“The coffee is ready.”
Lamar turned from the window and returned to the dining area. Nydia had set two mugs of steaming coffee on woven placemats. He pulled out a chair and seated her, unaware he’d lingered a bit too long over her for propriety, as he inhaled the coconut scent on the strands of her shiny dark-brown hair. He recalled Nydia saying that Cameron was Jasmine’s genie who sought to grant her every wish. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to become Nydia’s genie and grant at least one of her wishes. And as unguarded as she presented, he felt there was another side of her personality she would never reveal. Only those closest to her would be privy to her innermost secrets.
He rounded the table and took his own seat. “Do you like our French roast and chicory blend better than Bustelo?” Lamar recalled drinking the robust coffee that was brewed in espresso coffeemakers.
Nydia stared at him over the rim of her mug. “It’s a tossup. I prefer café au lait with beignets because the bitterness of the chicory offsets the sweetness of the powdered sugar, while Bustelo can be drunk as espresso or blended with warm milk and sugar forcafé con leche.”
“You sound very diplomatic.”
“There’s no way I’m going to utter a bad word about your local foods, because it’s truly off the chain.”
Lamar winked at her. “At least we can agree on something.”
Nydia’s eyelids fluttered wildly. “Why would you say that? It’s not as if we’ve been arguing about nonsensical things.”
Suddenly Lamar felt as if he’d come down with another case of foot-in-mouth. “You’re right. I must confess we have gotten on rather well for strangers.”
Nydia smiled. “I agree.”
Lamar continued to stare at Nydia as he drank his coffee. He had to acknowledge that she brewed an excellent café au lait. He drained the mug and stood up. “It’s time I head out.”
“Don’t leave until I give you thepasteles.” Nydia rose, walked into the kitchen, and opened the freezer to the French door refrigerator. She returned with a decorative shopping bag and a plastic container filled with tamales wrapped in parchment and tied with butcher twine. She placed thepastelesin the bag and handed it to Lamar. “Buen provecho.”
He took the bag from her outstretched hand and then leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.” There was no need for her to wish good appetite; he knew it was going to be a struggle not to devour them in a few days.
Nydia walked him to the door. “Thankyoufor a most enjoyable evening.”
His eyes lingered on her delicate features as if committing them to memory. “It’s been my pleasure.”
She opened the door. “Get home safe.”
Lamar forced a smile. “I will.” He walked out of the suite and down the hallway to the elevator.
During the drive home he thought about the three hours he’d spent with a woman whom he’d wanted to get to know better, yet he hadn’t been able to bring himself to ask her if he could see her again before she returned to New York.
He had only a few more days before his vacation would come to an end. And he was scheduled to return to Baton Rouge on Sunday to pick up Kendra and bring her back to New Orleans for the start of the new school year. Monday would signal a return to life as he knew it: work and caring for his daughter. Interacting with Nydia was a pleasant and temporary distraction—something he hadn’t anticipated when Jasmine had called to ask him if he could show her friend the renovations on the house.
And Jasmine’s friend and maid of honor was someone who had reminded him of how routine his life had become. If the employees and regulars at Ruby’s were shocked to see him bring a woman to the restaurant, then he’d surprised himself when he’d asked Nydia to accompany him. The venue had always been a favorite of his, but he had never been able to convince Valerie to go with him because she refused to visit what she’d called a juke joint.
When he first met Valerie he’d found himself drawn to her sunny, outgoing personality, a trait perfect for a flight attendant whose duties included tending to the needs of her passengers. Once they began dating she exhibited a wicked sense of humor and a passion that had him waiting for her to return from her assignments.
Valerie had been a wonderful wife, a devoted mother, and when she died a part of him had also died with her. She may have been gone, but her image lived on in her daughter. Kendra’s resemblance to her mother was uncanny, and the only thing Lamar regretted was that his daughter’s personality had changed dramatically after Valerie’s death. The once happy child became sullen, refusing to talk, and preferred spending hours in her bedroom texting on her phone. Lamar had enrolled her in counseling to deal with the loss of her mother, but sessions yielded not much more than he’d suspected. She was angry with Valerie for dying and leaving her when her cousins and friends still had their mothers.
He’d allowed Kendra to spend the summer with her cousins, and whenever he went to visit her in Baton Rouge he’d found her changed. She appeared more carefree, laughing and playing with his sister’s daughters, while saying she would talk to him later. For Lamar, later meant her coming home, and he wanted her to feel comfortable enough to talk openly with him about any and everything.
He entered the Upper French Quarter and drove down the dead end street to the last house on the block. He slowed and maneuvered through theporte cochèreand into the courtyard. Light shone through the windows of his housekeeper’s bedroom. It was apparent Ramona had returned from her two-week vacation.
He parked the Volvo in the two-car garage next to her Mini Cooper and scooped the shopping bag off the passenger seat. Lamar got out and disarmed the security system outside the door leading directly into the kitchen. He opened the freezer and placed the container with thepasteleson the shelf with vacuum-wrapped, labeled, and dated meat packages.
Lamar felt as if he’d hit a grand slam when he’d asked Nydia to save him a dance at Jasmine’s wedding. Not only was she feminine, sophisticated, and smart, but she was also refreshingly witty. Whenever she opened her mouth he could not imagine what she would say. She’d kept him off-balance, which meant he was forced to step up his game to keep up with her. A slight smile tilted the corners of his mouth as he left the kitchen and headed for the back staircase. He liked Nydia and thoroughly enjoyed the time he’d spent with her. Four months. That’s how long it would be before he would see her again.
He decided not to say anything to Kendra about taking her to New York during her school’s Christmas break. A change of scene during that time of year would benefit both of them. Valerie had lost her life two days before Christmas.
Chapter 7
Nydia’s departure was a repeat of her arrival: dinner with Jasmine, Hannah, and Tonya in the hotel’s private dining room. Her gaze lingered on each of her friends, and she felt their loss even before leaving them.
Her month-long stay had sped by quickly. She’d become accustomed to ordering beignets and café au lait for breakfast, but she knew when she returned to New York, it would be a bagel with cream cheese and coffee light and sweet. And she had also gotten used to the sweltering summer temperatures and oppressive humidity.
