embarrassed for blurting it out like that, because I’d actually wanted him in my pants long before that. Scarlett!
"Then I can't wait to see what tonight's surprise will do."
After we hung up, I called my parents, happy to get a chance to catch up with them. Dad answered the phone, immediately turning on the camera.
“Hey, sweetie pie!” I loved that he still called me that. He used to read me bedtime stories every evening when I was a kid, and he’d kiss my forehead right before I fell asleep, whispering, “Sweet dreams, sweetie pie.”
Even though they worked long hours, they both gave me a lot of love growing up.
“Listen, that good-for-nothing Simon messaged your mom on Facebook the other day. He asked if you had a new number.”