Her lips pressed together. “What time is your appointment?”
“Ten o’clock. I’m sure it won’t be a problem to push it off for a few weeks.”
“Good grief. I don’t have to be at work until tomorrow afternoon at five. Keep your appointment. I’ll go with you. Who knows? Maybe I’ll see something I like.”
Simon frowned as Holly shot down his excuse to cancel. He’d been in the small town since the Bayou Brotherhood Protectors had formed and had yet to look for a place to live. He hadn’t been entirely certain he wanted to stay. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I didn’t relish spending the entire day cleaning or waiting to hear from my Mémère. I need to get out and see what’s changed in this town since I’ve been gone.”
Simon sighed. “Okay. We’ll go house hunting tomorrow morning.”
“After that, if she hasn’t contacted me, I’d like to see if my Mémère is home and ready to help.”
He nodded. “We can do that.” Though he didn’t believe in curses or Voodoo, he was interested in meeting Bayou Mambaloa’s very own Voodoo queen. He’d found the Louisiana bayous full of interesting characters. Most friendly. Some not so much.
Simon shifted into park and cut the engine. Then he dropped to the ground, grabbed the go-bag he kept behind the back seat and hurried around to open Holly’s door. She was already out and joined him in front of the truck.
For a moment, Holly stood staring at the houseboat. Finally, she shrugged. “It needs a good cleaning and minor maintenance. The engine doesn’t actually work, but I don’t need it to go anywhere. The best part was that it was in my budget and available.” She shot a glance his way. “However, it only has one bed.” She grimaced. “You’ll have to camp out on the couch.”
“I’ll manage,” he said.
“You haven’t seen the couch,” she muttered beneath her breath and led the way to the dock.
They came to a stop on the dock, where a gangway led to the houseboat. An anchor lay on the dock next to a metal storage box. Simon held out his hand. “Let me have the key. I want to do a quick check before you go inside.”
She bent, tipped the anchor to the side, reached for something then straightened, handing him a key.
Simon closed his eyes for a second. “Please tell me this isn’t the key to the houseboat.”
“Okay,” she said. “I won’t tell you. But if you want to open the door, you’ll have to use whatever that is in your hand.”
He shook his head. “Tomorrow, we’re going to the hardware store for new locks.”
She sighed. “I’ll agree with you on that. Remember, I just moved in today.”
“Wherever you were staying before, perhaps we should stay there tonight.”
“That was at my Mémère’s. She’s been away for a few days helping others.”
“Why aren’t you staying there still?”
“Now that I have a job, I like to get there without taking a boat through the bayou at night after I get off work.” She crossed the gangway and stood beside the door.
Simon followed, stuck the key in the lock and pushed the door open.
Holly reached around him and flipped a light switch, illuminating the interior with soft, warm light.
“Give me a minute inside,” he said. “I just want to make sure it’s safe.”
“And standing out in the open is safer?” she asked with one eyebrow cocked.
He frowned. “Fine.” He leaned into the door, peered around and didn’t see anything moving. “Come in, but stand next to the door while I look around.”
“That won’t take long,” she murmured. “It’s not that big, and there aren’t many places for anyone to hide.”
“Humor me,” he said through clenched teeth.
She stepped into the house, closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall. “Go on. I’m humoring.”
