Page 6 of January (New Orleans #1)

“H ow did it go last night? Did Bridgette get lucky?” Jill asked.

“No. We went to a couple of places, but nothing. I don’t think she thought it through.”

“What do you mean?”

“That she’d actually have to talk to them,” Melinda replied, grabbing her list for the second tour of the day.

“Did she think she wouldn’t have to say a word and lesbians would come running?”

“I don’t know.” Melinda chuckled. “I think she is still working up the courage. She did see a woman that she thought was hot, though. She did this whole walk-by thing.”

“She did a walk-by?”

“Am I the only one who didn’t know that was a thing?”

“I mean, it’s a risk because there’s a good chance that they don’t even notice you, so then you’ve got to back up and introduce yourself, but if you can’t figure out what to say, it’s a good way to find out if they’re at least somewhat interested. Did nothing happen?”

“Nope. She walked right on by the table and said that the woman didn’t even look up. Then, she texted me that she wanted to go and gave up.”

“That’s it? She walks by one table, and she gives up?”

“It wasn’t even a gay bar. And the woman was there with someone else, too, so I told her not to take it as an insult.”

“She was there with someone, and Bridgette still pulled a walk-by?”

“I guess she thought she was really hot.”

“ Was she?”

Melinda thought about that for a minute. She’d been thinking about the woman from the bar all morning, and if she was being honest with herself, last night after she’d gotten home, too. She had no idea why, but the look the woman had given her as Melinda had walked past the table had been locked inside her brain, and Melinda hadn’t been able to focus on much else.

“Yeah, she was,” she admitted.

“Tourist or local?”

“Don’t know. Likely, tourist, though.”

“Bridge missed her shot, I guess,” Jill replied. “Are you going out again?”

“Probably. I’ll let you know when we do if you want to come. You’ll probably just be watching me nurse a drink while Bridge points out hot women, with no real plans to talk to them.”

“Where are you going today?” Jill asked.

“I’ve got food today,” Melinda replied.

“That’s the best of them all, isn’t it?” Jill noted. “Time for my next one. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah,” Melinda said.

She checked the list and noticed that she only had eight participants for this smaller group tour of food in the French Quarter. It was a good way for people to get to know the local cuisine, and she usually got to benefit from wherever they went and got some great free food out of it. With this tour, she had to check dietary restrictions, and thankfully, finding none, she planned to take them to Henry’s place first and get them Po-Boys. After that, she’d ask them about the cuisine that they wanted to try and take them to the best spots nearby. It was a three-hour tour that usually left everyone full and in need of a nap, which was why it was offered in the afternoon.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Melinda. I’ll be your–” She stopped when she saw her. Then, she cleared her throat and looked away. “Tour guide today. If you’re not here for the food tour, you’re likely looking for the cemetery tour, which is led by my colleague, Jill, who is standing over there.” Melinda pointed.

The woman from the bar, along with the woman she’d been with, both turned toward Jill, and for a moment, Melinda was worried they’d leave to join Jill’s tour. When they turned back and didn’t move to leave, Melinda smiled and went on with her introduction and explanation of the tour. Now that they weren’t in the dark at the pub, she could see the woman more clearly, and yes, she was hot, but she was also every other adjective Melinda had used the previous night to describe her. She was beautiful, and Melinda needed to focus because she couldn’t just stare at a stranger all day.

“So, our first stop is one of my favorite places in the entire city. I’ll give you background on the history of the shop and the history of the Po-Boy itself as we walk. I didn’t see any dietary restrictions on my list, but if you are allergic to anything or are a vegetarian, vegan, or something else, let me or the restaurants we visit know, okay? This place will have seafood, as will most of the places we visit, so double-checking that there are no shellfish allergies in the group today.” No one raised their hands, so Melinda began walking and told the group about the Po-Boy. “The Poor Boy sandwich, now known as the Po-Boy sandwich, was created in 1929 during a streetcar strike at Martin Brothers’ French Market and Coffee Stand. They were streetcar conductors before they opened their restaurant in 1922. The Poor Boy sandwich was then created in 1929 when the Electric Street Railway employees went on strike, and the Martin brothers gave away sandwiches to the strikers. The original sandwiches were typically fried potatoes, gravy, and spare bits of roast beef on French bread. Today, there are many more options.”

