Page 32 of January (New Orleans #1)

“J olie, hey,” Melinda said.

“Hey. Is it okay that I’m here?”

“Yeah, of course,” she replied and looked behind Jolie.

“She’s not here,” Jolie said. “She’s at the bank right now. She told me to stop by and let you know that she’s going to be a little late.”

“The bank?”

“My fault,” Jolie explained. “I told her I didn’t want the money or the houses. She’s talking to someone about moving my half to her account and setting something up. I don’t know. She explained it all to me, but it went in one ear and out the other.”

“Oh,” Melinda said.

She’d been running the register while Jill went out for a quick break and had expected Kyle and Jolie to stop by, but not for it to just be Kyle’s sister, with whom she’d never spent time alone.

“Should I go? I can occupy myself around the Quarter until she gets back.” Jolie hooked a thumb at the front door of NOLA Guides.

“What? No. We’re not busy today, and I’m just covering the register for Jill, who will be right back. Then, I’ll work in the office. I’m basically the manager of this place. I do tours for fun most of the time, and the tips are good, but I’ll take it over one day.”

Jolie smiled, leaned over the counter, and asked, “Are you trying to look good for the little sister?”

“Yes. How am I doing? You haven’t seen my kick-ass apartment. Want to go up there and–”

“Melinda, you don’t have to impress me.”

“You’re all Kyle has,” Melinda replied seriously. “No offense, but I really don’t give a crap what your mother thinks about me. I guess I should care about what your dad thinks. Ky said he’s a good guy, but he’s not here, and you are.”

“Ky, huh?” Jolie smirked. “Cute that you call her that now.”

“It’s easier, and I like calling her that.” Melinda smiled.

Then, the front door opened, and a man and a woman walked in.

“One sec,” Melinda added to Jolie. “Welcome to NOLA Guides. How can I help you?”

“We were hoping to go on a vampire tour,” the man said.

“Sure. We have one every night.”

“Tonight?” the woman asked.

“No problem. Let me get you taken care of,” Melinda replied.

When she pulled up the tour and gave them the price, the man pulled out his wallet and handed her his credit card. She charged it and gave them their tickets. Within a couple of minutes, they were out the door, and Jolie and Melinda were left alone.

“Kyle is the big sister. She’s taken care of me my whole life. She’s my best friend in the world. I’d do anything for her, and I only want what’s best for her,” Jolie stated, causing Melinda to swallow. “I don’t know you very well, but my sister is the happiest she’s ever been in her life. She says that it’s because of New Orleans and that even if the two of you don’t work out, she wants to stay here. I believe her. I believe she’ll finally be happy here. I just have a feeling you’ll be a part of that.”

“God, I hope so,” Melinda replied. “I’m crazy about her.”

“I can see that.”

“Not just because of the sex. You caught us this morning, so you might be thinking I’m in it for that.”

Jolie laughed and said, “I try not to think about sex and my sister in the same sentence whenever possible, so no, I wasn’t thinking that. Besides, she told me how magical you both seem to find that garden. ”

“It is magical.” Melinda smiled.

“I guess. It looks like a garden to me, but whatever works for you two.”

The doors opened again, and Kyle walked in, all smiles.

“Hey, babe,” Melinda greeted.

“Did she say anything I need to apologize for?” Kyle asked as she walked behind the counter and over to her.

“No,” Melinda said, smiling back.

“Hi,” Kyle said before she leaned in for a quick kiss.

“This is a place of business, lovebirds,” Jolie noted.

“Shut up.” Kyle laughed.

“Did you get it taken care of?” Jolie asked.

“I did. The houses will take longer, obviously, but I called Mr. Beaufort on the way here, and he said he can take care of it for us. We’d just have to go in and sign the paperwork. He’s going to move quickly since you’re here now.”

“Cool. I’m ready to sign whenever you are. The faster I get this stuff out of my hands, the faster I get to tell Mom to leave me alone.”

“Leave you alone?” Melinda asked.

