Page 38 of Bourbon Truths
“Well, this is a lost cause. Have a good night,” she said, disappointment in her voice.
“Wait,” I said, pulling on her arm. “Help me out. Where do I start?”
Why had I just said that? Her turning around on me was my out. Did I really want to go on this date? The realization was too much to even think about, so I blocked those thoughts out of my mind and brought her closer to me. Once again, that ‘gotchya’ smile greeted me, and I knew she’d played me, just like she had in the Haze Room.
“You’re the devil, you know that?”
She laughed and linked her arm into mine. “Take me to dinner first, Kace. Anywhere you want to go.”
“Anywhere?” I asked as I led her down the stairs.
“If you take me to Kitten’s Castle, I will castrate you,” she said with humor in her voice.
“Shit, now you took all the surprise out of it.”
“Kace…,” she warned.
I chuckled, a foreign concept to me. It almost felt good, I almost felt light. For a short period of time, I actually felt like the weight of the world wasn’t sitting on my shoulders.
I led her out onto Bourbon Street, guided her past the already drunk people enjoying the raunchiness of the French Quarter, and walked her down Toulouse Street to one of my favorite restaurants.
“How was your day?” she asked, striking up conversation, something I wasn’t good at, at all.
“Fine,” I replied, not really knowing how to elaborate.
“Okay, want to tell me more?”
“Not really,” I replied, opening the door to The Chartres House that was tucked away in a salmon-colored building. I ushered her in, not letting her respond to my inability to discuss my day like a normal person.
“Will it be just the two of you?” the hostess asked.
“Yes. Can we have the table over there in the corner?” I nodded at my favorite seat. The restaurant was small and had a bar that took up most of the space, not allowing for too many diners at once. There were small cabaret tables with either two or four seats each, and when the weather was nice, the doors that faced the street were open. But the wind was a bitch today, and the doors were closed, blocking out the bustle of the street, which I was grateful for.
“Sure thing. Right this way.” The hostess led us to our seats, and I took the one in the back corner, where I was able to look out over the restaurant. I never liked having my back turned to a room so I couldn’t see what was behind me. The hostess handed us menus. “Enjoy.”
Feeling uncomfortable, since this whole dating scene felt like foreign territory to me, I shifted in my chair and asked, “Have you ever been here before?”
Lyla’s light green eyes looked at me. “They have the best boudin. Good pick, Kace.”
“You like boudin?” I asked, a little shocked. I wouldn’t have picked Lyla for a sausage lover.
“What’s not to like? Meat stuffed in a little roll you have to suck on. It all works for me.”
Shaking my head, I was about to respond when the waitress appeared. “Hello. My name is Ana. I will be serving you. We have a special today on crawfish with two sides if you’re interested. Can I get you something to drink to start off with?”
“Water,” I said briskly.
“I’ll take water as well, thank you.” Once the waitress left, Lyla turned her gaze on me and said, “Can you lighten up just a bit? You nearly barked at that poor waitress.”
“I did not bark,” I defended myself.
“Kace, you could have at least smiled.”
“I don’t really smile.”
“That’s not true. I’ve seen you smile.”
“You caught me in a weak moment when you saw that,” I countered, a grin trying to peek past my strong façade.
