Chapter 13 Anna #2
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted and dove back in, now armed with voices so over-the-top they belonged on a stage.
By the time he moved on to Green Eggs and Ham, the girls were thoroughly entranced, hanging on his every word. Even shy Therese, who usually took time to warm up to people, was giggling and chiming in.
I leaned against the doorway, watching the scene unfold. This was a different side of Luke than I’d seen before. His air of ego and self-importance had vanished, replaced by someone funny, lighthearted, and entirely at ease.
It was... unexpected.
Therese snuggled into Luke’s side, tilting her head with the solemn curiosity of a courtroom judge. “Auntie says you’re a lady man.”
I froze, my brain scrambling for damage control, but it was too late.
Luke’s eyebrows shot up, and a slow, amused grin spread across his face. “A what? A lady man?”
Amelia, the self-appointed expert, chimed in, her tone dripping with authority. “No, Therese. Auntie said he’s a ladies’ man.”
If I could have evaporated on the spot, I would have. Luke glanced at me, his grin widening like he was thoroughly enjoying the show.
“Well, I’ve been called worse.” His voice was light and teasing.
Amelia tapped his shoulder, her eyes wide with earnestness. “You’re so lucky. You’re spoiled.”
Luke clutched his chest as if he’d been shot. “Spoiled? Did you call me spoiled?”
“Shhh, Amelia,” I pleaded.
But Amelia wasn’t done. “Auntie Anna said it. She said you’re spoiled, and it means you get everything you want. I think that’s lucky. I want to be spoiled.”
“Amelia.” My voice hit a pitch reserved for fire alarms, but the damage was done.
Luke turned to me, his expression the very picture of gleeful mischief. “Did you really say that?”
Amelia, traitorous to the end, nodded vigorously. “She sure did.”
Luke leaned forward, his blue eyes sparkling. “So, what else does Auntie Anna say about me?”
Amelia wasn’t done. “She also said—”
“Nope. That’s it.” I interrupted. “Let’s let Mr. Luke go, shall we?”
Luke raised an eyebrow, clearly relishing every second. “Go? But I’m having such a great time. I could listen to this all day.”
I shot him a glare that said, Please don’t encourage them, but the amused sparkle in his eye made it hard to stay mad. The girls giggled, and Luke finally shifted his weight, giving me a break from his teasing grin.
He glanced toward the window, then back at me. “I saw a flyer earlier for some street market? Music, food, people dancing in the middle of the day like it’s a perfectly normal thing?”
I tilted my head. “Sounds like New Orleans.”
“That’s what I figured,” he said, leaning casually against the arm of the couch. “Anyway… it reminded me that I had a question for you.”
I narrowed my eyes, wary. “About what?”
He cleared his throat. “You showing me the city.” His gaze met mine, steady this time. “I think we should pick that back up.”
My heart stuttered. Wait. Was he serious? This was exactly what I needed. My brain immediately sprang into overdrive, mapping out potential ideas for my story. A little voice in the back of my head was practically shouting, This is perfect. This is it. You can keep writing.
I didn’t want to get too excited, in case he pulled back. “Really? I thought we agreed it wasn’t going to work.”
He shrugged, his gaze steady. “We did. But I’ve been thinking about it, and maybe I wasn’t giving it a fair shot. And I promise to do a better job of blending in.”
I bit my lip, torn between yelling, yes, yes, yes, and playing it cool. This was the best news ever. He’d practically handed me my story on a silver platter. Be cool, Anna. Don’t look desperate.
“Fine,” I said slowly, dragging out the word like I wasn’t already mentally planning how to incorporate our outings into my superhero novel. “But this time, you’re going to follow my lead.”
“Absolutely.” He nodded, clearly trying to play along. “So, what’s the plan? Where are we going?”
My mind raced as I thought about the perfect way to dive back into this arrangement.
I needed something that would allow Luke to blend into the New Orleans scene without standing out.
Something loud and busy enough that no one would give him a second glance, yet also steeped in the kind of culture and chaos that made this city so uniquely alive.
I had an idea.
I smiled to myself. This was going to be good. It was the perfect way to show him the real New Orleans. Not the glossy version tourists post on Instagram, but the heartbeat of the city. He wouldn’t know what hit him.
“It’s a surprise,” I said, keeping my tone light. “Be ready by two o’clock. Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll be on your feet a lot.”
“On my feet?” he repeated. “What exactly are we doing?”
I gave him a mysterious smile. “You’ll see. Just trust me. Oh, and maybe bring a hat. Something that’ll help you blend in but won’t block your view. Sunglasses wouldn’t hurt either.”
A grin spread across his face, his blue eyes lighting up in a way that made it hard to look away.
“You really need to go now,” I said, trying to keep my tone firm even as my heart skipped a beat. “My cousin’s going to be back any minute.”
He nodded but crouched down to Amelia’s level, his expression playful and conspiratorial. In a stage whisper loud enough for me to hear, he asked, “Amelia, can I count on you to be my secret agent? Find out everything your auntie says about me and report back?”
Amelia’s eyes lit up with the gravity of the mission, and she saluted him with a giggle. “You can count on me, Mr. President.”
I groaned. “Amelia, don’t you dare. Your allegiance is supposed to be with me.”
Luke smirked, throwing a wink my way. “Guess we’ll see about that.” For a moment, his gaze lingered on me. “Good to see you.”
My heart gave a giddy thud, and I barely managed a nod before I ushered him out the door.
And it wasn’t a moment too soon. Lucy waltzed in only about five minutes later.
“Mommy, mommy! We met the president. The man who lives next door.” Therese spoke with the excitement of a game-show contestant.
Lucy’s eyebrows shot up. “You did? Is he cute?”
“I don’t know,” Therese said. “But when he read, he did the words funny.”
“We told him that he was spoiled,” Amelia said. “And Therese told him that he was a lady man, but I said it right. Ladies’ man.”
Lucy’s face was a picture of horror. “You didn’t,” she groaned, shooting me an apologetic look. “Did they?”
“Oh yes, they did.” I shrugged. “He took it in stride. Said he’s been called worse.”
Lucy sighed. “I’m so sorry. Girls, that was naughty.”
Amelia looked up in surprise. “Why was it naughty? It’s like saying congratulations on getting all the toys you want.”
“Time to go, girls,” Lucy said, hastily gathering their things. “We’ll have a chat in the car.”
She glanced back at me. “I’m glad he has a sense of humor.”
My cousin ushered the girls out the door, their chatter trailing behind her.
Once the house was silent again, I leaned against the counter, replaying the morning’s chaos in my head.
Luke’s laughter, the girls’ relentless honesty, and his disarming way of rolling with it all showed that maybe he wasn’t entirely impossible.
But there wasn’t time to dwell on that now. I was about to drop Luke right into the beating heart of New Orleans. Something so vivid, so alive, it might crack his polished Hollywood shell and force him to see what was right in front of him.
That is, if he could handle it.