Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“Sarcasm!” Mimi shouts.
“No. Serious!” I shout back, making her laugh. “You are wise! And right!”
“Hey, you two, sounds like you’re having fun in here without me,” Nancy calls from the entryway.
“Yay! Nancy!” Mimi dashes away to greet her favorite babysitter.
At twenty-one, Nancy’s only two years younger than I am, but she seems so much younger.
College girl life is very different than single mom girl life…
But she’s a sweetheart and a nursing student, which makes me feel so much better about leaving Mimi with her. I trust that Nancy will know what to do in the case of a juvenile arthritis or a normal little-kid health emergency. I shoot her a quick text now, asking her to check Mimi’s temperature and keep an eye on her tonight for signs of trouble. The rest of the instructions I can give in person, but I like to keep health stuff off Mimi’s radar as much as possible.
“Hey Mimi, how are you, sunshine?” Nancy asks, swooping Mimi up for a hug as I hustle into the kitchen. She grins at me over Mimi’s shoulder. “Hey, Elly, you look great! Love that color on you. You’re going to rake in the tips tonight, woman.”
“Thank you,” I say. “Fingers crossed!”
There isn’t time to explain that I’ll be in costume—probably something hideous if past experiences with “cocktail uniforms” have taught me anything. I have to get her filled in on the rest of the “need to know” and get my butt on the road.
“There’s pizza in the freezer,” I say, hopping on one foot toward the door as I slide on a black pump. “I didn’t have time to preheat the oven, but it’s working again, you just have to push the nob in really hard. There’s also a cucumber in there for your health, and maybe an orange? Not sure about that, though.”
“It’s okay, I brought a bunch of apples in my purse,” Nancy says. “Jared and I went apple picking last weekend when we were visiting his parents in Missouri.”
“Aw, how fun,” I say, shoving on the other heel. “I want to hear all about your visit when I get home. Did you have a good time? Were his parents nice?”
“They were so sweet!” Nancy says as Mimi waves.
“Bye, Mama, bring me fancy napkins if they have any,” she calls, blowing me a kiss.
“Will do!” I promise, loving that my kid is the kind who gets excited about something as simple as a shiny cocktail napkin. “Have a great night, you two. I’ll be back before midnight.”
Or so I think.
I have no idea, at the time, that Fate has other plans…
Chapter
Four
ELLY
The bus ride to the French Quarter gives me exactly enough time to scan my empty inbox and stress out about the fact that I still don’t have any nibbles from prospective employers or an email from the newsroom’s HR department.
Vera promised me that she’d get back to me by close of business this week with details about the COBRA plan in plain English, but she’s working remotely from a beach somewhere—one of the perks of being with the company for nearly thirty years, I guess.
Trusting that she’ll get back to me by the time I’m done with work, I hop off the bus a block from Maison Monteleone, one of the swankiest hotels in the city. I’ve walked by it at least a dozen times, but never been inside. I confess, I’m kind of excited about getting a glimpse beyond the posh-looking lobby.
But first, to assemble with the other peasants in the kitchen…
Heading down a shockingly clean French Quarter alley, I pop into the kitchen where Makena is already loading trays with champagne at a stainless-steel counter in the corner, the rest of the staff bustling behind her.
“Elly! There you are!” She bounces over, pulling me into a hug that cracks my spine a little. Makena’s barely five feet tall and tiny all over, but she puts some power behind a hug. “I’ve missed seeing you around the building every day. How you holding up, mama?”
“Fine,” I say, forcing a smile as she pulls back to pin me with a searching gaze. “Really. I’m fine. I promise. I’ve already applied to a ton of places. I’m sure I’ll be employed again any day now. But in the meantime, I appreciate the fill-in gig. Please tell Charlotte thank you so much for thinking of me.”
“You can tell her yourself, silly. She loves you.” Makena flaps a hand, motioning for me to follow her through the kitchen. “Come say hello and see the space before the guests get here. It’s so gorgeous and romantic!” Makena loops an arm through mine as we push through the swinging double doors. “If I were the kind of person who liked boys, I would totally want to get married here. But luckily, I don’t like boys. Not even a little bit. And I’ve already been married once, and it was dumb, so…”