Page 39 of The Rebel

“Want to share?” I asked. “Maybe I can help.”

She smiled playfully. Something changed between us this week. I was far more forward, and she wasn’t really giving me any pushback. And I fucking loved it. Did I know it was a bad idea? Yes. Was I planning to stop? No way in hell.

“Well, I told you that I like to spoil my parents with a vacation every summer.”

“Yes, you did.”

“And I need to convince them to go away somewhere for New Year’s Eve as well. They work a lot, and they deserve a break. But I know they won’t take one unless they’re away, andthey won’t go anywhere unless someone gives them tickets to go. But I just don’t know how to convince them.”

“Where would you send them?”

“New York. They’ve never been. Mom would love it. She always talks about seeing the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. Then they could see the ball drop in Times Square.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty awesome. What areyoudoing for New Year’s Eve?” I asked.

“Nothing. The budget is a bit tighter than usual. If I’m still in New Orleans by then, I’ll join some celebrations on the street or something. But I truly want to do something special for my parents.”

Fucking hell, I liked this woman more with every word she uttered. I’d never met someone so like me when it came to caring about their family.Never.

“Convince them it’s important foryou.”

She perked up. “What?”

I nodded. “That’s what I do when I want to convince my grandparents of something they would say no to otherwise.”

She sucked in her cheek, as if she was biting into it. “Can you give me an example?”

“I told my grandfathers that it’s calming to me, too, when I go out with them on the bayou to fish. That nature helps me relax. If I told them that I’m just going to chaperone them, they’d throw a fit.”

“I’m not sure how I can do that in my case, but thanks for the idea.”

I shrugged. “It’s not always foolproof. Sometimes they catch on, and then I backpedal.”

“Really?”

“Well, usually I just fess up.”

She laughed, then glanced down at her phone. “The Flight Radar app said she’s landing in a few minutes. I’d better go.”

I was having an internal fight with myself. I wanted to tell her I’d take her to the airport and we could pick up her friendtogether. But there was no way to put a professional spin on that, so instead I just said, “See you at the jazz competition.”

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss the first evening after all the work we’ve done.”

“Then I’ll see you later.”

I made the mistake of glancing down. Fucking hell, I had a straight view of that pendant touching her breasts again. I looked up immediately, chastising myself. I’d had only one rule this week—not to look down. Something about that pendant messed with my mind. But as usual, my self-restraint had weakened by the end of the week.

I didn’t linger in Daisy’s office anymore. She needed to leave, and anyway, I was going to see her in two days. I was fucking ecstatic about it.

CHAPTER 10

DAISY

“All right,I’m starting to see what you’ve been raving about,” Annelise said on Sunday.

I was beyond happy that my best friend had come to visit me. We spent Friday evening in the French Quarter, and yesterday we did tours in the Garden District and the famous cemeteries. Today, I wanted to show her the best parts of the Quarter.

“It’s got a certain charm that other American cities don’t. Well, our hometown doesn’t, anyway.”