Page 21 of January

“Um… Hi,” Kyle said as the group dispersed and her sister stood back.

“Hi,” Melinda replied with a smile.

“So, did you mean it? From before, when you–”

“Yes, I did,” Melinda said.

So much for trying to take it back…

“Well, if you’re really okay with it, I’d like to get to know the city.”

“With me?” Melinda checked, trying not to sound like an idiot.

“Yes. I can pay you if–”

“No, I meant what I said earlier. I’d like to just show you around. No strings.”

“No strings? Um… Okay.”

“Okay,” Melinda repeated for some reason.

“Can my sister come along sometimes?” Kyle asked then. “She’s busier than me on this trip, but I think we could both learn–”

“Oh. Sure.”

“So… Do I just give you my number or something?”

“That could work. I could text you later, and we could arrange something,” Melinda replied.

As they exchanged numbers, she thought about how Bridgette hadn’t been able to figure out how to introduce herself last night, and now,Melindahad Kyle’s phone number just because of her job.

“I guess we’ll talk to you later,” Kyle said.

“I’ll text you,” she repeated.

Then, Melinda watched as Kyle and her sister walked down the street and turned a corner.

CHAPTER 7

What exactly had she agreed to? A private tour with a complete stranger of a woman who was also incredibly attractive and had that slight Southern accent that had Kyle listening intently to every word she said? The woman she’d seen and smiled at one night at a bar because she couldn’tnotdo it? Kyle’s mouth had turned up ever so slightly when the woman she now knew as Melinda had walked by their table. Had Jolie not been there with her, Kyle was certain she would’ve stood and maybe followed after Melinda. Not in a creepy way, of course, but maybe to see if she went to the bar to get a drink, and Kyle could walk up next to her. She’d thought about that as she and Jolie had continued their conversation about their grandmother and mother that night at the bar, and since she always tried to be honest with herself, Kyle had to admit that she’d been thinking about the smile that had been directed back at her ever since.

She’d been surprised or, really, shocked to see the same smile while standing in the middle of the street, waiting on the food tour her sister had set up for them to start. Kyle hadn’t been resistant to good food. She’d just not spent enough time in their grandma’s house to get a feel for the woman and what had happened between her and their mother. The bedroom that had been left as a shrine had been tempting for Kyle to dive into, but she’d wanted Jolie to be there for that. They’d agreed to meet Melinda in Jackson Square, and she’d walk them to the water and show them around a bit between the two tours she was leading that day, and then Kyle and Jolie would go back to the house to see what they could find so their real search could finally begin.

“So, this is the Riverwalk,” Melinda said when they joined her on a platform of sorts that overlooked the Mississippi River.

Behind them now was the famous Jackson Square and St.Louis Cathedral, which Kyle had seen in thousands of pictures over the years. Jolie pulled out her phone and began snapping shots of the hustle and bustle of the artists displaying their work, the café serving up beignets and coffee, and the riverboat to their right.

“How did you sleep?” Melinda asked.

Kyle looked at Melinda and said, “Well. You?”

“Yeah, good,” Melinda replied.

Clearly, they were both great at small talk.

“So, thanks for squeezing us in. This is great. Are you sure we can’t pay you for this?” Kyle asked.

“I would’ve been over here anyway. I just dropped my tour off at the Square. So, for the tenth time, no, you don’t have to pay me,” Melinda replied, smiling wider.

---