“Ky’s taking me out of the equation.” Jolie shrugged. “Of the two of us, I’m somehow the one Mom has been able to pressure into just about anything. So, this way, she can’t because I won’t have anything.”

“But Kyle will ,” Melinda said.

“Yeah,” Jolie replied, looking confused.

“So, you’re putting it all on Kyle?”

“It’s okay,” Kyle said. “It’s better this way.”

“But you’ve already had to deal with her so far, and now, she’ll come for everything.”

“She’s not going to get it,” Kyle replied.

“No offense, Jolie, but it seems to me that you’re giving away this stuff so that Kyle has to be the one to handle your mom because you don’t want to.”

“None taken. You’re right,” Jolie said, to Melinda’s surprise. “But Kyle is stronger than I am. She always has been.”

“She shouldn’t have to be,” Melinda argued .

“Hey, we don’t–”

“No, you’re right,” Jolie interrupted Kyle. “And I kind of dig you standing up for my sister. I can see why my mom said you were spunky.”

“I’m not trying to be spunky,” Melinda said softly.

“You’re just trying to take care of my sister, and I think that’s great. I fully support it. You should know that I hate that I can’t seem to stand up to my mother whenever Kyle isn’t around. She has this way of figuring out exactly what card to play with me every single time. Sometimes, I don’t give in, and I manage to get her to give up, but with this much money and these houses that I don’t want anyway, she’d find a way how to get what she wants. She’s not above taking my phone when I’m in the bathroom and unlocking it with my password that she’ll figure out somehow. She’d go into my banking app or Venmo, and she’d take the money that way. It might be little by little or even all at once. She’s the kind of person who would do that and leave, packing a bag and running away. That’s our mother.” Jolie shrugged again. “If Ky is down here, though, if she’s got control of everything, Mom won’t get it. She won’t win. Kyle will.” Jolie smiled. “Kyle finally wins because she’s got a brand-new life with a girlfriend who clearly cares about her, a beautiful house, and no mom who’s treated her like crap for her whole life. She’s got money to support herself and whatever family she wants to have one day. She’s also got a little sister who’s going to do better with their horrible mother and finally support her how she should have all along.”

Melinda looked at Kyle, who was smiling at her sister, who had just given a very nice speech.

“Well, that’s all I ask,” Melinda joked.

Kyle and Jolie laughed just as Jill opened the door.

“Oh, hey,” Jill said.

“Hi,” Melinda replied. “Jill, this is Jolie. Jolie, this is Jill. Jolie is Kyle’s sister.”

“Nice to meet you. I thought you left.”

“I did. I came back,” Jolie replied .

“We should leave you alone. You’re working,” Kyle said.

“No. Jill’s back. I can take a break.”

“Are you sure?” Kyle asked.

“Why don’t you two hang out? I want to stop by a shop I saw on the way here. Can I meet you at Grandma’s?” Jolie asked.

“Are we still going to grab dinner tonight?”

“Yeah, if Melinda is up for it,” Jolie replied.

“Bridgette texted, wanting to know if we wanted to hang out. I think something’s going on with her and work, so I was hoping I could invite her. Jill, do you want to grab dinner with us?”

“I can’t. I’ve got a date tonight.”

“Date?” Melinda asked as she turned around to face Jill, who was dropping her purse off in the back office.

“Yes. It’s a first date. I met her online. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“We could triple date,” Jolie suggested. “I mean, I’m not gay, but maybe Bridgette will tolerate not getting any if I buy her dinner, at least.”

Melinda, Kyle, and Jill all laughed.

“I think you can double date. But if my first date is awful, maybe I can text you, and you can give me an out-call?” she asked Melinda.

“You bet. I’ll go with, ‘Meteor about to hit the gulf, so you need to pack up and leave,’” Melinda joked.

“Maybe just text me,” Jill said, rolling her eyes.

“I’ll see you at Grandma’s,” Jolie said, waving at them.

“Okay,” Kyle replied.

A minute later, Melinda and Kyle were lying on her sofa, taking full advantage of Melinda’s break.

“Are you sure this is okay?” she asked as Kyle kissed her neck.

