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“I honestly don’t know,” she replied, taking a drink of her beer. “She could be straight, Bridge.”

“Or, she could be a raging lesbian, out with her wife. She’s hot, and I’m horny, Mel.”

Melinda laughed and nearly spat out her beer.

“Too much information?” Bridgette asked.

“Just go talk to her,” Melinda suggested, feeling a tinge of disappointment.

“Okay. I can do that. Will you talk to the other one if they are friends? Be a good wingwoman?”

“Talk to her? Yes. Sleep with her? No,” she replied.

“You drive a hard bargain, Andrews,” Bridgette said. “Okay. What’s my opener?”

“How about you just say, ‘Hello?’”

“Too basic.”

“Basic? It’s a greeting. Are you going to go with some lame pick-up line she’s heard before?”

“No, I can’t do that, either.” Her friend sighed and took a long pull from her beer. “I guess I can just do a walk-by.”

“A walk-by?”

“Where you walk by them, give them the look, and see if they follow,” Bridgette explained.

“You do that?”

“I haven’t yet, but I’m thinking about it right now,” her friend replied, standing up. “No, I’m going to just do it.”

“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll just sit here and wait.”

“Yeah. I’ll call you over if I need you. If not, I’ll text. Are you good to get home?”

“I was planning on walking when we were in the Quarter, so I’d have to–”

“Shit,” Bridgette interjected.

“What?” Melinda turned around.

“Their food is here. And it’s to-go, remember?”

“They’re leaving?”

“Not yet. I’ll be right back.”

Melinda watched as Bridgette placed her beer down on the table and headed toward the two blondes, walking past them, glancing toward the woman she was interested in, and then entering the bar. Melinda waited because that was what she was supposed to do. A minute later, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Bridgette Musgrave: She didn’t even look up. Not a good sign. Maybe I’m not really ready for this. Can we go? I can try again another night.

Having read the text, Melinda stood, picked up both of their unfinished beers, dropped them into the nearby trash can, and on her way out, she walked by the table in question.Not meaning to, she looked down at the woman who was in conversation with the other blonde at the table, and when the woman looked up and met Melinda’s eyes, she offered her a small smile. Melinda smiled back before she quickly averted her own eyes and made her way into the bar to leave.

CHAPTER 5

“It’s a daytime tour, Ky,” Jolie said as she pulled on a T-shirt over her head and checked herself out in the bathroom mirror. “You agreed last night when I booked it. Besides, it’s a Groupon: buy one, get one half off. So, you have to go.”

“It’s a boat in the swamp,” she argued, tucking her feet into her tennis shoes while she sat on the hotel bed.