Page 79 of His Surrender
I didn’t believe in coincidences. Fate definitely seemed to be telling me something. Probably that I wasn’t meant to be happy. Not happy in the one place I’d always wanted to travel to. Not happy with Jay, a man I’d fallen in love with in such a short time.
After I left the Marriott, I moved at a leisurely pace down Julia Street. I wasn’t in a hurry to be anywhere, and I might as well enjoy the sights while I debated on what to do. Art galleries lined both sides of the street, and the architecture of the buildings was art in and of itself. I passed town houses made of red brick with green doors, and several of the units had balconies.
One quick search on my phone told me Julia Street was known as Gallery Row and was more of an art district. I recalled the art hung up in Jay’s living room and how he’d said he was a lover of beautiful things.
Jay would like this. I swallowed hard at the thought.
No longer in the mood to walk around, I went back to my car and sat there for a while with the windows rolled down. Thinking. A light breeze came in through the window and ruffled my hair, bringing with it the smells of nearby restaurants. My phone vibrated in the cupholder, and I grabbed it, glancing at the screen. I nearly dropped the phone before accepting the call.
“Hello?”
“Afternoon,” Jay said, sounding like his playful self. “I was wonderin’ if you knew of a good beignet recipe. I’ve been craving them lately.”
“Beignets?” A weird fog perforated my brain. He never failed to throw me for a loop. “What makes you think I’d know a recipe for them? Google it.”
“Ah. Guess I’ll need to find a good place that serves them.”
“Why are you calling me, Jay?” After the mix-up with my hotel reservation and the stress of trying to find somewhere else to stay, dealing with him was the last thing I needed.
His response came a few heartbeats later in a soft voice. “Because I want to see you.”
The heaviness in my heart from earlier began to lift. Then a weight clamped back on top of it. Jay wanted sex. That was the only reason he’d want to see me.
“Too bad,” I said, starting the car even though I had no idea where I was going to go. “I’m not in town this weekend.”
“You’re not? Where are you?”
“Nowhere near you,” I answered in a harsher tone than I’d intended. “I mean. I’m not in Arkansas. I took a trip to New Orleans.”
Why was I telling him the truth?
“I heard the beignets there are to die for.” Jay’s voice rang with amusement. Why?
“Yeah. I’ll have to visit Café Du Monde while I’m here and see what the fuss is about.”
“You should go there now and take a picture. Let me live through you.”
“That doesn’t sound creepy at all.”
Jay laughed, and my breath caught in my throat. God, I missed him. However, I wouldn’t settle for the kind of relationship he wanted. I had finally realized my self-worth.
“The Café Du Monde in the French Market has outdoor seating,” Jay casually said, and then he added, “According to Google. I’m sure it’s a nice day. You should go over and enjoy some fresh air.”
A coffee and beignet actually sounded great.
“Maybe I will.” I tapped a thumb on the steering wheel. “Not gonna lie, Jay, this conversation has been fucking strange.”
“It’s better than the last one we had where you told me to go fuck myself.”
I cringed at the reminder, yet I wouldn’t apologize for speaking my mind. He’d deserved it.
“I gotta go,” I said. If I talked to him any longer, the barrier I’d constructed to keep him away would start to crumble.
“Have a nice day, Remi.”
I ended the call before looking up the address to Café Du Monde and plugging it into the GPS. The place was packed when I arrived, as expected. The building had a green roof, and like Jay had mentioned, there was outside seating under the green awning. The conversation with him played over in my head as I parked and walked into the café, taking my place in line. Random was an understatement. Out of all the things he could’ve talked about, he’d chosen beignets.
What were the odds that I’d be in New Orleans when he called to chat about them?
