“Your mama’s a smart woman, Donut. You should listen to her more often.” I winked at him as I licked the powdered sugar from my fingers, a surefire way to sweeten any day.
The morning was already shaping up to be a good one, and it wasn’t just the beignets. New Orleans had a way of putting a spring in your step and a song in your heart, even if that song was a little off-key due to last night’s indulgences.
Speaking of which, I needed to find some coffee to go with my sugar high.
“C’mon, Donut, let’s go find some caffeine to go with these beignets. I reckon we’ve got a big day ahead of us.”
As we strolled through the French Quarter, the sun on our backs and the sounds of the city all around us, I felt a sense of contentment. This was my kingdom, and I was its laid-back ruler. We passed by street artists, the scent of gumbo and jazz floating out of every open door. The city was a character itself, larger-than-life and always ready for a good time. I couldn’t help but grin as I thought about the night before and the many nights like it. The Bourbon Bar was the heart of this place, and I was its king, even if I was feeling a little fuzzy around the edges today.
“Boss, the air feels funny. Like a storm is coming,” Donut muttered, his mouth once again full of beignet as he looked around our beautiful city.
I agreed, nodding my head. “Feel it too, but this is New Orleans, after all. Our city speaks to us all the time.”
“Juju was up early reading the bones.”
“They say anything?”
“Only that something was coming.”
Frowning, I grabbed another beignet from Donut’s bag when I felt a buzz in my pocket.
Reaching for it, I looked at the caller ID, then at Donut, who gulped as he stared wide-eyed at my phone.
Pausing for a moment, I flipped the phone over in my hand, the name on the screen glaring up at me. It was rare for this particular caller to reach out, and when they did, it was never for anything good. Donut shifted nervously beside me, brushing powdered sugar off his bare chest like it was an excuse to avoid eye contact as he tried to make himself look presentable.
Fucker would have to put clothes on first to accomplish that feat.
“Are you going to answer it?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
I let out a breath, the kind that felt like it was trying to drag half my soul with it. “Gotta. It’s not the kind of call you ignore.”
Sliding my thumb across the screen, I brought the phone to my ear. “Môman?”
The voice on the other end was as smooth and sharp as a blade dipped in honey. “Wade Montague Crawley! I ought to take a switch to your hide, boy. Do you have any idea what the Ladies Auxiliary League will do when they learn you’ve gotten a girl in the family way?”
Huh?
Looking at the phone, then at Donut, I frowned. “You know what she’s talkin’ about?”
Donut, ever so helpful, just shrugged, shoving another beignet in his mouth as I saw Juju running down the street toward us, waving his hands in the air as if he were trying to swat a fly.
Placing the phone back at my ear, mymômancontinued, “And another thing!”
Gasping for air, Juju bent over and wheezed. “The bones.”
Ignoring mymôman, I covered the receiver and glared at my vice president. “What about them? I’ve got a pissed-offmômanwho ain’t makin’ a lick of sense.”
“The bones spoke.”
“Yeah, and unless they can tell me what burr is up mymôman’s butt, I don’t care. You hear anything about an unwanted baby factory?”
“That’s just it, boss.” Juju looked at me. “It’s you.”
“What is?”
“You’re gonna be a father.”
I laughed. I couldn’t stop myself. I mean, ain’t no woman stupid enough to allow herself to get in the family way with my offspring. Woman would be a glutton for punishment if she did.
