Chapter Fourteen
Grace
It was late in the evening by the time I arrived back in the city. I’d decided to spend the whole day with the horses, and it was fantastic. Not only did I help with grooming and feeding them, but Felicia let me ride one of their longtime fillies. It was so refreshing, healing even, and I hated to leave.
As I entered the city, Lais texted me.
Lais: We’re still on for an evening of watching Netflix at your place... or did you have another mishap?
She was going to have a field day when I told her about everything with Zachary. I was bursting with excitement to tell someone. I almost couldn’t believe it had happened at all.
Grace: Yes, I’m going to be home soon. Is 7 a good time for you?
Lais: Perfect.
We’d originally planned another evening in the Quarter, but I needed some time to decompress, and I couldn’t face the Quarter on a Friday evening. I wanted something more laid-back. Lais and I used to have a lot of girly evenings together before my awful marriage, and that seemed like a perfect way to spend our time tonight.
I arrived home with half an hour to spare, so I ordered our usual cheeseburgers with curly fries. I had popcorn ready to go too.
Lais arrived on time, as usual. When I opened the door, she looked me up and down and exclaimed, “There’s a strange energy about you.”
I laughed. “You and your energies.”
She shrugged. “We live in New Orleans, darling. If we don’t believe in voodoo and energy, then who should?”
I didn’t think much of the city’s obsession with the supernatural, but I knew I was in the minority.
She raised a brow. “So, did I get it right that you only came back from the bayou today?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We should eat first,” I said, pointing to the burgers and the fries I’d laid out on the small coffee table in front of the TV.
Lais’s eyes widened. “This is a serious conversation if it requires food first.”
As we both sat down on the couch, I dug into my cheeseburger. I hadn’t eaten anything since our late breakfast. Felicia had offered to cook dinner before I left, but I didn’t want to linger that long.
“Girl, come on. First tell me and then you eat.” She’d only taken one bite.
“I wasn’t joking when I said I need some food.”
Lais cocked a brow but then dutifully bit into her cheeseburger again.
“Did you seal the deal?” she asked after she’d swallowed.
“Not exactly.”
“Then what happened out there?”
“First things first, you know there was a storm, right?”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh my God, you got caught up in that. Girl, we need to sharpen your storytelling skills. You need to do a much better job. Were you hurt in any way?”
“No. But it wasn’t safe to drive back, so I didn’t.”
Lais narrowed her eyes as she took a sip of her drink. “What else are you not telling me?”
“Felicia and Gaston didn’t tell me that Zachary was joining us too.”
Lais gasped. “Wait, so he got trapped there too?”
I nodded.
“You kissed again, didn’t you? I knew it was going to happen.”
“We didn’t just kiss,” I whispered.
Lais looked stunned as she pushed the rest of her food to the side, full attention on me.
“Grace Deveraux, did you finally, finally break that awful dry spell you’ve been having?”
“I did.”
“Hallelujah, hallelujah,” Lais chanted, and I burst out laughing. “That’s the best news ever. Do you have any champagne? Something we could celebrate with? I could have a Sazerac or five. In a pinch, even a tequila shot would do.”
“I have none of that,” I confessed.
“Oh, never mind. I’m so happy. It was high time you got some.”
I chuckled. “You’ve made your opinion clear on that. I just wasn’t ready.”
“And now you are?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure.”
Lais frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“It was a very spur-of-the-moment thing. The hosts only had one cabin that was livable, so we had to share it.”
“This sounds like a movie.” We both giggled at her comment.
“That’s the perfect way to describe it.”
“How was it?”
I turned to her and sighed. “Fantastic. I didn’t even know sex could be like that.”
Lais’s face fell. “You’re telling me that bastard was bad in bed in addition to being bad at everything else?”
I pressed my lips together. “I don’t want to talk about Roger.”
“Right. Sorry.”
“It doesn’t even matter either. I feel vindicated now, like I’ve crossed something that was holding me back.”
“Well, we don’t need to talk about he-who-should-not-be-mentioned , but that man did a number on you, and I am just thrilled to see I’ve got my bestie back in all her glory.”
“Yeah. I definitely found my self-perseverance, my self-esteem. I feel like I can hold my own again, and I am so happy!” I was sipping my drink when Lais asked her next question.
“So, Zachary LeBlanc first won you over with his kissing skills and then with his sexual skills. When are you seeing him next?” She was so funny, and I just loved her. She’d stood by me through it all, and there was no better friend in the world than her.
“I’m not. I mean, I don’t think there will be a repeat.”
Lais didn’t reply right away. Instead, she began munching carefully on her cheeseburger again.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked, feeling a bit unnerved. Lais didn’t usually just go radio silent, so she had to be mulling over something.
