Page 32 of The Rebel

“You could use an extra drink, huh?”

“Hey, it’s been a rough week. I need to balance it out. Besides, itisFriday night!” He glanced at the wall. “In five minutes, you’re officially off the clock.”

It was almost nine. My contract flashed in front of my eyes. Indeed, even when I went to events, nine o’clock was the cutoff.

I turned to look at Anthony. “You know what? Let’s get another drink.” I needed to relax. My first week had flown by in a breeze. I liked the job. I liked my boss too. A bit too much, perhaps. Why not let my guard down a bit? “What are we having?”

“Your choice,” he said.

“Well, I do want that Sazerac, just so I have something to compare it to later.”

“You don’t believe me that the best one is at Julian’s bar?”

“How will I know it’s the best if I haven’t had any other?”

He narrowed his eyes.

I suddenly felt cheeky. “Is Julian afraid of competition?”

“No one in my family is afraid of competition. You know why?”

“Why?”

He leaned in closer. “Because we win, Daisy, always. We work our asses off to be the best at what we do, and we win.”

I sucked in a breath as he straightened up.

“Two Sazeracs,” he told the bartender, who just stared at him, stunned.

“A Sazerac order from a LeBlanc? You’re known in the Quarter for only drinking them at one of your brother’s bars.”

“I’ll make an exception tonight,” Anthony said with a grin.

Wow. I hadn’t realized the LeBlanc family wasthatwell-known in New Orleans. Sure, The Orleans Conglomerate was one of the biggest businesses in Louisiana, but I hadn’t expected this level of notoriety.

The bartender put two Sazeracs in front of us a few minutes later. As I took a sip, I noticed Anthony watching me intently. He brought his glass to his lips, his eyes still trained on me. Why did he do that? It both unnerved and excited me. It almost felt as if he was trying to read my thoughts.

“This is delicious,” I declared.

“It’s not bad,” he stated at almost the same time.

I laughed. “You seem very unimpressed.”

“What can I say? Julian knows what he’s doing, but this is good.”

“Was he at the family lunch today?”

“Yes.”

“How come you all met at the restaurant?”

“Well, a big group had canceled their reservation, and we were more than happy to use the tables.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Although, I would bet the restaurant could probably fill any last-minute cancellations.”

“Definitely. People are on a waiting list for months. But the staff informs us whenever a big table is free. If we don’t have time, they offer it to others.”

“You get together really often, then?” I asked wistfully. “I miss my mom and dad a lot right now.”