Page 21 of Pugs & Kisses

“Based on the way they’ve rolled out the red carpet, I would say they do. But if you ever feel the need to remind them, by all means, you’re welcome to come over and do just that.”

Heat spread through her as she connected with his quiet, amused gaze. How many times had their eyes met in this same way across the exam table at The Sanctuary, or while sharing lunch underneath the branches of one of the massive oak trees in Armstrong Park?

It was that soothing sense of familiarity that jarred her out of her daze. She could not allow herself to get sucked in by the hypnotic pull of old memories.

“I want to be up front with you,” Evie said. “I am not in a place where I can be anything more than a friend. But you were my friend, Bryson. Before you became anything else, you were a really good friend.”

His Adam’s apple undulated as he swallowed and nodded.

“You were a good friend too, Ev.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry—”

She put up both hands.

“No. Nope. We already agreed that the past is in the past.” Evie sucked in a deep breath, giving herself the chance to rethink this. But she didn’t need to rethink it. She knew what she wanted to do.

“Let me propose something,” she continued. “New Orleans has undergone a lot of changes since that summer you spent here.” Another deep breath. “What do you say to me helping you get reacquainted with the city? No pressure. No expectations.”

Bryson blinked. “Uh… okay. I, uh, I would like that.”

“I mean, we’re already on this mission together to save The Sanctuary. It just makes sense. Unless you don’t—”

He cut her off. “I already said yes. You don’t have to convince me, Ev.”

She nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Okay, then,” Evie said. “Well, why don’t we start talking strategy? That’s why we’re here, right?”

“Yes,” Bryson said. “So, the no-brainer is to start a crowdfunding campaign. It takes the least amount of work, and you can grab all of those people who just want to throw twenty bucks to a good cause in order to feel good about themselves.”

“I agree,” Evie said. “Also, I’ll admit to being one of those people when life gets hectic.

Often, it’s just easier to donate cash. As for The Sanctuary, I’ve already talked to a good friend about revamping the website.

As soon as that’s up and running, we should start a GoFundMe.

But that won’t be enough. We will need actual fundraisers. ”

“No doubt,” Bryson said.

“What do you think about a 5K charity run?”

“Won’t work,” he said, swirling a fried shrimp in the sauce that had trickled to the bottom of the bowl.

“Why not? I’ve taken part in those before.”

“The permits you’ll have to get from the city will be a pain in the ass. Then you have to pay the police department for securing the route. And don’t forget the people you will piss off for closing down streets. It’s just not worth it.”

He had a point.

“Okay, that’s fair,” Evie said. “Now, I think this idea would be a ton of fun. We host a scavenger hunt! We charge a registration fee and hide items for the participants to collect all around the French Quarter.”

“I guess that’s a little better,” he said with a shrug. “But it seems like a lot of work on the front end.”

Evie threw her hands up in exasperation. “It will all be work! You have to put in some effort if you want to achieve your goal.”

“Why are you getting testy with me?”

“I am not getting testy.” She pointed to his phone. “Look up the word testy and tell me if that describes me right now.”

His eyes glittering with amusement, he slid his phone from the table and swiped across the screen. Evie’s eyes narrowed as she watched him type with his thumbs. He turned it to face her.

“Irritated, impatient, and somewhat bad-tempered. If I snapped a picture of your face right now and submitted it to Merriam-Webster, they would use it as an example of testy .”

Evie rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said, trying not to laugh.

“You always made it way too easy to get under your skin.”

The grin playing at the edges of his lips made her want to choke him. Or kiss him.

“And you were always quick to do it,” she said, pitching her napkin at his head. There would be no kissing.

Bryson caught the napkin in one hand, then made a production of folding it neatly and handing it back to her. She snatched it from his fingers.

“I’m not apologizing for throwing this at you,” Evie said, setting the napkin on the table.

“I’m sure you’ve convinced yourself that I deserved it,” Bryson said.

She gave him the same treatment she’d given Ashanti and Ridley earlier, pointing both of her middle fingers at him.

Bryson’s head snapped back with his shocked, sharp laugh. Evie tried to hold it in, but her own laugh bubbled up so quickly that it escaped before she could stop it.

“You can be so annoying,” she said.

He repeated his assertion from earlier when they’d first arrived, his brown eyes alight with amusement.

“I am nothing if not consistent, Ev.”

He broke your heart once. Never forget that.

She would have to hammer that reminder into her brain. She feared if she didn’t, she would fall for Bryson even quicker than she had the first time.