Page 10 of Phantom

Before I can open my mouth, a crash from the hallway makes me jump from Rand’s grasp.

“Shoot. Sorry about that.” A chuckle echoes from the hallway. I recognize Maggie Bordeaux’s soft pitch instantly. She’s a constant presence at Bordeaux Conservatory of Music and while she may be the theater school’s assistant director, she might as well be promoted at this point, since the real one, Monty Arquette, doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing. “Sorry, y’all. I dropped my walkie-talkie—Oh.”

Maggie stops midsentence and digs into her back jeans pocket for her phone.

“You’re Rand Chatelain. What’re you doing in the French Quarter?”

“That’s what I said,” Jaime grumbles.

“Why does everyone keep asking that?” I try to laugh to defuse the situation but it comes out flat as Maggie and Rand eye one another.

She breaks her gaze first, glaring down at the phone in her hand. Her cloud of tight, springy corkscrew curls tries to fall into her eyes, but she pushes them back. In the dim hallway light, her screen glows against her dark-brown cheeks as she grimaces and mutters, “Guess that answers my question. I should’ve been more worried about my texts than my walkie-talkie.”

A cocky smile I’ve never seen on Rand before flashes across his face. “Let me guess, your husband texted you? Go ahead and tell him that Scarlett was just about to say yes to drinks tonight. Weren’t you, Lettie?”

Alarm flares in Jaime’s eyes. “But what about the after-party?”

“After-party? Where?” Rand asks. “That could be fun. I don’t care where we go. I just want to catch up—”

“Cast members only,” Jaime interjects and it’s on the tip of my tongue to argue with him, but I catch a glimpse of something white on my makeup table.

Excitement spikes through me again and now all I want to do is shoo everyone out of here so I can be alone. I look away quickly to not garner suspicion and I catch Rand’s pout. His disappointment subdues my excitement into guilt.

I was about to blow him off when I haven’t seen him in years and he’s gone out of his way to reconnect. It really would be good to catch up. I’ve shunned so much of my past to protect myself from my own emotions. Maybe it’s time to open up again.

“It’s in Madam G’s speakeasy, Masque,” I offer. “You should come.”

The warmth in his eyes and the gentle pressure on my hip where his hand squeezes me tells me I’ve done the right thing. But my focus isn’t on him anymore as I try my best to keep my eyes off my makeup desk.

“I’d love to, Lettie.”

My own grin wavers, and I extricate myself from his hold. The nickname feels too soon to hear again, but I’ll do my best to take it one step at a time.

“Great! I’ll just, um, I’ll meet you down there, if that’s okay? I need to freshen up a little and get out of these clothes.”

“Freshen up if you want,” Jaime cuts in. “But you look fabulous and the rest of us are wearing our costumes with our masks since it’s closing night. Come on Rand, let’s give the lady some space. Mags and I will escort you down there.”

I can feel the air around Rand thicken. “I don’t need an escort.”

“Of course you don’t. But we know the password and I’msureyou don’t since it’s a cast secret.”

Rand turns to me with a small frown. “Are you sure? I can wait so I can walk you there.”

“Trust me,” Jaime answers for me. “She’s safe here.”

“I’m good, I promise. I’ll see you guys down there. Ten minutes, tops.”

Rand searches my face until Jaime lands a loud clap against his shoulder, making him wince.

“Come on, Rand. Let’s give the poor girl some space. It’s not like she’ll get lured away by the Phantom of the French Quarter.”

I roll my eyes as Jaime wags his brows and Maggie turns the sterling silver skull hanging from her necklace.

“You New Orleanians and your superstitions. There’s noghost. This place isn’t haunted, it’s heaven. There are no ghosts in Heaven, just angels.”

“You always did believe in angels and demons.” Rand’s smile is genuine and warm with nostalgia.

My dad used to sing me stories for hours, playing them on his keyboard or guitar to a jazz riff he’d been working on with whatever band he played with at the time. His favorite was about how he’d sold his soul to a devil and that he’d been stalked by demonic shadows ever since.