“Just wait.”
We filed onto the streetcar, the old wooden seats creaking beneath us as it trundled through the French Quarter. The dress bag sat carefully across my lap, and I couldn’t stop staring at it—like maybe I’d imagined it all. That moment in the mirror—the spark. It was easy to be fixated on the dress, instead of the streetcar we were piled on. I’d already geeked out over them earlier in the day.
Rene and Adelle were chatting about oyster vs. roast beef like it was life and death, but my brain was still back at the register.
Wedding dresses.
Did they know something I didn’t?
I mean, yes—Rune and I had kissed. But it wasn’t that kind of kiss. Or was it? Because my heart had absolutely written vows halfway through it, and we were arranged to be married, but was he making plans he hadn’t discussed with me yet? Oh… Were there plans already in motion from the contract that my parents signed?
“Earth to Maple?” Adelle waved a hand in front of my face.
“Sorry.” I blinked. “Just thinking.”
She smirked. “Thinking about Rune?”
“No,” I lied. “I’m thinking about—po-boys.”
Rene snorted. “Good. Because we’re ordering you the classic. If you’re going to fall in love in New Orleans, you better do it with a full stomach.”
Before I could stop myself, the words escaped my lips. “Was Rune planning on marrying Babette?”
Adelle and her mother shared a look.
“What do you mean?” Rene asked carefully.
I’d been so preoccupied with how good the kiss had felt the night before that I knew bringing up Babette to Rune was wrong. I didn’t want to tarnish our moment because of her.
I licked my lips as I stared out of the window of the streetcar. “Last night when we went out for dinner…”
Adelle smiled wickedly as she interrupted. “So that’s where you disappeared off to.”
“I was cornered in the bathroom. A woman from the coven claiming that I stole Rune from Babette and that they were planning on getting married.”
Rene let out a breath. “I think this is something you should speak to Rune about.”
“I plan to, but I just wanted to know both of your thoughts first.”
Adelle leaned back in her seat and nodded. “Yes, you should talk to Rune, but you can get some insight from us. Neither one of us can speak for Rune or how he feels, but it was something that was always expected.”
“Babette comes from a powerful line of witches. Many in the coven thought she belonged in power beside him, even before they became romantically involved.”
“Which is a rather loose term if I do say so myself,” Adelle crossed her arms over her chest. “Even though they were together, Rune could never trust her. She was manipulative, seductive, and sneaky. She brought out a dark side in him that we’d never seen before.”
Rene cut eyes at her daughter. “We aren’t going to gossip, Adelle.”
Adelle frowned. “I’m being honest.”
Rene took a deep breath. “All that matters is that they aren’t together anymore.”
“Was I the reason they aren’t together anymore?” It was the one burning question on my mind. I could get over everything else.
Adelle frowned. “No, but the timing wasn’t the most convenient. Rune broke it off with her two weeks before he found out about the arrangement with you.”
Adelle nudged me with her elbow. “Po-boys. Come on. They fix everything. Even existential dread.”
I snorted.
