23. Anthony
ANTHONY
Early in the afternoon, Isabeau called.
“This is a nice surprise!” I wondered why she would call during working hours.
“Hey! I know you, and you’re probably busy, so I’m going to make this quick. We’re taking our collaboration with Grace to the next level, and we spontaneously decided to throw a little party at the shop tonight. I know it’s very short notice, but we’d be happy to see you there.”
“The rest of the family is coming too?”
“We told everyone. Not sure how many can make it considering it’s just in a few hours.”
“What time is it happening?” I asked, thinking about my plans with Daisy.
“We’ll start at six. We’ll close when no one’s stopping by anymore.”
“All right. I’ll drop by.”
“Perfect. We’re celebrating that we’re…”
I wasn’t really listening anymore. A plan was starting to crystallize in my mind.
“Lovely. Can’t wait to see you,” Isabeau finished .
I was certain at least half the family would be there as well. It would be fun.
And I wanted Daisy there.
After hanging up, I went to her office. I leaned against the doorway, taking her in for a few moments. She was hunched at the keyboard, eyes on the screen. She looked so fucking sexy all focused like this.
A few seconds later, she looked up. “Anthony, you scared me!”
I stepped in, closing the door.
She smirked. “You know, that might give people the wrong idea.”
“Meaning?”
“That we want privacy because we’re up to no good.”
“That’s the right idea,” I replied, heading straight to her.
Her eyes widened. “Riiiiight. You look like a man on a mission. What could it be?”
I leaned against her desk. She rolled her chair farther away and crossed her legs. How the hell could she be so damn beautiful and sexy? Her legs were endless. I wanted her right here on this desk.
“Anthony?” The corners of her mouth tipped up in a smile. She knew exactly what I was thinking. I was sure of it. We were on the same wavelength, and I fucking loved it.
“So, about tonight.”
“Yes?”
“My grandmothers called. They’re holding a little celebration at their store. Their collaboration with Zachary’s fiancée hit a milestone.”
Her smile fell. “I totally understand. We can go out another time.”
“What are you talking about?”
She licked her lips, rolling closer to the desk and focusing on her laptop. Was she trying to avoid my gaze?
“Daisy, look at me. ”
She glanced up. I touched her cheek. “Why would you even think I was going to cancel?”
“You can be in two places at once?” There was humor in her tone, but her voice also sounded uneasy.
“No. I was going to suggest that after our date, we go to their event together.”
Her mouth fell open, and she blinked rapidly. Why was this so surprising to her?
“Really? I would love that.” Her expression instantly changed as a huge smile lit up her face. “Of course, yes. I’d love to see the shop again and thank them for the perfume in person. I quite love it.”
“Part of the family will be there too.”
“Even better. Should we buy them a gift?”
“Nah, we don’t do gifts in the family. Only around Christmas.”
“Right. So… what exactly are they celebrating?”
“It wasn’t clear.”
She frowned. “You didn’t ask?”
“Isabeau mentioned it, but I was already thinking about reorganizing our evening, so I wasn’t paying too much attention.”
She shook her head. “Men,” she grumbled under her breath. “My dad is the same. Mom can give him all the details in the world, and he’ll remember the beginning and, at best, the end. Sometimes not even that.”
“Story of my life,” I agreed.
She was still grinning. “Soooo… what are we doing tonight, then?”
“The original plan was to go around Audubon again.”
“I see. Luring me back to that gorgeous house of yours, huh?”
“Hell yes. But since we’re going to Fragrant Delights, I suppose we’ll just stay in the Quarter.”
“What a hardship.”
“What time will you be done?” I asked her .
“I don’t know. Maybe we should ask the boss.”
I growled. “The boss wants you to take off right now.”
She gasped. “Anthony!”
“You asked, babe. You asked. And you can head out at any time. Ideally, we’d take that time off together.”
“I think I know where this is going.”
“Do you?” I challenged.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. “You know what? I’ve decided not to ask.”
