Page 99 of The Grump

She laughed. “In a million years. Trust me, the traffic is an absolute nightmare.”

“It’s going to be like that around the whole city anyway. I want to see your sister today.”

“She’ll be in the city a bit later.”

“When?”

“Why? What do you have in mind?”

“That’s not something I’m going to discuss with you.”

She laughed. “Oh, good. It means you’re going to put in an effort. She completely deserves that.”

“She deserves the very fucking best in this world.”

“You mean that, Xander?”

“Yes. And maybe this is too much information, but I want her to know that the time I’ve spent with her was too amazing to ruin it with any business talk.”

“Sounds like you appreciate my sister. You get a lot of points for that.”

“Where exactly is she going to be today?”

“Well, obviously we’re going to be caroling at Jackson Square.”

“So will my family, but I need to see her before that,” I replied on a groan.

“She’ll be at a bonfire celebration before. I don’t know where, though. Don’t hijack her time there. She takes all these Christmas events very seriously.”

“I know. Avery, don’t worry. I just want her to know how much I care about her.” I couldn’t find the right way to explain, but it didn’t matter. Bailey was the one who needed to hear it, not Avery.

“She’s taking a nap right now. She was a bit spent.” Jesus Christ, she’d been so worn out that she needed to nap? That was so unlike Bailey. “But as soon as she wakes up, I’ll ask her which bonfire she’s going to.”

“All right.” I checked the clock. I was going to look at all the places with bonfires. “Does she usually go out of the city a lot? As far as I know, none of them are in New Orleans.”

“No. My money is on Algiers Point. She’s gone there often over the years. That way, she can come back to the square for caroling without having to hurry. But I don’t know for sure.”

“Then please find out,” I replied.

By the time we hung up, my mind was already spinning, considering all the logistics. I’d make it work no matter where she went for that bonfire.

I’d go to the fucking moon for Bailey.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bailey

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I loved the bonfire tradition. The one in Algiers Point was my favorite because I could make back to the French Quarter in time for the Christmas caroling event after, and that was something I never wanted to miss.

I kept the bag of pralines close to my chest as I stepped off the ferry. It was very crowded, and I was afraid someone would bump into me and knock everything from my hands.

Even though my heart was heavy, I was determined to enjoy this evening and focus on all the good things I had going on. My life was amazing. I was completely healthy, and so was my family. Avery and I had a strong bond, and our online business was thriving. Since the confectionery was going to close down, we’d had to double our efforts on it. The videos we already had made and listed in the course library were generating good money, but if it became our sole source of income, we’d have to upload new content much more often.

Xander had called a few times, but I didn’t pick up. I honestly didn’t know what to say to him. I was still shocked that he’d found a buyer and didn’t even give me a heads-up.

He’d always said that he’d decide after Christmas. I took that to mean that he’d only start searching for a seller in January. Maybe that was my fault, and I should’ve asked him to be more specific.

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