Page 13 of Happy Endings

“Why do you think I don’t like her?” For a moment, he worried his sister had overheard his impromptu reunion with Trixie. In fact, he hadn’t shared much about his life in New Orleans. There hadn’t been time.

When he came home for good, the two of them had been too busy driving their mom to doctor appointments and chemo sessions, there was no time to nurse his broken heart. Taking care of his mom had made it easier to forget Trixie and the mistakes he’d made.

“After you dropped off the margaritas, you didn’t go back over there. Even though I saw you looking their way.”

“It’s not that.” He avoided Keisha’s eyes. “I’m worried that Mrs. Harris and the rest of the neighborhood will be scandalized to hear that we’re selling vibrators in Mama’s restaurant.”

The restaurant was a safe place for their neighbors. How could he sully his mother’s legacy that way? There had to be another option. One that didn’t involve Trixie. He thought about the pile of receipts on his desk. Keisha wasn’t a kid anymore, but he still wanted to protect her. Underneath those receipts were piles of invoices, including their mother’s medical bills. Who knew dying was so expensive? Keisha would panic or try some crazy scheme to get more customers in the door. She didn’t need that kind of stress while she was finishing college.

“Fine. Be hard-headed.”

He shuffled his napkin and fork to avoid the disappointed look on her face.

“In the meantime, I’m calling Trixie.”

Andre’s head snapped up. “Keisha, let’s talk before we make any drastic decisions.”

“Nope. I gave you a chance and you didn’t offer any other ideas. I inherited half of this restaurant, and I’m making an executive decision. I have to run out to the clinic anyway. I can catch Trixie before her class. Be back to help with community dinner.”

Keisha walked out of the kitchen.

Andre banged his head on the table. He never thought he would see Trixie again after New Orleans. Now she was here. In his hometown. Selling fucking vibrators. And changing the world, according to his sister.

Trixie looked as sexy as the last time he saw her. No. Sexier.Something was different about her. She had looked taller. No—felt taller. Her confidence had grown.

Back in New Orleans, Trixie didn’t like being the center of attention. When she’d walked into Fleur de Lis on her twenty-first birthday, she went straight to the bar and nursed a rum and Coke while her girlfriends monopolized the dance floor. She struck up a conversation with the bartender—him.

Most women flirted with him because they wanted stronger pours or free drinks. Trixie seemed so unhappy. Which was a shame since it was a milestone birthday. He did his best to cheer her up and ended up with her phone number.

Two weeks ago at Mama Hazel’s, she commandeered a roomful of drunk women with poise and humor. He knew from his French Quarter bartending days that closing a bar full of drunk bachelorettes was like herding cats. Yet those women hung on her every word and practically begged to see each toy by the time she’d gone over its features.

He hadn’t handled the surprise of seeing her very well. It had been hard not to touch her arm, hug her, kiss her on the cheek—hell, anything besides their terse exchange.

Seeing her again had cracked open the box where he’d crammed all his feelings for her. The ones he’d had to set aside when they broke—when he’d left her. He’d loved her. But not enough to be the splinter between her and her parents. Leaving her was one of the hardest decisions he’d ever made.

He was glad that she’d found a career she loved. It was impressive how effortlessly she spoke about lube and orgasms. She practically glowed during her presentation.

Trixie was happy.

The realization hit him in the gut. After all she’d gone throughwith her career and family, she was finally happy. Without him.

Trixie didn’t need him after all. Sadness swept through him, but wasn’t that what he wanted? For her to find her life’s calling and patch things up with Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen?

There was his proof that leaving her had been the right decision. If he’d given her an inkling that they could have worked things out, she wouldn’t have fixed things with her family. No matter how he’d felt about her, she’d moved on and that was a good thing. He couldn’t let his feelings for Trixie distract him from saving his family. He had a restaurant to keep afloat and a neighborhood to feed. People depended on him.

Keisha depended on him.

Chapter 6

Keisha!” Trixie exclaimed in surprise as her friend walked into the clinic. “What are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t come on Mondays.”

When Trixie began volunteering at the clinic three months ago, her schedule didn’t overlap with Keisha’s. Ever since that first night when Keisha found her alone in the meeting room, Trixie tried to come in to help her friend whenever she had the chance.

Now that she knew Keisha was Andre’s sister, the family resemblance was obvious. Keisha’s eyes were hazel, and Andre’s were brown, but the sparkle in them and the way they crinkled when they smiled? Exactly the same. How could she have been so oblivious?

Right. She’d missed the connection because she had no intention of seeing him again after he walked out of her life. It’s not as if she moved to the DMV hoping to run into him. She came because Reina helped to give her a fresh start.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay,” Keisha apologized. “I’m picking up some purses for our neighborhood dinner tonight.”

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