Melinda had the speech memorized and timed so that by the time she was finished, she could answer a couple of questions if anyone had any, and then, they’d be at Henry’s door. She pulled it open for the group and allowed them all to walk in before her, but at the back of the group, the woman from the pub motioned for Melinda to go inside first and held the door for her. Melinda didn’t mean to blush, but she did.

“I didn’t see you open the door for me , Ky,” the other woman who had been with her at the pub said as Melinda moved past and back through the group toward the front of the shop.

“Find one of those cute boys you’re always talking about to do that for you,” the woman Melinda now knew as Ky said back.

Was her name really Ky? Interesting name if it was, but Melinda couldn’t think about that now. She needed to introduce Henry to the group and get them some food to start off the tour. Once Henry had given his ostentatious presentation, as he usually did, he went to supply everyone in the group with samples of their various sandwiches, and Melinda took a moment to pull her list out of her pocket. On the piece of paper, she saw only one K name. It was Kyle Schafer. Ky. Kyle was a woman. A hot woman, who seemed to have a Jolie Schafer with her as well.

While the group ate, Melinda took in both women, recalled the comment about cute boys, and determined that they had to be related somehow. Sisters or cousins, at least. She smiled at the thought and tucked her list back into her pocket. Then, she thought of Bridgette, who had been interested in Kyle last night, and how Melinda hadn’t stopped thinking about her since.

“Are we ready for the next place?” she asked when their time at Henry’s was up.

“Are we going to go to Café Du Monde?” one of the tourists asked her.

“Not on this tour. This one just takes us through the Quarter, but our Jackson Square tour covers there,” she answered. “We’re going to go to a local favorite next, though. The best Creole cuisine you’ll ever taste, I promise.”

As they walked, Melinda talked and tried not to make eye contact with Kyle, but when they got to the next location, there had only been one seat left at the bar where they were usually placed for tours, so Melinda took it and chatted up the owner while everyone sampled.

“So, do you not eat anything on these tours?” Kyle asked a few minutes later .

Melinda turned to her, smiled, and said, “Sometimes, I do.”

“Do you want some of mine? I had a big lunch.”

“Oh, no, thank you. And you had a big lunch before you went on a food tour?”

“My sister booked this. I’m mainly here because she told me to tag along.”

“The food is delicious,” Jolie noted, leaning over Kyle to be able to talk to Melinda. “That’s what she meant. She’s rude sometimes without meaning to be. Hi. I’m Jolie, the polite one in the family. This is my sister, Kyle.”

Melinda laughed softly and said, “Nice to meet you both. Are you enjoying the tour so far?”

“Yeah. I didn’t mean to suggest that I wasn’t. Sorry,” Kyle replied.

“It’s okay. How long have you been in New Orleans?”

“A couple of days,” Jolie said.

“Is this your first tour?”

“We did a swamp boat thing,” Kyle shared.

“Did you like it?”

“Yeah, it was surprisingly peaceful,” Kyle replied with a smile. When her sister leaned in the other direction to talk to the owner behind the bar, Kyle leaned toward Melinda. “I saw you at the bar, right? You walked past my table?”

Melinda cleared her throat and nodded.

“I thought so.” Kyle smiled warmly at her, and Melinda caught the depth of her green eyes.

“So, how long are you in town for?”

“I don’t know. She’s kind of here on vacation, but I’m here to do some family history research.”

“Your family is from here?”

“My grandparents were, yeah. My dad’s parents moved away a long time ago. My mom’s dad died years ago, but my grandma on her side passed away recently, so we’re here to take care of some things. She and our mom didn’t really talk, though, so there’s stuff I’m hoping to learn.”

