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“Don’t be ridiculous, Athena. Of course, you have someone waiting for you.”

“Maybe.” She nodded toward the aisle. “It’s our turn. Let’s go.”

We stood from our seats, pulling the bags from the overhead compartment. I wondered why we flew commercial. Sure, we were in first class, but they still packed us in like sardines.

“Where should we look first? Bourbon Street or Jackson Square? Oh, maybe the Garden District!” I said as we walked through the airport.

Athena laughed quietly beside me. “We aren’t looking anywhere, Freyja. We are going to enjoy Mardi Gras like normal people, and he will find you when the time is right.”

I stopped walking and stared at my sister. Angry people cursed at me as they walked around, trying to avoid knocking into us.

“Lucille said—”

“Lucille said you would meet him. And you will trust me. But we aren’t going to look for him. There are millions of people here this weekend. You have no hope of finding him. Let the universe do what it’s supposed to do.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the baggage claim.

The cottage we rented was in the heart of the French Quarter. There were two bedrooms with a shared living space between them. It was perfect. I could sit on the balcony and watch the people walking by.

Athena said I didn’t need to look for my future husband, but what if he missed me? What if he was standing right in front of me and did not know we were meant to be together?

I sawhisface then.

The man I literally fell for and couldn’t stop thinking about. He was so handsome in his tailored suit. The dusting of gray at his temple signaling a life of experience. Why couldn’t it be him? Why couldn’t the man the universe had chosen for me live in New York?

Phoebe and Dimeter were happy in Rosewood. The small town in the Shenandoah Valley was perfect for them. But I wasn’t a small-town girl. I loved the city. The lights, the bars, the shopping.

Though looking around the French Quarter, I guess this wouldn’t be so bad. At least it never got cold. I didn’t love the snow, but it was a necessary caveat to living in the Big Apple.

“He isn’t from New Orleans.”

Turning at my sister’s voice, I stared at her. I did that a lot. It was unnerving the way it felt like she was reading my mind.

You would think I would be used to her gift by now. Her gift wasn’t new. She’d had it her whole life. I couldn’t tell you the number of times she kept us from getting into trouble. Telling us when our parents were on the verge of catching us doing something we shouldn’t have been.

I smiled forlornly at the memories. I didn’t want to live away from my sister.

“Is he from New York?”

She shook her head. “No, but he does live in a city. The universe wouldn’t put you somewhere you’d be miserable.”

She walked up behind me and grasped the railing. We both looked out over the bustling street.

“What should we do first?” I asked, knowing she knew exactly where I needed to be.

“Tonight, we relax. Maybe see if Devlyn is available for dinner.”

Devlyn Never was my brother Dimeter’s sister-in-law. Originally from Rosewood, she now lived in New Orleans.

“Think Gator will let her out of his sight long enough?” I laughed.

“Probably not. We might need to have dinner at the bar, unless we want a half dozen bikers following us around.”

That I did not want. I couldn’t take the chance I would find my one and he would dismiss me if I were surrounded by other men.

“The Bourbon Bar it is then.”

Athena called Devlyn, and we made our way to Bourbon Street. I wouldn’t overindulge. Tomorrow was the beginning of the last weekend of Mardi Gras. I needed to be awake and alert.