Page 25 of February

“How are you recovering?” Bridgette asked.

“I’m fine. Thank you,” Monica replied as she gathered her things from the conference room table.

“So, I assume you’ll be staying away from the spicy stuff for a while, huh?” Bridgette crossed her arms over her chest and smirked.

“You think you’re being funny, but you’re really not,” Monica said, tucking a file folder into that designer bag she always carried. “I understand that you don’t like me being here, but Iamtrying to help.”

“Help by taking my family’s company away?”

“Close the door,” Monica ordered sternly.

Strangely, Bridgette both obeyed and swallowed hard because that was kind of hot.

“Your parents mismanaged this company; that’s just the reality. I had nothing to do with it failing. And, in all honesty, I didn’t want to be here. This isn’t a good deal formycompany. But my father asked me to come here personally to help an old friend, so that’s what I’m doing. It would really help things along if you weren’t such an absolute asshole to me so I can find out what you do to see if there’s a job for you at Arnette, but–”

“I don’t need your job,” Bridgette interrupted. “I don’t need charity.”

“Well, that’s good because I wasn’t offering you charity. I was going to offer to get you an interview, but I guess you don’t want that, either. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have a wrap waiting for me at the hotel.”

“Of course, you do.” Bridgette chuckled. “Are you going to explore this place at all while you’re in town?”

“Why would I? I’m here for business. Then, I go home. The sooner, the better, if you ask me, because while your parents are lovely, and Dan is… well, sweet, some of the citizens aren’t all that kind.”

“Dan likes you. He’s got a cougar fetish.”

“Did you just call me a cougar?” Monica lifted her bag off the counter.

“Not as an insult. I just meant that he likes older women. Dan’s younger than me.”

“And how old, exactly, are you? Twelve?”

“Maturity-wise? Sometimes, yeah. I’m almost twenty-eight, though.”

“Well, you act like some twelve-year-olds I’ve known.”

“How many twelve-year-oldshaveyou known?”

“Enough,” Monica said as she walked around the table. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you tomorrow, I suppose.”

“Fine. But you’re missing out. New Orleans is a great town.”

“For college kids looking to party,” Monica returned.

Bridgette mock-scowled at her and said, “Not just for them. Skip the Quarter, and I think you’d be surprised.”

“I’d rather be surprised by my seaweed wrap tonight.”

“What kind of surprises can you possibly get from seaweed?” Bridgette asked.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Monica replied with a small smile.

Bridgette moved out of the way, letting Monica walk past.

“Hey, are you heading out?” Dan asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I’ll walk out with you,” he replied. “I was wondering about her. Your dad said that she’s here to help?”

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