Page 18 of Happy Endings

“Let me guess. You told her it was you and not her.”

Andre hung his head.

“Oh, snap. I bet she wanted to beat your ass.”

“I don’t blame her for still hating me.”

“But?”

“Damn, Xay, she looked good. Not just her curves, but the way she carried herself. Confident and sassy. Like what happened between us never affected her. As if...”

“As if she’s over you?”

Andre inhaled sharply. He dumped the ice out of his glass and began washing it. His best friend was right.

“Are you over her?”

“Yes,” Andre replied too quickly.

Xavier raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, sure.”

“I sort of told her the pop-up was a one-time thing.”

“That was stupid. Especially since you need more paying customers.”

Andre threw the bar towel at Xavier.

“I’ve moved on, and so has she. I do not have time for drama or a relationship of any kind right now.”

“Relax, bro. I’m not telling you what to do.” Xavier raised his hands up, then grinned. “Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“That leaves the door wide open.”

The two men laughed. The door to the kitchen flung open, and Keisha’s head popped into view.

“You two gonna sit there like lumps of lard or help me load in these purses? I need to get back to the greens. I don’t want Mrs. Harris to complain that hers are better. For the hundredth time!” Without waiting for a response, she disappeared behind the door, leaving it swinging.

“Cornbread Captain, reporting for duty!” Xavier stood up and saluted.

Keisha’s middle finger shot out from behind the door.

Xavier laughed. He threw back the last of his soda and slid off the barstool. He looked at Andre. “If Keisha wants your ex to do pop-ups, she’s going to be here. You need to own up to the truth sooner or later.”

That’s exactly what Andre was afraid of.

Chapter 8

Trixie pushed open the door to Mama Hazel’s. The aromas inside teased her with memories of New Orleans. Her stomach grumbled. She’d been so engrossed at the clinic that she’d forgotten to eat dinner. Again. They were extremely understaffed, so she tried to do as much as she could on her one day there.

“Hello?” Trixie called out.

She followed her nose past the hostess stand and into the dining room. Was that the smell of gumbo? Not just any gumbo, but the real deal from home?

The lights were still on, but the restaurant was empty. She half expected to see Andre behind the bar washing glasses. Why was she so disappointed? She was here to talk business with Keisha, not see her ex.

The temporary buffet area and her display table from the bachelorette party were gone, broken back down into their original seating. Tables were still littered with dirty dishes, crumpled napkins, and straw wrappers. Whatever had been on the menu must have been delicious. Most of the plates and bowls were empty.

“Trixie?”

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