“Ah, stop,” Ruby dismissed, waving her hand. “My best days are behind me. Come. I’ll take you to your room so that you can freshen up. Gary will bring your bags up.”
“Okay. Hey, where’s Margo?”
Marguerite, or Margo as the family called her, was Ruby’s daughter. She and Enola were close to the same age. Since children, she and Margo were thick as thieves. Not even the distance between Chicago and New Orleans was enough to cause them to lose touch. They talked on the phone, at the very least, three times a week.
“Hell, who knows?” Ruby scoffed. “She’s hardly ever home. She works hard, but parties harder. She’ll be rolling her ass in sooner or later.”
Ruby linked their arms and escorted Enola past massive pillars, into her grandmother’s enormous home. As soon as she entered, memories of her happy childhood flooded her thoughts. Unfortunately, so did the not-so-happy memories.
Enola was suddenly confronted by images of her beautiful mother, Olivia. She’d died a few years back from complications stemming from Lupus. Sadness washed over Enola as she entered the elegant, old world parlor. As if reading her mind, Ruby stopped walking and pulled Enola into her arms.
“I miss her too,” she whispered.
Enola mourned silently as she held tight to her aunt. The warmth of Ruby’s touch was comforting, but she must have held on too long because her aunt was suddenly struggling to get away.
Enola stepped back. Ruby inhaled and blew out a harsh breath while wiping sweat from her face. She appeared to be having some sort of panic attack.
“Ruby, are you okay?” Enola asked, reaching out to her aunt.
Ruby took a quick step back, avoiding Enola’s touch.
“Aunt Ruby?”
Enola was concerned. Her aunt seemed completely frazzled.
“I’m fine, sweetie. These damn hot flashes…whoo!”
“Oh,” Enola said, still concerned. “You sure you're okay?”
“Yeah, girl. Now, come on. Let me get you to your room.”
“O-okay.”
Ruby led Enola up the stairs and to her room without touching her once. Once she was inside, Ruby quickly retreated down the hall.
Damn! Hot flashes ain't no joke.
CHAPTER FOUR
Gideon stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared up at the elegant French Quarter hotel he owned with his brother.La Maison d ’Auriettewas one of the oldest hotels in the quarter, and it had housed some of the most influential figures throughout the ages. The hotel was best known for its traditional French and Spanish architecture, its historical significance to the French Quarter, and overindulgent amenities.
“What now?”
Gideon didn't bother to turn around. He could hear the irritation in his twin’s deep voice.
“I was thinking stained glass,” Gideon mumbled.
“You're always thinking up something. Come on, Brother, the counsel awaits.”
Gabriel patted Gideon on the shoulder before walking past him to enter the hotel. After making a mental note to contact their architect, Gideon followed his brother inside. He strolled through the elegant lobby, conducting a quick assessment of his staff. The desk personnel were smiling and seemingly courteous. However, Gideon knew better than any that behavior tended to improve when the boss was nearby.
“Good morning, Mr. Toussaint.”
Gideon looked down at his smiling assistant and smiled in return. Other than his brother, Glenda knew him better than anyone. She was nearly his age, but because wolves aged differently, most humans would believe her to be around forty. She was smart, funny, efficient, and mated. For Gideon, there were no other candidates worthy of the position as his assistant.
“Good morning, Glenda. What you got for me?”
“You are not gonna believe this but, after this meeting…you have nothing.”