“I just wouldn’t have thought that you’d want a onetime thing. Especially since this was pivotal—life-changing, even.”
I chewed on a fry, thinking about it. “Well, trust me, I’d planned this to be a zero-time thing. I just got my life back on track and need to focus on me.”
“I know that. But you can do both. This is the first time in a very long time that I’ve seen you so excited. Like there’s actually a little light in your eyes. I haven’t seen that in forever .”
I didn’t reply because I knew what she was saying was true.
“That light went out three days after your wedding,” Lais added.
I shuddered. That coincided with the day Roger asked me if I wanted to quit my job.
“I don’t want to talk about the past.”
“Sorry. I was just making a comparison. The point is, the light is back now. I wouldn’t be discarding the possibility of more sexy interludes with Zachary LeBlanc.”
I grabbed another fry, munching on it. “I think he’s the type who does one-night stands.” I felt oddly sad at that. “And honestly, I’m not a friends-with-benefits kind of person. But we haven’t discussed anything.”
“So then why would you assume that there wasn’t more?” Lais asked in a sharp tone. “You’ve been assuming a lot of crap about this guy, and none of it turned out to be true.”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem the type who wants to settle down...”
Lais waved her hand. “No one wants to settle down until they actually do. If I had a penny every time an ex told me he wasn’t ready for more and then went ahead and married the next person he dated, I’d be very rich indeed.”
I winced. This happened to her three times. I couldn’t understand how she had so much bad luck.
“On the bright side, you’re not divorced. It’s better to wait for the right person to come along rather than rush into marriage.”
“I thought we weren’t talking about the past anymore,” Lais said, looking at me pointedly.
“You’re right. We’re not.”
She popped the last fry into her mouth. “And you’re not going to see him again at all?”
I leaned back on the couch, setting my bowl of fries on my lap. Unlike Lais, I liked to savor them and eat very slowly.
“I don’t see how that could happen. I mean, our paths don’t really cross.”
“Except for that one time you fell into the river, that other time he kissed you, and this last time when somehow both of you ended up sleeping in the same cabin.”
“That wasn’t a coincidence, though. In hindsight, it was obvious they were going to ask us both to come to the ranch. I just don’t understand why I didn’t realize it.” I set the fries back on the table and grabbed my drink. “So, since I fessed up about everything, how about starting the next phase of the evening?”
“What are we watching?” Lais asked. “What are you in the mood for?”
“No vampires.”
She pouted. “You’re such a grouch.”
“But that’s always what you want to watch, Lais.”
“I know, I know. But I’m not alone. Many people are obsessed with vampires. And it’s not just because I live in New Orleans.”
“Let’s watch something fun. A documentary?”
Lais groaned. “Only you could use ‘fun’ and ‘documentary’ in the same sentence. I totally veto the documentary, but I could watch an actually fun rom-com.”
“The choice is yours,” I said as I clicked on the TV and pulled up the Netflix app, then handed the remote to my friend.
While Lais was browsing through the top recommendations in the rom-com section, my phone vibrated. My team had been up in arms today. I’d never taken a day off, and they’d bombarded me with emails. I’d even stopped the car a few times on the road to reply to the lengthy ones.
But this time it wasn’t a message from my team. It was from Zachary.
Zachary: How did it go? Are you back?
My heart somersaulted for no reason.
Grace: Yes, a little while ago. It was a long day, but I loved it.
Zachary: Spoiled Starlight some more?
I laughed.
Grace: You know it. That baby boy hasn’t had such shiny hair ever in his life, I bet.
Zachary: What are you doing tonight?
I took a picture of the TV.
Grace: Spending time with my best friend and trying to decide what to watch. You?
He sent me a picture of the Mississippi. My heart started racing.
Zachary: I left the office and ended up walking along the river because it’s less crowded, and now I can’t stop thinking of our little adventure here.
Our little adventure. That was such a nice way to put it.
“Why are you giggling?” Lais asked. “Why is your team even spamming you at this hour?”
“It’s not my team,” I replied.
“It’s Zachary!” she surmised.
“Why would you guess that?”
She laughed. “Your voice sounded a little bit coy. I’m your best friend. I know you.”
My phone vibrated again.
Zachary: Everything with you is unexpected, and I fucking like that.
I turned my phone to Lais, who grinned from ear to ear. “That doesn’t sound like someone who considers last night a one-night stand. I bet he’s going to try and flirt the pants off you.”
I licked my lips. “You think?”
I reread his message, then decided to reply with the truth.
Grace: I’m not even sure how these things happen. I promise I don’t plan them like that.
Zachary: I know. Are you going to hit the Quarter tonight?