“About your family or New Orleans? ”

“Both, I guess,” Kyle replied. “I’ve never been here, and it’s… interesting so far.”

Melinda chuckled and asked, “Is that interesting good or bad?”

“Both as well, I guess.” Kyle laughed. “Mostly good, but does the Quarter always smell like bad beer and manure?”

Melinda laughed louder and said, “It comes and goes, but mostly, yes. It’s just the Quarter, though. The rest of the city smells amazing, I promise. Besides the swamp, have you gone anywhere else yet?”

“Not really. Just my grandma’s house that’s not far from here.”

“You have to explore more of the city than just the Quarter. I tell everyone that.”

“I plan to, but she’s booking the tours,” Kyle replied, hooking her thumb toward her sister.

Melinda swallowed and said, “I can take you around, if you want.”

“Like a private tour or something? Does your company offer that?”

“We have small group stuff, but no; I just meant me,” she replied. “I’ve lived here my whole life. New Orleans isn’t just home. It’s my favorite place.”

“And you’re a tour guide?” Kyle smiled and took a drink of her water. “That kind of works out, huh?”

“It’s why I do it.” Melinda smiled back. “And you can say no, obviously, but I can show you some of my favorite places, and you can pick some out, too.”

“How much?” Kyle asked.

“Sorry?”

“How much would that cost? I wasn’t planning on–”

“No, I don’t mean for money,” Melinda interrupted.

“You’d just show me around for free?”

“Why not?”

“Because you do this for a living. It’s your job. You should get paid for it.”

Melinda looked past Kyle and noticed that the group was finished and ready to go to the next restaurant.

“I really wouldn’t mind. Now, we have to move on, but if you’re interested, just let me know before we end here, okay?”

“She’s interested,” Jolie said.

“Jolie!” Kyle turned to her sister.

“I want you to get out of the house, Ky, and you won’t unless you’re told to. So, if she’s offering, you should do it.”

“I’m out of the house right now. We’re on a tour.”

“And after this, you don’t want to go out and enjoy yourself. Hell, I had to force you to come to this thing and the swamp boat one. Just take the kind and generous woman up on her offer already.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ve got my new Cincinnati friends, remember? I’m good.”

Melinda stood and gathered the group, wondering where her invitation had come from. She’d never volunteered to give someone a private tour of her city before, nor had she ever thought to offer. She couldn’t take it back now, though, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. As they walked and she introduced them to the next place on their tour that had some of the best shrimp in the city, she thought about how she could get out of it if she wanted to. She knew she could come up with some excuse. But when they arrived back at the office at the end of the tour to say goodbye to everyone, she waited, hoping the woman would approach her and bring it up again.

“Um… Hi,” Kyle said as the group dispersed and her sister stood back.

“Hi,” Melinda replied with a smile.

“So, did you mean it? From before, when you–”

“Yes, I did,” Melinda said.

So much for trying to take it back…

“Well, if you’re really okay with it, I’d like to get to know the city.”

“With me?” Melinda checked, trying not to sound like an idiot .

“Yes. I can pay you if–”

“No, I meant what I said earlier. I’d like to just show you around. No strings.”

“No strings? Um… Okay.”

“Okay,” Melinda repeated for some reason.

“Can my sister come along sometimes?” Kyle asked then. “She’s busier than me on this trip, but I think we could both learn–”

“Oh. Sure.”

“So… Do I just give you my number or something?”

“That could work. I could text you later, and we could arrange something,” Melinda replied.

As they exchanged numbers, she thought about how Bridgette hadn’t been able to figure out how to introduce herself last night, and now, Melinda had Kyle’s phone number just because of her job.

“I guess we’ll talk to you later,” Kyle said.

“I’ll text you,” she repeated.

Then, Melinda watched as Kyle and her sister walked down the street and turned a corner.