I laughed. “Fair enough.” Because if I even voiced those thoughts, I was going to lose control. “Be ready to leave at six,” I said as I opened the door.
“Will do, boss!” she said with a grin and mock salute.
At five to six, I headed out of the building. We never left the office at the same time. We weren’t keeping things secret, but we were professionals. But once we were outside the building, all bets were off. I waited in front, glancing inside LeBlanc-Broussard. The restaurant was busy, as usual.
Five minutes later, I started getting impatient, but instead of texting Daisy, I messaged Annelise.
At the farm, after the morning tour, when I stayed with Daisy’s mom in the kitchen, I pointed out politely to Rosalie that she didn’t seem to get the hang of operating the machinery.
I once again suggested hiring some additional help for them in the interim, and she was more inclined that time, but under one condition: We weren’t telling Daisy.
I wasn’t a fan of keeping things from my woman, but I understood parental pride.
Annelise, however, knew all of what was going on.
Anthony: Everything okay?
Annelise: Yes! The two extra guys started today. Everything is already going much smoother!
Anthony: Perfect. Let me know if anything else is needed .
Just then, a message from Daisy popped up.
Daisy: I’ll be a few minutes late. Sorry.
“A few” turned out to be fifteen. She came out in a rush from the back alley.
“So sorry. I started putting on makeup, and it took a while. I wanted to look my best.”
“You’re always gorgeous, Daisy.”
She smiled. “Someone’s in a good mood.”
“I mean it. I have a hard enough time not bursting into your office and seducing you on a daily basis.” I stepped closer to her.
She sucked in a breath. “Anthony, do you mean that?”
“Every fucking word.”
“But I do look nicer now, don’t I?” She batted her eyelashes.
Fuck. This was the moment I was supposed to compliment whatever she’d changed, right? The only problem was, I had no idea what that was.
“As I said, you always look gorgeous.”
“I’ll take it,” she said. “Where are we going?”
“What do you think about barhopping?” I suggested. “We go in wherever we find space and they serve snacks. And when we’re full, we can head to the store.”
“This is the most brilliant thing I’ve heard. That way, we can move all around the Quarter.”
“Exactly.” I couldn’t be more in sync with this woman. I’d instinctively known she’d like this idea. Her smile was genuine. She wasn’t just going with it because she wanted to please me. “Let’s start right here on Royal.” I pointed to a small hole-in-the-wall about two blocks away.
“I have no idea what that is,” Daisy said.
“They’ve got great meatballs.”
“That’s an odd choice of food to have in the heart of New Orleans.”
“It would be boring if everyone served po’ boys, jambalaya, and gumbo.”
As we started walking, I put an arm around her waist. Now that we were off the clock, I wanted to touch her as much as possible. I managed to fight my instincts while we were in the building, but when it was just the two of us? No fucking way. And why should I?
“That’s true. How did you discover all these places?” she inquired.
“Easy. Trial and error. I do have my favorite restaurants, obviously, but other than that, I like to try new things.”
“All right. I’m very excited to taste the”—she wiggled her eyebrows—“meatballs.”
“What was that for?” I pointed to her eyebrows. “You trying to test me?”
“Maybe. Is it working?”
She was being mischievous today, and I fucking loved it. I kissed her forehead.
“Yes, it is, so stop doing it. It’s working a bit too well.” I took her good mood as a sign that she wasn’t worrying about her parents as much. Still, I wanted to make sure. “You spoke to your family today?”
“I keep texting with Mom. And what do you know? Dad is texting more too. They’re adapting, I guess. But it’s hard to watch everything unfold from a distance.”
“Anytime you want to fly out there, just let me know, okay? I mean it.”
“Anthony, I can’t just go back and forth.”
“Yes, you can. And I’ll come with you. As often as you want.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said as we arrived at the deli. There were already two people waiting in line.
“That looks like a hot dog with meatballs,” Daisy said, standing on her toes and looking past the customers.
“Perfect way to describe it. But it doesn’t taste like a hot dog at all.”
