Page 5 of Happy Endings

Her short frame only reached his chin, but her verbal jab surprised him, and he took a step back. The Trixie he knew was quick-witted but didn’t cut people down. Not even when people were unkind.

Not that she was meek. She had tried to see both sides. But this Trixie—she wanted to fight. Correction. She wanted to fight him. Which simultaneously put him on guard and turned him on. Nope, he shouldn’t even go there.

“Mama Hazel’s is—was our mother’s restaurant. Keisha—she’s my sister—and I run it.” He nodded in the direction of their makeshift buffet area, where Keisha had—once again—replenished the fried chicken. He made a note to bump up their chicken order this week.

“Your mom owned a restaurant and you never told me?” Trixie waved her arm at the large dining room in disbelief. “Andyou have a sister?”

She looked toward his sister and back at him. Oh, she was pissed.

“Keisha is three years younger than me.” Andre kept his face blank, but for the third time that evening, guilt flared. Even though they’d dated for two years, he’d been cryptic about his family whenever she asked.

When he arrived in New Orleans, he’d wanted a clean slate. Anew name and no history to tie himself to anyone. Running away from his family, from DC—everything from his former life—had been so easy then. Now he was back in the neighborhood he grew up in, working at his mom’s restaurant. As if nothing had ever changed.

“I can see the resemblance,” Reina said.

“This is one of my best friends, Reina Guidroz.” Trixie turned to her friend. “Reina, this is Andre Walkerthe Third, aka Tre, aka the asshole who walked out of my life and never looked back.”

The bitterness in her voice stung.

“We agreed it was for the best.” He knew the excuse was lame as soon as he said it.

“No,wedidn’t. You took that choice from me when you wrote that Post-it note.”

Each word stabbed him like a knife, and he deserved every single cut that went right into his heart.

Unsure how to respond to her anger, he turned to acknowledge Reina. “Nice to meet you. I hope you’re enjoying Mama Hazel’s.”

“The food is to die for! But the entertainment is even better.” She poured herself a hefty serving of margarita then leaned back in her chair and sipped from her glass. “Carry on, you two. I want to see Trixie kick your ass.”

“I thought we were in love. Instead, you ghosted me, and now I find out you have a sister and a restaurant?” Hurt replaced the anger in her eyes. “You lied to me about—everything. Was the Andre Walker I spent almost two years with even real?”

“Of course he—I was real.” He might have used a new name during his four years in New Orleans, but he didn’t pretend to be someone else.

“Did you even love me?” Trixie snapped, her breath hot against his neck. She locked eyes with him, refusing to stand down.

Andre opened his mouth but didn’t know how to respond. He’d loved her to his core. She’d been his one regret when he left New Orleans. If he didn’t love her, he wouldn’t have left her the way he had.

Except he didn’t know how to explain it to her. Even if they weren’t standing in his restaurant next to a table full of dildos.

“I let you ruin my life then, but you’re never going to hurt me again.” Trixie’s low voice didn’t hide her scorn for him. “I hate you, Andre Walker the Third.”

“Now, that’s a bit harsh, let me ex—” Andre started.

Before he could reply, Reina stood up and stepped in between him and Trixie, forcing him to take a step back.

“You have a show to do.” Reina rubbed Trixie’s arms. “You can’t win first place if you’re upset.”

He couldn’t make out Trixie’s response, but she sounded calmer.

“Now, you!” Reina spun around. Her wavy red hair flew with her and almost hit him in the face. He jerked his head back. With her three-inch heels, she was almost at eye level with him.

“You need to go to the bar and leave us alone.” Reina spoke quietly, but the threat was clear in her voice. “Trixie has vibrators to sell.”

Wait, Trixie was the sales rep? While he could easily imagine the redhead talking about vibrators and sex, the Trixie he used to know kept that topic to the bedroom... where she had been incredibly well versed. He didn’t need to think about her dexterity in the bedroom right now.

He met Reina’s gaze. “I can keep things professional.”

Andre turned to Trixie. “I hope Keisha told you this was a one-time deal. We don’t need to turn this place into a sex shop.” He picked up their empty glasses and started back to the bar.

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