“And my new housemate. All in one.”
“Holy shit.”
“I know.”
She reaches behind her cash register, grabs her purse, and slips her arm through mine. “This kind of problem requires alcohol to sort out. Let’s go to The Odyssey.”
* * *
“Wow,”I say as Charly leads me up the stairs inside The Odyssey and over to a free set of couches positioned around a gas fireplace. “This place is gorgeous.”
Music drifts up from Jackson Square, and Charly and I settle across from each other on a couch.
“Callie owns this place, right?” I ask Charly.
Callie is Charly’s sister-in-law. She’s married to Charly’s brother, Declan, another Boudreaux I grew up with.
Charly slips off her shoes and tucks her feet underneath her on the couch. “She does. I can’t believe you’ve never been here.”
“I haven’t been back since Callie returned to New Orleans,” I remind her. “I only met her at your wedding in London.”
“I know. I just always remember you here.” She laughs. “I sound like a grandmother or something.”
I understand what she means. Time seems to stop when you’re at home.
Callie approaches us with a smile. She’s tall and blonde with a killer style. Today, she’s wearing a flared red skirt and classy silk top along with her full sleeve of tattoos. She’s totally Declan Boudreaux’s type, and I love that they found each other.
I don’t know her well, but Callie surprises me with a warm hug. “Welcome home,” she says to me.
“Thank you.”
She studies my face. “If you’re feeling anything close to what I was when I returned home, you may not be as excited as we all are that you’re here.”
I laugh. “It’s been an adjustment, that’s for sure.”
“Take your time adjusting,” she advises me. “It’s different for everyone.”
“Winter’s got a boy problem already,” Charly says to her.
Callie sits down on the adjacent couch. “Tell me. I’m a bartender. I can help.”
I throw up my hands. “I don’t think anyone can help me with Hunter Storm.”
Callie’s eyes widen. “Hunter Storm, the star of the New Orleans Fire? I met him once through Declan. They don’t hang out a lot, but you all grew up together, right?”
“We did,” I say. “He and I were pretty close.”
Charly snorts. “That’s an understatement. Those two were so into each other. I still can’t believe you never dated.”
Me neither. “Timing,” I say in a forced tone. “We were both so career-oriented.”
“He’s hot as hell,” Callie says with a teasing smile in my direction.
“He is,” I agree. “That’s a fact. But he’s…complicated.”
“He seems like he’d be pretty intense,” Callie says.
“He’s had to deal with some difficult stuff.” Charly’s voice turns sad. “Hunter’s daddy was murdered when the boys were teenagers. The police never found the murderer.”