Five minutes later, she was devouring her portion while we were walking toward Bourbon for our next stop .
“This is delicious, but how are we going to hop from one place to another when I’m already half full?”
“We can split the next portion,” I suggested, keeping her even closer as we turned onto Bourbon.
“Great idea. My parents always say that the secret to a good relationship is sharing food.”
“What?” I was taken by complete surprise.
“Mom always steals stuff from Dad’s plate. He never gets upset over it either.”
“Why wouldn’t she just put stuff on her own plate?”
“She’s forever dieting. She jokes that if she takes it from Dad’s plate, it has fewer calories.”
“That makes zero sense!”
“I know. But we all have our quirks. God, my parents have been married forever.”
“Same with my parents. They met when Mom was eighteen or nineteen.”
“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” she whispered as I led her through the crowds. “That they’ve made it work all these years.”
“I know.”
I realized we had that in common: parents who met at a young age and were happily married and grandparents who were initially against their union but then came around. And yet we were both completely different from our parents. Neither of us had sought anything serious until now.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
I decided to be open with her. “That you and I are so very different from our parents.”
“I know. Sometimes I wonder if I was adopted or something. They married as high school sweethearts, and except for one time, I haven’t introduced anyone to them… until you.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep. They met my first boyfriend in college. We broke up a week later. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t bring anyone else around until it was very serious because it would just confuse them.”
“So, this is very serious, huh?” I asked as we reached our next stop. It was another deli. They were serving slices of roast beef with pickles and an assortment of vegetables on paper plates.
Daisy smiled as she looked in the front window. There were lots of ingredients to combine.
I put my mouth to her ear. “You didn’t answer me.”
She glanced up at me, and I realized she was nervous. She kept bouncing from one foot to the other.
“Okay, I’ll go first.”
Her expression softened.
“You’re important to me, Daisy. This feels so damn different than anything else I’ve experienced in my life, be it dating or…
anything else.” I didn’t want to say “hookups” out loud because it would cheapen the conversation.
“That’s why I want you at Fragrant Delights tonight.
My family all attend these things with their better halves, and I want you next to me. ”
She didn’t say anything. After a few seconds, I cleared my throat. “Daisy…”
“I’m sorry, I’m still swooning. And processing. Oh my God, I can’t believe you said all those words out loud. It’s the most romantic thing ever.”
This could be way more romantic if we weren’t at a roast beef deli on Bourbon, but somehow it fit us.
She gave me a small smile and whispered, “The same is true for me. I didn’t even realize it until we were at the farm. It was amazing that you were there next to me, supporting me like that, like you wanted to be there. And I wanted to share every bit of my life with you, which is a bit scary.”
“I agree, babe.” I pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, touching her earlobe. “But I want to be there with you through everything, and it’s the most fucking amazing feeling.”
“I agree. It makes me feel immense joy right here.” She put her hand on her chest .
“Damn it! I should’ve brought this up in a more private place. Now all I want to do is take you in a dark corner and kiss you thoroughly.” And to tell her that I love her.
Daisy giggled. “Surely you can find enough dark corners on Bourbon.”
“You deserve way better than that, babe.”
“All right, what can I get you two tonight?” the vendor asked as our turn came.
“I’ll have your roast with a side of everything,” I said. Since we were sharing this, I thought I’d pile it all on.
Daisy was looking at the counter, seeming a bit undecided. “I think I’ll just have some roast, but no sides.”
“Aren’t we sharing?”
She shrugged. “The portion isn’t that big, so I’ll just order a little bit so I can save enough space for whatever comes next. I trust that you’ll introduce me to lots of delicious things.”
“Yes, I will.”
“That way you’ll have your own order.”
“You can always help yourself to my sides; I’ll gladly share them. And if you steal from my plate,” I went on, “then it doesn’t count, does it?”
Daisy threw her head back, laughing wholeheartedly. I was enjoying this evening more every minute. “You learn fast, Anthony LeBlanc.”