Grace: No, I’m too tired.
Zachary: Even after the lazy morning? Then again, last night’s activities stretched until late.
I couldn’t help laughing.
“He’s starting to flirt, isn’t he?” Lais asked.
I nodded.
“And?” she inquired. “Are you going to flirt back?”
I grinned at her, pressing the phone to my chest. “I’m considering it.”
“Oh, hallelujah, hallelujah,” Lais started again.
“Don’t chant victory too soon.”
She pressed her lips together immediately, assuming a serious demeanor. “No, you’re right. Don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
“Let’s start watching something,” I said.
Lais and I chose a rom-com. I snapped a picture of the screen as the title appeared and sent it to Zachary. His reply made me laugh.
Zachary: Shudder. Rom-coms are at the top of my shit list. Have fun.
I expected him to continue texting, but he didn’t, and so Lais and I watched Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant for the fiftieth time in silence, sighing at our favorite scenes. We’d first watched this when we were teenagers, and we laughed at it still. There was something eternally romantic about those old rom-coms.
I yawned several times as the ending approached. Lais looked at me out of the corner of her eye.
“You’re already sleepy. I thought we were going to have a party tonight and watch several movies.”
“I thought so, too, but I had a long day.” And as Zachary pointed out, a short night, but I didn’t feel comfortable sharing too many details with Lais. Once upon a time, we did that—when we were in the throes of dating. But after I got married, I shared less and less. I was too ashamed.
“Then I’m going to go, but you still owe me that night out in the Quarter, okay?”
“How about next week?” I suggested.
“Either Friday or Saturday works for me. I’ll make you keep the promise.”
“I haven’t promised yet,” I pointed out, batting my eyelashes.
She put her hands on her hips.
“I won’t bail on you again, I promise.”
“No more swimming sessions in the Mississippi.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
I chuckled as she headed to the door. “Good night, Lais.”
“Good night,” she said before leaving.
I yawned again and rose from the couch, moving my body a bit because I’d gotten stiff. After I cleaned up our mess, which involved throwing what was left in the garbage and the dishes in the dishwasher, I hopped into the shower. It was my absolute favorite way to relax. My daily pampering routine. I’d once read that the average person showered in less than four minutes, and I couldn’t even comprehend what that meant. Mine were at least fifteen minutes long.
I applied lotion thoroughly after I came out. Even though it had been humid out in the bayou, my skin was still dry. As I massaged my inner thighs, I had flashbacks from last night. I almost couldn’t believe how alive I’d felt. How incredible Zachary had been with me.
After putting on my silk nightgown and fluffy slippers, I searched for my phone in the bedroom, needing to set the alarm, then remembered I’d left it in the living room. When I grabbed it from the coffee table, I noticed an unread message.
Zachary: Rom-com over?
Suddenly, I wasn’t just relaxed but happy. The sentiment caught me by complete surprise. How could I be happy just because he was texting me?
Grace: Yep. And Lais left too. She’s suspicious about why I’m so tired.
Zachary: You didn’t tell her about last night’s activities?
I giggled as I typed back, sitting on the couch.
Grace: I did, although I didn’t give her many details.
Zachary: Don’t remember them? Because I’m more than happy to remind you of every single one of them. I’ve committed everything to memory.
Oh, my bestie was right. This was definitely not the behavior of someone who only considered it a one-night stand.
I bit the inside of my cheek. Had I been too quick to label it?
Grace: Don’t worry. I remember every detail too.
Zachary: Perfect. That means I made an impression.
I started to laugh out loud. Zachary was quite different from what I’d imagined.
Grace: How did your meeting go?
Zachary: Good. But next week will be rough.
Grace: Fingers crossed it goes by quickly.
Zachary: Oh, it will, because I’ll play our night together in my mind every time someone annoys me. That’ll put me right back into a good mood and annoy them in return.
I grinned.
Grace: That’s a fantastic tactic. I’ll use it too.
Zachary: You can text or call whenever you do, and then we can reminisce together.
Heat pooled between my thighs at the thought. Holy shit, that sounded almost like dirty texting.
My heart was hammering out of my chest as I imagined getting out of the meeting and just calling Zachary for a quick, what, dirty exchange? I was truly losing my mind. He was probably joking, and here I was seriously considering it.
Zachary: Don’t be surprised if you get a random call from me during the day.
Okay, so he wasn’t joking. I could shut this down, of course, but I was enjoying myself far too much. I hadn’t done that in a while. Yet with Zachary, it was almost like an instinct. I couldn’t stop myself, so I didn’t. That’s why I replied with sass.
Grace: The same holds true for you. Brace yourself.
Zachary: Will do.