Page 35 of The Charmer

"I keep telling her that"—Bo put an arm around her shoulders—"but she insists it's too old-fashioned."

"Oh, darling. It's not just old-fashioned. It's old. My mom always had a penchant for strange names. As you can see, I'm still not used to it even though I'm an old bird now." She smiled like this was a discussion they’d had plenty of times before. "So, Georgie, tell us a bit about yourself."

Holy shit, that was fast. I figured we'd make some more small talk first.

"I have a shop in the French Quarter. Books & Beads."

I looked at them intently, but neither seemed familiar with it. Fortunately, Julian caught my discomfort and stepped right in.

"Georgie is in charge of making all the decorations and costumes for the float my family is sponsoring." His voice was somehow even more seductive than usual even though it was all business. It simply dripped with authority. "Actually, I remember that she was also doing yours."

Calliope and Bo exchanged a glance before focusing on me.

"That might be possible. I'm sorry. We don't really handle such details," Bo said gently.

My heart kind of collapsed in on itself at the word detail.

It felt strange that my life’s work was a detail to others. But I remembered what Julian said earlier about the guests being more relaxed when they were in this environment. Here goes nothing.

“Yes, I did the Tableau floats until this year.”

“Oh? What happened this year?” Calliope asked.

I was shocked by how concerned she seemed. “There was a flood, and some of the items I’d already prepared were unusable.” I chose my next words carefully so I wouldn’t offend them. “I contacted your team to let them know I could still deliver everything, but they decided to be on the safe side and switch suppliers.”

“Oh my goodness,” Calliope gasped. “I’m so sorry. Bo?” She looked at her husband with sincere distress in her eyes.

“How long have you been doing the floats for us?” Bo asked. He was also frowning.

“My grandmother started the business sixty years ago. Your family was with her from the beginning.”

“This is an outrage,” Bo said rather loudly.

“Honey, we must fix this,” Calliope urged. “We don’t do things like that. We believe in traditions, and our float has always looked perfect.”

“Georgie, I take it my team has your contact information,” Bo went on.

“They do.” My heart was beating erratically. Could it really be this easy?

“They will contact you on Monday, and our business relationship will be reinstated. And I will have a word with them about making such a change. It’s probably too late for this year, and I’m terribly sorry for that. Our float is set to be in a parade in two days, but we’ll absolutely be back on track next year.”

“Why, thank you, that would be wonderful.” I was so ecstatic that I could hug the two of them. However, I tried to remain calm and unassuming, because I didn’t want them to know I was here for this very reason. “I didn’t expect this. It’s very kind of you.”

“Of course. Don’t even give it another thought, my dear,” Calliope said. “Please forgive us. We don’t deal with these things directly.”

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine, really. Things happen, and, uh..." Was I stammering? Goodness, I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of Julian.

Thankfully, he cut in and said, "Don't beat yourself up, Calliope. I made the very same mistake. But I've rectified it, and Georgie will be in charge of our float again next year."

"As you should," Bo said. “Traditions are in place for a reason. There’s no need to change something that's been working for decades. That’s just madness. It's what I tell people at the office too. They drive me crazy with their need for change. Always innovating, always looking for the shiny new thing."

"Not all change is bad, Bo,” Julian countered.

"I wouldn't expect anything else from a youngster like you." He patted Julian's shoulder with a chuckle, then asked, "How are your grandmothers?"

"They’re great."

“I talked to Isabeau a few weeks ago," Calliope said. "She promised to be at the lunch at the Boudreaux house in two weeks. I can't wait to catch up with her. Hopefully she'll convince Celine, too, and your grandfathers, of course."

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