Hadn’t he already decided this wasn’t the right time to get involved with anyone? That he needed to get settled and find his footing in New Orleans? If that’s what he was going with, he needed to stick to it. Especially after learning the only woman he was even remotely interested in had determined he wasn’t her type.
His grip tightened on the luggage handle. This was going to be the most frustrating three days of his life, without question.
Nadia started in on her friend Reshonda’s bachelorette party, which she was hosting in Sedona.
“I’m trying to convince her to take a road trip to Vegas, but Ree said she would rather go to the Grand Canyon! The Grand freaking Canyon. This is why I’m glad I got married in my twenties.”
“You can have a rocking good time at the Grand Canyon,” Thad said.
“Just for that joke, you’re getting a second pluck in the middle of the forehead the next time I see you. Now, before I go, you’re not keeping anything else from me, are you?”
Thad froze. What did Nadia know? Had the scammer tried to contact her? “Why would you ask that?” he asked.
“Uh, hello! Because you didn’t tell me about New York!” she said. “What is up with you?”
The tension ebbed from his shoulders.
“Nothing,” Thad said.
For a minute he considered telling her about the messages he’d been getting from the woman in Alabama. There had been three, so far, including the one he’d gotten today. She’d shared that she, too, was a budding entrepreneur, and that’s when he’d figured out her angle. She was going to ask for money to help get whatever business she had off the ground.
He’d shot back a quick reply, praising his grandfather’s business savvy and asking about her endeavors. He fully expected her to go in for the kill in her next message.
Thad checked his watch. He had twenty-seven minutes to meet Ashanti at the daycare. If he mentioned the scammer to Nadia right now, she would have him on the phone for at least an hour. He’d wait to tell her face-to-face. It would be more enjoyable that way.
“Nothing else to report,” Thad said, answering her question. “I need to finish up some stuff here, Nadia,” Thad said.“I’ll shoot you a text once I’m in New York and have more information about the TV show.”
“Sure you will,” his sister said. “Love you, Big Head.”
“Love you too. Kiss my nieces for me. And send them to school on Friday. You can record the show.”
“Nope. Bye,” Nadia said.
“Nad—” But she had already ended the call.
Thad wheeled his luggage from the bedroom and grabbed Puddin’s leash by the front door.
“You ready for this?” he asked the dog.
Puddin’ turned away from him and settled into his bed.
“Well, it’s too bad if you’re not,” Thad said, clipping the leash to his collar. “You and your girlfriend are the ones who got us into this.”
Just before walking out the door, Thad picked up Puddin’s alligator and stuffed it in the carry-on’s front compartment with his deodorant. He couldn’t chance Puddin’ chewing up everything in New York.
22
Ashanti stood next to the curbside check-in kiosk outside Louis Armstrong International Airport, attempting with decreasing degrees of success not to worry that Thad had decided to pull out of this whole thing at the last minute.
She texted Deja to find out if he’d stopped in for the travel crate. She responded that he’d come by not even ten minutes after Ashanti and Evie left.
If he’d picked up the crate, he was at least still planning to travel with Puddin’. But he should have been here by now.
Just as she was about to text him, his black pickup pulled up to the curb. The passenger door swung open, and Thad hopped out before the truck had a chance to come to a complete stop.
“Wasn’t my fault,” he said, quickly lifting the travel crate from the truck bed. He set it, along with a rolling carry-on suitcase, next to Duchess’s crate. “Three semi-trucks were clogging up I-10. We were stuck going fifty miles per hour on the interstate.”
“We’re still good,” Ashanti said, checking her watch tomake sure she wasn’t telling a lie. The ticketing agent had told her all was well as long as they got Puddin’ and Duchess checked in at least forty-five minutes before departure.