“Um… It’s pretty okay to me . You smell good.”

“I meant the Jolie stuff.”

“You’re bringing up my sister when I’m about to slide my hand into your pants?” Kyle lifted herself to look at her .

“She’s putting it all on you, Ky.”

“She’s right, though: our mother would find a way to take it from her. This way, she can’t.”

“But your mom is still here.”

“I’ll deal with her.”

“She’s your mom, babe. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“It’s probably hard for someone like you to understand.” Kyle sat up, straddling Melinda. “You grew up with two loving parents. Our dad does the best he can and always has, but he didn’t live with us, and he never really tried to fight for us, to get custody and take us away from our mom, no matter how bad things got. So, yes, I’ve got some issues, but now, I can finally afford to talk to a therapist about them, which I do plan on doing.”

“I didn’t mean to suggest that you need therapy.”

“I know.” Kyle chuckled. “Mel, I think I might keep the garden house.”

“To rent out?”

“No, I mean keep it, keep it. I think I want to move in.”

“Really?” Melinda asked as she ran her hands up and down Kyle’s thighs over her pants.

“I keep picturing it, and I also talked to Jolie today. We walked around, and she pointed out a room she’d like to stay in whenever she visits. There are other rooms for her future kids to stay in and for my future kids to sleep in.”

Melinda nodded.

“Do you think you could live there, maybe? I mean, one day. Not tomorrow. I know–”

“You’re asking me if I’d ever live in a beautiful house in the Garden District with you?”

“I guess so, yes. I know you have this place and that your commute to work is all of thirty seconds.”

“It would change to a ten-minute walk,” Melinda told her. “If I walked slowly.”

Kyle laughed and said, “I feel like this city is full of potential for me, and you’re part of that. I want that garden to be our garden one day. There’s no pressure for us to move any faster than we are already. I just wanted you to know that those are my thoughts right now. I’ll move in when the renovations are done. I can rent out the other house or sell it. When we’re ready, you could move in, and we’d have a home. I’ve never really had a home.”

Melinda smiled up at her and replied, “That all sounds pretty perfect to me, babe.”

“It does?”

“Only if you stay here with me several times a week, at least, during those renovations, or if you get a new bed in your grandma’s house.”

Kyle laughed and said, “I’ll happily stay here whenever. You ’re here.”

“I like the idea of you working up here while I’m downstairs in the office. I can imagine so many afternoon-delight situations.”

“Like right now?” Kyle asked.

“I’ve only got about fifteen minutes. Jill has to leave for a tour, and I need to cover the office until Lacey gets here.”

“I can do a lot in fifteen minutes.” Kyle lowered herself and unbuttoned Melinda’s khakis, unzipping them right after.

“Well, I don’t have a ten-minute commute yet, so feel free to take advantage of the full fifteen.”

Kyle kissed her slowly, and Melinda pictured the future Kyle had thought of for them. When Kyle’s hand moved into her panties, Melinda thought about how this could be her life now. For the next few weeks, Kyle could work up here while she worked downstairs, and they could have lunch together and moments like this where Kyle stroked her firmly, slowly coaxing an orgasm out of her. After that, Kyle would move into a beautiful house that she’d make her home, and Melinda would spend nights with her there, falling asleep in her arms and maybe even some nights under the stars in the garden. Someday, Melinda would also pack up her things in this apartment and move into that house. And if the fortune teller from the Square was right, one day, after all that, she and Kyle would have kids in those bedrooms .

How had her life changed so significantly so quickly? Only a few weeks ago, she’d been at a pub, helping Bridgette figure out how to talk to a beautiful tourist who had ordered food to-go. Now, that tourist had her fingers deftly stroking Melinda’s clit while her lips were against her neck, pressing, sucking, and nibbling, making Melinda’s hips rock up into the touch, and they were talking about having a life together.

“Yes! Don’t stop!”

“I won’t,” Kyle said softly into her ear. “Come for me now, and we’ll have ten more minutes for you to come for me again.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“Later. I’m not going anywhere.”

And Melinda knew that was true.