Page 107 of Recklessly Rogue

Ruby

I’ve never seen Henry this laid-back. All of our time together has been spent in Emerald or in Cara. Both places where there has been more than a little chaos surrounding Cian. And more recently, chaos surrounding me. Here in Autre, Henry seems lighter, happier. It’s obvious he’s completely comfortable here, and I love this.

We walk up the dirt road past the Boys of the Bayou buildings and across to the building on the other side. There are several cars and trucks in the gravel-covered parking lot, but there are no signs indicating what this place is until we get closer to the door.

Then there is a simple sidewalk sign that saysMenu Today: whatever Ellie feels like making (and gumbo, of course).

“Okay, so who is Ellie?” I ask.

Henry grins as he reaches for the door. “That is actually a hard question to answer,” he says. “The easy answer is the owner of the bar. And the grandmother to most of the Landrys I know.”

“So what makes the question hard?”

“She’s just so much more than that,” he says. He nudges me through the door. “I think you’ll see what I mean.”

It takes me a minute for my eyes to adjust from the bright sunlight to the darker interior of the bar. My nose is actually the first thing to adjust. The air is scented with a tantalizing combination of spices, beer, and old wood.

Henry leads me toward the enormous bar that runs the length of one side of the building, which really just appears to be one big room.

As I take in the details, I note that none of the chairs and tables seem to match and the hodge-podge of styles and colors extends to the stools that line the bar. The eclectic mix of ages and styles also seems to extend to the clientele.

There’s a big man leaning on the bar as we approach and when he sees Henry, he straightens with a huge grin. I realize immediately he is Zander’s identical twin brother. I feel even more at home here.

“Henry, holy shit. What are you doing here?” the man asks, extending his hand for a shake.

Henry takes his hand, but they move in for a bro-hug.

“Just a quick visit. Came to New Orleans to find Ruby a new apartment and couldn’t stay there when you all are right down the road,” Henry tells him.

The man’s gaze lands on me. “Damn right. I’m Zeke.” He sticks his enormous hand out toward me.

I take it. “Ruby.”

“You look familiar. Have you been here before?”

“This is Scarlett’s sister,” a woman’s voice says.

I look across the bar to find an older woman with long gray hair lying in a braid over one shoulder. She’s in a T-shirt that readsNo Is A Complete Sentenceand she’s wiping her hands on a towel.

“Ruby, this is Ellie,” Henry says.” Ellie, you’ve already figured out who this is. Didn’t think for even a second it was Scarlett?”

“I’ve been around my share of twins,” she tells him, her gaze going to Zeke and then back to Henry. “Zeke and Zander and then, of course, his baby girls. Twins might look alike, but they feel different.”

Henry looks at me and grins. “Theyfeeldifferent?”

“Of course. They’re two different people. They take up space differently, move through the world differently,” Ellie says.

“Thank you,” I tell her. “A lot of people don’t really understand that. Twins get lumped together a lot. A lot of people assume that Scarlett and I like the same foods, the same music, the same books.” I look up at Henry. “The same men.”

“A lot of people are jackasses,” Ellie says matter-of-factly.

I can’t argue with that.

“Do you like gumbo?” she asks.

I decide Ellie Landry is not only someone I don’t want to lie to, but she’s someone who can tell if I do. “It’s okay. I’ve had some that’s good, but it’s often too spicy for me. I prefer jambalaya,” I say. “My favorite New Orleans staple is red beans and rice, actually.”

She studies me. “With sausage?”

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