by Julie Cannon
Parker shook her head. She was perfectly happy with her choices. Going the extra mile had gotten her where she was, and she had no regrets.
Still. She didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. Working like a dog earned her respect in her previous positions. It was the price of admission to being taken seriously. But New Orleans was a far cry from New York. She didn’t need to scrap her drive, but maybe she could temper it some. Lead her team without leaving them in her dust.
Feeling oddly liberated, Parker turned and headed back to her office. If she left now, she could get in a workout, order dinner, and catch up on Godless. She dropped the files on her desk and grabbed her things. It felt a little strange to be leaving by six. But as she looked around on her way to the elevator, she realized, once again, she was the last one out. She chuckled to herself. Far cry indeed.
Chapter Five
Parker looked up to find Elisa hovering in her doorway. “Hey.”
Elisa offered her a smile. “Hey.”
“What’s up?”
“A bunch of us are going out for drinks. Care to join?”
Parker considered. She’d learned she was more likely to earn a reputation as a taskmaster than a boss who was too chummy. Buying a round could go a long way in bonding with her team. Given the amount of work they’d been tackling, it could also help in keeping morale up. “Absolutely.”
She gathered her things and met a group of about ten near the elevators. Most of her team was there, along with a handful of people she’d yet to meet. On the ride down to the lobby, Elisa filled her in on the plans. “We take the streetcar down. It makes it easier for anyone who’s had one too many to justify a Lyft home.”
“Nice.”
Parker couldn’t remember the last time she rode the streetcar. It was one of those things so easy to think of as part of the charm of New Orleans and not a practical part of public transportation. But as she and ten of her colleagues piled onto one heading to the Garden District, she couldn’t help but liken it to the New York subway.
The car rattled down St. Charles, making Parker realize she actually could use it to get to work every day. She made a mental note of that, not because parking and driving were that much of a pain, but because she valued anything that kept her from a potential rut.
At the corner of Loyola, she disembarked with the group and crossed the street to Superior Seafood. She hadn’t been there since law school, but it seemed that raw oyster happy hour remained a thing. Inside, they took over three high-top tables in the bar. She wanted to snag a seat next to Elisa, but she’d broken off from the group and was hugging the oyster shucker.
Parker held back, waiting until Elisa returned to the group to sit. When she did, Parker was at least able to plant herself at the same table. “Who’s that you were hugging?”
Elisa glanced quickly at the woman and smiled. “My cousin’s girlfriend.”
“I didn’t realize you had family in town.”
“I didn’t until recently. My cousin, Sam, came last year with a plan to stay six months and then decided to stick around.”
Parker nodded. She tried to avoid most of her cousins but could still appreciate the sentiment. “So, I’m guessing you’re a regular. Are the oysters good? I’ve always avoided them in the summer.” Much like no white after Labor Day or before Easter, she’d been trained to only eat raw oysters in months with “R.”
Elisa shrugged. “I’ve never had a bad one here. And I was here just last week.”
“Okay, then.”
Before long, the tables were filled with trays of oysters, cocktails, and wine. Parker let herself get talked into a frozen French 75. Despite shunning most frozen daiquiris as sugary vehicles for cheap booze, this one wasn’t half bad. And, like the oysters, it was half price.
After about an hour, people began to head out for the evening or home to families. Elisa lingered, and Parker wondered if she might talk her into joining her for dinner. “Where are you headed from here?”
“Nowhere for a while. Tess gets off at six.” She angled her head toward the woman she’d hugged earlier. “Sam is coming and we’re having dinner here.”
“Ah.” She might want to spend time with Elisa, but crashing a family meal wasn’t what she had in mind. Before she could make a graceful exit, Elisa’s attention shifted to something behind her. Parker’s gaze followed and she found herself looking at a tall, butch woman who looked oddly familiar.
“Sam.” Elisa waved a hand.
The woman, Sam, looked their way and smiled. “Hey.”
She came over and gave Elisa a hug. Parker couldn’t stop staring at her. Had they met? She knew her from somewhere, but couldn’t put a finger on it.
“Parker, this is my cousin, Sam. Sam Torres, Parker Jones.”
Parker shook Sam’s hand. “Pleasure to meet—holy shit.”
“No, no. I’m Sam.” She laughed.
Parker couldn’t believe it. “You’re the Sam who is really Sid Packett.”
“That would be me.” Sam offered a casual smile.
