Page 71 of February

Monica glared at him.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” He laughed. “I meant that I didn’t know you had a friendhere.”

“She’s a new friend.”

Aaron lifted a curious eyebrow at her.

“Not like that.” Monica laughed then. “She works with the company I’m here for. She went to Tulane and offered to show you around.”

“I bet it’s changed a lot since she’s been there. Does she even know the place anymore?”

“I think you just called me very old.” Monica sat on the end of his bed. “And she’s not my age.”

“She’s younger?” Aaron checked as he sat down next to her.

“Yes. And she’s lived in New Orleans for a long time, so she knows the city very well. She offered, and I accepted on your behalf.”

“What about the tour I’m supposed to go on with the Tulane people?”

“You’ll do that. We’ll stay out of your hair, I promise.”

“It’s not that I don’t want you there. It’s just that I don’t want to miss out on the activities.”

“I know, honey,” Monica said as she rubbed his back. “Let’s go grab some breakfast, and you can take your nap.”

She was hoping she would see Bridgette at the restaurant, which was one of the reasons she’d suggested it over room service. The other reason was that Monica was starting to really love New Orleans. She’d gone shopping the previous night and had tried to buy local when she found something she liked. She had bought another pair of tennis shoes, three pairs of jeans, and a few shirts and sweaters. She’d also gotten a purse that was neither a large bag nor a clutch and would be perfect for their days wandering college campuses.

When Aaron yawned as she was getting the check, she told him to go back to the room to sleep for a couple of hours and that she’d come to get him around lunch. She’d initially planned to go back to her own room to get some work done, but since she didn’t see Bridgette at breakfast like she’d been hoping, her feet continued on toward the office instead of the hotel after leaving Aaron to nap. She missed her. Monica couldn’t believe she was thinking that, but she did, and she’d just seen the woman yesterday afternoon when they’d said goodbye at the office. She’d been hoping Bridgette would ask what she was up to that night. Monica had thought that she might invite Bridgetteto go shopping with her, if she had, and that maybe they’d grab dinner, too, but Bridgette hadn’t brought it up, and Monica didn’t want to intrude on whatever Bridgette had planned for that evening.

“Hey. I didn’t think you were coming in,” Bridgette said. “I thought I was meeting you at the hotel later.”

“Aaron wanted to nap, so I thought I’d come in and work.”

“Because you just couldn’t possibly take, like, two hours off?” Bridgette teased.

Monica leaned back against Bridgette’s desk and asked, “What are you up to?”

“Sketching.”

“Yeah? Can I see?”

“No.” Bridgett laughed, covering up her work.

“What? Why not?” Monica chuckled.

“Because it’s not done yet.”

“I saw what you were working on the other day, andthatwasn’t done.”

“This is different.”

Monica could swear she could see the hint of a blush on Bridgette’s cheek.

“How so?” she asked.

Bridgette looked around her and into the office, where her parents were currently working.

“It’s the breakup card thing I mentioned to you. Funny one-liner on the front to grab your future ex’s attention and a cute picture. Then, something inside to reveal that you’re done. I’m still working out a few things, but I think it’s pretty funny.”

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