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“Jolie and I went in the other day and looked around, yes. It’s been fine as a rental, but there are a few things that need some work, so that’s part of the reason I’m sticking around. I thought we could maybe have dinner in the garden out back since the weather is so nice.”

“Really?” Melinda asked as they crossed the street.

“Is that okay? I figured it might be the only place in the city you haven’t been.”

“Yes, it’s okay. I’ve never been inside a Greek Revival house like this. I’ve only ever done a few tours inside the vacant homes when they open them up for that.”

“Yeah? Good. I was hoping it would be something different.”

Kyle was proud of herself. The thought had hit her after she’d looked up a list of things to do in New Orleans, followed by the best restaurants for locals in the city, and found nothing that really stood out to her. For whatever reason, she’d then thought about Abita and the grocery store, and that gave her the idea of cooking for Melinda. She’d looked around her grandmother’s modest home, and the other property entered her mind. Suddenly, she’d had the idea, and she was smiling now, happy that it had been a good one.

“Are you sure it’s okay that I’m here?” Melinda asked. “I’d be happy going anywhere. It doesn’t have to be a place I’ve never been.”

“I’m sure. I’ve spent some time in this house, and it’s clear that she didn’t really live here. I also read in one of her journals that my great-grandfather bought it from a family friend back in the forties when their son didn’t come back from the war and they wanted to leave the city. It was a much longer story than that, but he took it off their hands, and my grandmother was born here. They lived here until they died and left it to her.”

“And now, she left it to you,” Melinda said when they walked up the stairs.

“And Jolie.”

“True, but Jolie doesn’t seem to care as much as you do, so I’m saying it’s yours.”

“She cares, but we talked before she left. It’s kind of my mystery to solve.” Kyle unlocked the door with her key and pushed it open. “Straight ahead.”

“Wow,” Melinda let out, looking up as she walked in. “It’s massive.”

“The foyer is ornate, huh?”

“That chandelier…” Melinda pointed. “Original?”

“I think so, yeah,” Kyle replied and looked up at her before she closed the door behind them and locked it. “Most of it is, I believe, which makes it trickier to update.”

“You have to be careful to preserve it but also make it modern enough that people still want to live or stay here, I guess. Is that the plan? Rent it out? Or are you selling it?”

“Jolie and I talked and agreed to sell it, but I don’t know. I might change my mind after I have a contractor take a look.”

Melinda looked at her then and asked, “So, you’d keep it?”

“Maybe. Rent it out, if that’s the case.”

“But you’d still own it?”

“Yes. Why?” she asked, laughing a little.

“Because if you own at least one property here, it means you might come back more.”

Kyle nodded and said, “I don’t need a property to come back, Mel. I love this city. I didn’t think I would, honestly – I came here for family stuff – but I love this place. It feels like life is happening all around me here. I don’t have that back home. Back there, it feels, I don’t know, foggy or dusty around me all that time. I can’t really explain it well. I went to Jackson Square earlier, after Jolie left, and I sat there, just watching people walk and talk and buy art. I saw this guy, who had some routine with a rope and fire, make money by putting on a great performance. There’s history here, and it’s beautiful.”

Melinda smiled softly and said, “It is, yes. So is this house. Can I see more of it?”

“I’ll give you the tour, but first, let me start dinner. I need to get it in the oven.”

“You’re cooking?”

“How else did you think we’d be eating?”

“I thought you’d make some sandwiches or something. It’s a picnic in the garden.”

Kyle smiled and said, “Let me show you the garden. I think it’ll be easier to understand that this isn’t just a picnic on the blanket then.”