Page 87 of Bourbon Truths
I almost choked on my sandwich from her brazenness and grabbed my water to help the spurt of coughing that attacked me. I should have expected her to say something so crass. She did hang out with Goldie.
“You always this forward?”
“Yeah. Do you have a problem with it?” she asked as she took a giant bite of her sandwich.
“Nope, just want to know what to expect.”
She shook her head at me and leaned over to pat my arm. “Sorry to say, Kace, but you’re never going to be fully prepared when hanging out with me. I’m a loose cannon.”
“Fair enough,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
She continued to eat her sandwich in silence, devouring it quicker than me. She licked her fingers, showing me exactly what she could do with those gorgeous lips. I wondered what it would feel like to own those lips, to have them on my body, to feel them against mine.
I adjusted in my seat as my thoughts turned dirty.
“You have that glazed-over look. What are you thinking about?” she asked, tossing her napkin on her plate.
“What your lips would feel like on my body,” I answered honestly.
Her eyebrow rose. “And you think I’m forward?”
“Just evening the playing field, babe.”
“Fair enough. Tell me, do you believe in ghosts?”
I could tell her question wasn’t complicated, but for me, it was a loaded answer. I did believe in ghosts because right now, I felt like a walking ghost in the streets of New Orleans.“I do,” I said, keeping it short and simple. “Do you?”
“I think there is this whole other world we don’t know about, that we won’t know about until we breathe our last breath. A place where we can make up for what we’ve done in life, a place where everyone gets along and where your biggest concern is who are we going to spook that night.”
“Who would you spook?” I asked, wondering who she would want to freak out in the mortal world.
“Isn’t it obvious? I would haunt the fuck out of Goldie. She is an easy target. It would be too much fun to freak her out.”
I laughed, a foreign noise to me, but the image of Goldie freaking out from Lyla’s ghost was too comical. Goldie would be an easy target, hands down.
“Damn, I might have to join you on that one.”
“All right, shark diving, skydiving, or bungee jumping?”
A lightness ran through me as I realized I was enjoying my lunch with Lyla more than I’d expected. Yes, I was attracted to her, like I was desperate to be inside of her. I thought she was so beautiful, but as I sat here in the café with zydeco music playing in the background, staring at her exotic face, I felt euphoric from her company. I allowed myself to engage in the feeling. It was rare for me, but I allowed it this day.
“Not much of a swimmer. I’ve been parachuting, which was fun, but bungee jumping is more of a thrill.”
“Sign me up for swimming with the sharks. Those beasts are just some toothy assholes who act like they own the water. I would show them a thing or two.”
I believed her. “You’ve heard of shark attacks, right?”
“Eh, not scared. A little punch to the schnoz, and those fuckers would be gone in two seconds.”
“Where the hell are you getting your information?” I asked. “You know you have to avoid their mouths to get to their nose.”
“You would be surprised by my accuracy,” she responded nonchalantly. “Sweet tooth or savory?”
“Do vegetables count?” I asked.
“Oh Christ, don’t tell me you’re one of those neurotic eaters. Is that why you’re nursing that sandwich? Just eat it. Your figure will be fine.”
“I’m fucking with you,” I laughed. “What do you think I am, sweet or savory?”
