Page 81 of The Charmer

She handed us our coffees a few minutes later. "Have a great day," I told her after paying, and then Georgie and I stepped out onto Bourbon again.

She took a sip of coffee. "Oh, I might become a fan."

"I know. All it takes is one sip. Which way do you want to go?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, and it hollowed out. "We can walk down Bourbon."

"Or we can move on to Royal."

She immediately nodded. "Let’s do that. I do like it far more than Bourbon anyway."

"Me too."

We turned right.

"The whole vibe couldn't be any more different," Georgie said.

"I agree."

The Quarter was waking up. The smell of food was thick in the air, a mix of gumbo and jambalaya, plus something sweet.

"So, what was that with Maria?" she asked.

I put a hand on her waist, leading her down Royal toward Books & Beads. "My entire family likes that coffee. And for some reason, she's very up-to-date with what's happening with everyone."

“Wait, what does that mean? You think—" She gasped loudly. "You think she realized we’re doing the walk of shame?"

"I showed up at her shop in the morning wearing a crumpled shirt with a beautiful woman on my arm. Knowing my grandmothers and probably even my mom, they maybe let it slip about you. So I think we can assume she thought exactly that."

"But she seemed upset with you."

"Because I didn't introduce you. On purpose."

She smiled. "Sneaky. So I could just be anyone else."

"No, you couldn't." I leaned in close, kissing her forehead. "You really couldn't." She instantly softened but then pulled back, drinking her coffee. “There is no one else.”

Georgie looked at me and sighed, then asked, "What exactly does your family know?"

I kept her close to me. Royal was getting more crowded, and I didn't want anyone slamming into her.

"That we've gone to a few events together and that I introduced you as my girlfriend."

"Fake girlfriend."

"Yes."

"What did they think about that? Oh, I'd hate to disappoint your grandmothers. They seemed so adorable when they came to my shop. What would they think if they knew what was really going on?"

"Georgie," I said seriously, "they’d be thrilled."

She immediately looked at me. "How come? They don't even know me."

"They gave you lilac."

“Oh... I remember you told me about that. It’s supposed to have special powers.” Her mouth twitched. She was clearly fighting laughter. “Your grandmothers are special."

"That's a good word."

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