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New Orleans was hours and hours away. “I’m staying out at the B and B. It’s lovely. I heard Guidry’s is the best place to eat, so I’ll probably come in a lot over the next couple of weeks.”
“That’s so cool.” The hostess wore a bright smile.
She spied a big bar in the corner. “Can I eat at the bar?”
It was always fun to talk to bartenders, and she might find other singletons like herself to chat with. She’d spent the rest of the day sketching at the dock, but it hadn’t been the bayou that managed to get on her sketchpad. Nope. Every drawing had been of Deputy Major and his sweet dog. She’d shared her lunch with Duke and thought about that man all afternoon.
And she still hadn’t managed to look at the scripts her mom had sent her.
“Of course,” the hostess said. “But you should know you’re the biggest thing to hit Papillon in . . . well, ever.”
She glanced over and sure enough, several people were staring at her. She gave them a wave to let them know she wasn’t unapproachable. She’d found that if she took a couple of pics and signed some things, most people left her in peace.
Of course, if her career skyrocketed the way they planned, she wouldn’t be able to go to restaurants by herself. She would likely have to take a bodyguard with her wherever she went. Her mom viewed private dining rooms as a sign of power and success, but Brynn dreaded them. They were quiet and put her in the position of only being able to talk to the “right” people.
She wanted some freedom.
A pretty brunette strode up to the stand, some menus in her hand. “Hey, Ms. Knight. I’m Lisa. I run this place with my husband, Remy.”
Brynn recognized the woman from the picture in the hall and prayed there wasn’t a private dining room she was about to be showed to. Did Lisa Guidry want to avoid the chaos that could come with a bunch of fans making requests? Maybe she should get something to go. She was pretty sure she could get the guy with the golf cart to come back for her. He couldn’t have made it too far.
Yep, her Uber driver had rolled up on a golf cart, and she’d thought it was magical.
“Hi. Your place looks amazing, and I can’t wait to try the food.” She didn’t want to go back to her cabin. She wanted to be out, seeing this part of the world, talking to people. Real people who didn’t constantly discuss back end points and who’s the hottest new director.
She’d preferred the talk with the driver, who’d told her he’d actually left the golf course to pick her up because he needed some cash. He’d said someone named Herve cheated but he couldn’t prove it, and now he owed the man skins of some kind. She’d briefly been worried that she was about to be brutally murdered, but then the man started talking about his grandkids, so she went along for the ride.
This place was weird. She liked it. She wanted to pretend like she was a part of it, not get shown the best room where she wouldn’t be bothered. She liked being bothered.
Lisa gave her a vibrant smile. “It’s so surreal to be talking to Taylor Smith-Price. I mean, I know you’re not her, but you really look like her.” Lisa shook her head as though realizing she had a job to do. “We’re happy to have you here. The deputy asked if you would like to join him.”
He had? “Major?”
Lisa nodded. “Yes. I think he sent me over because he wanted you to feel comfortable saying no if you want to. He’s very thoughtful. If you don’t want to sit with him, we have a small private dining room. It’s pretty nice, but we don’t use it often.”
“I would love to sit with him.” She wished her heart hadn’t started pounding the way it had. “We met earlier today.”
“You mean you saved his ass earlier today.” Lisa started to lead her through the dining room toward what looked to be a deck. “And I mean literally, since if he’d gotten himself out, he would have been standing on the highway in his tighty-whities. I always thought he would be a boxer-brief guy. I was surprised he keeps the boys high and tight. I should tell him that those little things are not good for his sperm.”
“Oh, please don’t.” The last thing she wanted was to put the man through more awkward conversation. “Did he tell you about it?”
Lisa waved that off. “He didn’t have to. You see, my brother-in-law runs the animal services department for the parish, and he had the idea to set up wildlife cams around the area to educate people about the critters running around here. They switch around every couple of hours.”
