Page 21 of October (New Orleans #10)
They walked to the final stop, which was the cemetery, and Melinda talked them through some of the haunting stories and some of the rituals that had been seen happening late at night, where people, presumably, had been trying to raise the dead.
Finley held Molly from behind again as Melinda talked, and she decided that whenever she got a chance to hold her like this, she would.
It was perfect. She could smell Molly’s hair and skin as she held her tightly.
She could even kiss Molly’s neck or whisper into her ear.
She could slide a hand up ever so slightly to touch Molly’s stomach and feel her warmth.
Yes, this was definitely the way to hold Molly, and she would be doing it as much as possible.
“Hey, about that old woman,” Melinda said to her when they were walking back to the office.
Molly was behind them, talking to a couple and their teenage girl about the tour, and therefore, out of earshot.
“Yeah. What was that about?” Finley asked.
“She’s pretty well-known among my friends. Ask any of them, and they’ve met her.”
“Who is she?”
“A psychic who sometimes works in the Square,” Melinda said. “But she seems to have a real gift, and I know she’s convinced people who’s never even believed in stuff like that because she’s been right every single time.”
“Right about what?”
“Well, Kyle and me, for starters. But then, there’s Bridgette, my best friend, and her fiancée, Monica. There’s Bryce and Sophie.”
“Oh, I met them,” Finley blurted out. “Sort of.”
“Well, that old woman got them right. There’s my wedding planner and her girlfriend. Also, Logan and Rory.”
“Logan and Rory? From the bar?”
“Ah, you’ve been to Candace’s place,” Melinda said.
Finley nodded.
“And yes,” Melinda replied with a nod. “Then, there’s Enid and Caroline, Jill and Willa, and now, there’s Myra and Elisa.”
“She predicted you’d all get together?”
“It’s a bit different for everyone, but basically, yeah. She seems to know things she shouldn’t, and she can offer advice or predict things. It also wouldn’t surprise me, honestly, given Juliet and Gwen’s connection to Myra and Elisa, that one of them has heard from the old woman, too.”
“So, this old woman just walks around the city and waits for you and your friends so that she can predict things?”
“I don’t think she does this just for us, but she’s been right when it comes to my friends.
Ky and I are engaged. So are Bridgette and Monica.
Linden and Asher, my wedding planner and her girlfriend, live together already.
Sophie and Bryce are well on their way. Logan has moved in with Rory not that long ago, and I think she even has a ring now or is buying one soon.
I’m a little out of the loop there, but don’t say anything to Rory just in case. ”
“I wouldn’t,” she said. “I don’t even know her.”
“Well, anyway; that old woman has a great track record. It seems like she was saying something to you. Do you know what it was?”
Finley wasn’t sure that she understood how this woman could’ve known that she and Molly had just shared that kind of touch, and for the very first time, but she’d known somehow, and that meant something to Finley, a woman who believed in ghosts, wasn’t entirely sure about vampires, and knew witches were real. Why not psychics, too?
“Yeah, I think I do,” she replied with a smile.
“Are you hungry?” Molly asked when she joined them. “I’m starving.”
“Should’ve done the food tour,” Melinda suggested.
“Nah, this one was perfect,” Molly replied, taking Finley’s hand into her own.
They walked to the car in relative silence after leaving the rest of the tour at the office and saying goodbye to Melinda, but the silence wasn’t awkward at all.
It was as if they both needed it to process the first part of their evening and take in the sights and sounds around them.
New Orleans in October was still busy. Halloween coming up usually brought a new wave of tourists who liked to focus on and learn about the haunted history and mysteries of the city.
There was some overlap with the college crowd and bachelor and bachelorette parties that flocked here in the summer and early fall, but there were also more families this time of year, and that made things feel a little calmer unless you counted Bourbon Street, which was always busy, but sometimes, unwalkable due to the size of the crowd.
They decided to walk into one of the restaurants just outside the Quarter and found it busy but just so, which gave them a bit of calm in the crazy.
Since it was an Italian place, Finley got a personal pizza, and Molly got linguini with extra sauce.
They shared breadsticks and dessert, and when Finley walked Molly to her apartment door, it took everything in her not to ask Molly if she could come inside to watch a movie or talk for a while.
When Molly unlocked the door but kept it closed, that told Finley that she wasn’t ready for that step yet, and Finley understood.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at work,” she said as she held on to Molly’s hand, letting their joined ones dangle between them loosely.
“Yeah,” Molly replied.
Finley leaned in, and Molly must have thought she was going in for a real kiss because when Finley turned to kiss her on the cheek, Molly’s lips met the corner of her mouth awkwardly, and they both pulled back, staring at each other.
“Okay. Well, yeah, seems about right. Good night and bye forever, because you won’t want that again. That was embarrassing, and I can’t believe–” Molly rambled as she pushed her door open. “Yeah, good night. Need to go now.”
Finley just stood there, laughing silently and shaking her head as the door closed behind Molly. God, she really liked this woman.