Page 20 of Waste Some Time
Sydney flashed a smile that made Katie’s knees weak as she stood.
“Absolutely.”
8
SYDNEY
Sydney followedKatie onto a cement bench row halfway up the amphitheater on the other side of the levee. They sat down, the bench freezing through Sydney’s jeans, but it was absolutely worth the inconvenience.
“This is gorgeous,” Sydney said, a little breathless. “I’ve never been here before.”
She’d never had much reason to take the bridge over to Westbank. She knew there were a lot of historical sites and local events in the area, but she didn’t even know about this place.
“They have events here and bands play sometimes,” Katie said, pointing at the stage in front of the cement bleachers. “I didn’t know much about Gretna either until I moved here.”
“I can see why you did.” Sydney took in the city's view across the river. “This must be breathtaking at night.”
The sun was setting, but it would be another hour before it was dark enough to see New Orleans all lit up on the other side of the Mississippi.
“To be fair, the view isn’t why I moved here,” Katie said. “I’m here for the cheaper cost of living with a not-so-terrible drive to work.”
“Makes sense.” Sydney was listening to Katie, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the spectacular scene before her. Not even to spare a glance at the spectacular woman beside her.
She’d been having trouble looking at anything else until then. Katie’s thick, dark hair framed her pale skin beautifully, and the slight redness the cold air brought to her nose and cheeks was downright adorable. All of that equaled trouble keeping in mind that this was a one-off situation. Katie was not an option.
Even if Sydney moved back here—and Katie’s little tour made that a more enticing proposition—Katie would still be off limits. Sydney wasn’t about to jump into a serious relationship with the first woman she kissed. And she didn’t think she could maintain anything casual with Katie without making that scenario more likely.
“I had a feeling you’d like it here,” Katie said. “It’s not San Diego, but this is pretty nice, too.”
“It’s more than nice.” Sydney finally took her gaze from the skyline to Katie. They were just inches away, their fingers and hands lightly touching on the bench. Sydney was overcome with gratitude and the urge to kiss her again.
She snapped out of that thought and looked into Katie’s rich brown eyes. “Thank you. For showing me this. And for everything today.”
It really was a perfect day. That morning, they’d slipped into a used bookshop and lazily browsed the offerings. They also enjoyed the shop’s cat, which looked a lot like Katie’s cat, minus the injuries.
Then Katie had taken her for lunch at a little neighborhood restaurant that had the best red beans and rice Sydney had ever eaten. And that was saying a lot because her mom’s was pretty damn good.
After lunch, they’d spent a large chunk of the afternoon walking around City Park. Even though the lights weren’t on, it was nice to stroll through the holiday decorations.
Once they crossed the bridge into Westbank, Katie took Sydney into a blacksmith shop nearby in Gretna that was a historical spot where they held demonstrations and classes and were famous for hosting weddings, of all things.
But this stop had to be the best of the day. By far.
Sydney felt warmth and glanced down to see Katie’s hand covering hers. It sent heat up Sydney’s arm, and despite the bitter cold of the wind over the river, Sydney didn’t want to move from that spot.
“You’re welcome.” Katie held Sydney’s gaze and smiled brightly. “Today was nice. I’ll have to thank Stephen for forcing us into this.”
Sydney laughed. “Don’t encourage him. He’ll never stop setting things up.”
“Well, I’m grateful for today’s setup.”
Sydney looked back at the skyline and thought about how she didn’t want to leave. How she loved San Diego, but this place would always be home.
“They have some great New Year’s Eve stuff here, too,” Katie said. “I’m guessing you’ll be gone by then, though. Stephen said you were only here for the week.”
Sydney’s gaze remained fixed on the river as she decided to let Katie in on her dilemma.
“I’m actually considering staying.”
