Page 80 of The Charmer

She looked at me strangely. "I never knew that not being strong was even an option."

"Well, it is. Especially when you’re with me. So it's your call."

She stood up straight and nodded. "Let's go to your coffee shop. I want to taste something else, and... well, I'm not as brave as you think, but Kyle is never here in the mornings. Like, ever. The club only opens in the afternoon anyway."

"All right."

"I wasn't even aware that there were coffee places on Bourbon," she said as we strolled down the street. Probably the only place in the city where the stench of alcohol was acceptable... along with some other things.

"It’s small, nowhere to sit down. More of a take-out place.”

"Oh, I love those. I wish we had more."

"I think that's starting to change."

I'd noticed this trend in the Quarter. Every time a business went up for sale, it was replaced by three smaller ones. But it made sense. More square footage meant higher rent.

"All right, here it is," I said, pointing at a narrow door with a lopsided sign. "Maria's Coffee."

"This is so quaint. How did you find it?"

"Chad got me hooked on it,” I explained as we stepped inside. Maria was standing behind the counter with her back to us.

"Good morning," I greeted her.

"Julian LeBlanc in person," Maria said, turning around. "Haven't seen you in a while. You usually send someone to get your coffee." She stopped talking when she noticed Georgie. "Hi."

"Hi, Maria," Georgie replied.

"What will you two have?" she asked in a polite tone.

That was very unlike her. Maria was a busybody. Belatedly, I realized that this was going to reach my family's ears sooner rather than later. Chad had gotten all of us hooked on Maria's coffee, and now it was sort of gossip central for the LeBlancs.

"I want coffee with milk."

"Same for me," I replied.

Maria looked at me expectantly, flashing me a knowing smile.

"To go," I added.

She frowned but turned around. Georgie gave me a curious look.

"Later," I mouthed, and she nodded, looking around at all the coffee blends Maria had.

She had shelves filled with coffee blends from the floor up to the ceiling, which was very high. That's what I loved about her shop—her focus was purely on coffee. She wasn’t selling you mugs or memorabilia or any kitschy things that every other shop in the Quarter sold no matter what their actual business was.

"Are we supposed to choose a blend?" Georgie asked loudly.

"No. I give you what I think is best. Unless you're a longtime customer," Maria replied.

Georgie looked at me in surprise.

"I'm a longtime customer, Maria," I reminded her.

"Yep, but she's new. Cancels each other out."

Ah. That was her punishment because I hadn't even introduced Georgie by name. I was starting to like this game with Maria.

---