Page 71 of The Rebel

“I can’t even imagine how that is.”

“My parents are like my best friends. Although…”

“What?” he asked when I hesitated.

“I don’t know. I feel like lately, we’re not as close anymore. Whenever there’s an issue at the farm or they need help financially, I find out from Annelise before I find out from them.”

“That’s parent pride,” Anthony said.

“But they used to openly tell me things.” I thought about it for a moment. “No, wait, you’re right. They never outright told me when they had money issues, but other things they would.”

“See? That’s how parents are.”

“I suppose so.”

We each ate a po’ boy. Anthony finished his quickly, but I took my time savoring it.

“I don’t know why this isn’t more popular throughout the whole country,” I said after my last mouthful. “It’s much better than a normal club sandwich, let alone a hot dog.”

“We like to keep our delicacies in New Orleans.”

“Clearly. The hot chocolate from last night should be world-famous too. Bella has excellent taste.”

“I know.”

“You spend a lot of time with her?” It was so easy to talk to him out here. It made the separation from work all the easier. I really liked Anthony on a personal level. The way he was so close to his family was endearing. He was an easy person to gravitate toward, and I was ready to throw caution to the wind.

“I try. I truly enjoy it, and she does too.”

“Do you like kids in general, or just Bella?”

“I haven’t been around other kids much. Though I don’t dislike them.”

I started to laugh. “Oh, that enthusiasm is downright catchy.”

“It’s the truth.”

And I was grateful for that. I knew Anthony would never pretend to be someone he wasn’t.

After I finished my po’ boy, we ate the donuts, leaving the beignet for last.

“Want to split it?” I asked as I took it out of the paper bag.

“I guess I can try it.”

After cutting it in half, I ate mine in one go. “It’s really good.”

Anthony put his half down after one tiny bite. “This in no way qualifies as a beignet.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled the carton with his half to me. “More for me, then.”

He shook his head. “Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. So many beignet places in New Orleans, and you think this is a decent one.”

I shrugged as I swallowed the last bite. “What can I say? When it comes to sugar, I don’t discriminate.”

Anthony was grinning, which made me smile too. Yeah, I could fall for him—no question.

“What?” I asked.