They’d never met, but Parker had seen her in TV interviews. Just about a year ago, she went public as the woman behind the popular crime novels. It had caused a bit of a stir, considering everyone believed the reclusive best-selling author to be a man. She’d read his—her—books for years and considered it a pleasant surprise that she’d been reading a female author all along. And now she was meeting her in the flesh. “Wow. That’s so cool. I love your books.”
Sam glanced at the floor in a way that made her seem mildly uncomfortable with the attention. “Thanks.”
“I promise I won’t fangirl all over you, but it’s great to meet you.” She turned to Elisa. “You could have warned me your cousin was a famous author.”
Elisa looked at her blandly. “Oh, no. This is much more fun.”
Sam chuckled. “I don’t want to interrupt if you two are still talking about work. I can go occupy myself with Tess until you’re done.”
Elisa shook her head quickly. “It’s all good. We were just wrapping up.”
“Do you have plans for dinner, Parker? We’re just staying here, but you are more than welcome to join us.”
Parker glanced at Elisa, who appeared to be giving Sam a death glare. A tiny part of her thought maybe she shouldn’t insert herself, but it was a tiny part. She wanted to have dinner with Elisa, after all. And she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to share a meal with Sid Packett. “If you’re sure I’m not intruding, I’d love to.”
Elisa took a deep breath and unclenched her jaw. She couldn’t tell if Sam was being gracious to a fan or intentionally trying to make her squirm. Probably a little of both. Sam had been teasing her about Parker for the better part of two weeks. At least she’d be able to count on Tess for moral support. Before she could say anything, Tess came over to join them. She must have gotten off and ducked in the back to change; she’d traded her chef’s coat and apron for a paisley sundress and sandals.
Tess and Sam exchanged a kiss and Elisa introduced Parker. Then she said, “Let me go pay my tab and we can get a table.”
Parker lifted a hand. “Let me. It’s the least I can do.”
She didn’t like the idea of Parker buying her a drink but didn’t want to haggle about it. And it was the least she could do. “Okay. Thanks.”
Parker went to the bar and Elisa turned to Sam. “You had to invite her to dinner.”
Sam offered a playful shrug. “I was trying to be nice. I’m a little surprised she said yes.”
Before she could retort, Parker rejoined them. Tess went to the hostess station, and in under a minute, they were seated at a table near the window. Parker asked Tess about her work at the restaurant and Sam about her writing. She seemed genuinely interested in the house they’d bought and were renovating. She was charming and funny, and if she weren’t Parker, Elisa would say it felt like a double date. Hell, it still felt like a double date, even if Elisa didn’t want to admit it.
>
As if on cue, Parker turned her attention to Elisa. “Do you really teach yoga?”
Clearly, she’d zoned out for a minute. “I do. Just a beginner class once a week. It’s my exercise and my meditation.”
Parker smiled her ridiculously charming smile. “I’ve never done yoga. I’d love to give it a try.”
Sam pointed at her. “I warn you, it’s harder than it looks. Elisa talked me into a class when I first moved here, and I honestly thought I was going to die.”
Elisa shook her head and laughed. “You weren’t that bad.”
“Maybe not, but I could barely move the next day.”
Parker leaned back in her chair. “I’m pretty fit. I think I could handle it.”
Parker’s voice held just a hint of arrogance. Elisa couldn’t resist taking the bait. “Okay. My class is Wednesday at six. I’ll give you the address.”
“Excellent.”
Sam looked at Parker with concern. “Take one piece of advice from someone who’s been there. Don’t try to show off. You’ll seriously regret it.”
Parker laughed. “Point taken.”
Elisa glanced at her watch and realized it was after eight. Had they really just had a two-hour dinner? A waiter brought the check and Parker insisted on paying. “I did crash your dinner, after all.”
Outside the restaurant, Sam asked where Elisa was parked. “We took the streetcar, actually.”
“I’ll drive you,” Sam said. “We’re heading that way anyway.”
“That would be great.”
“Parker, can I offer you a ride, too?”
“If it’s really not an imposition. I live not too far from here.”
Sam smiled. “Not at all.”
“Thanks.” Parker gave her the address. They got into Sam’s car and Elisa wondered exactly how she’d gotten herself into not only dinner, but a chummy ride home.
Sam pulled onto St. Charles from the side street. “I rented a place not far from here when I first moved.”
“Nice. Where are you guys now?”
Tess turned around from the passenger seat. “We bought a place in Algiers. That’s where I grew up, and I really wanted to stay in the neighborhood.”
Parker nodded. “I love it over there.”
They pulled up to a modern-looking apartment building. Parker explained that it was a short-term rental arranged by the firm. Elisa wondered if Blanchard paid for it, or Parker’s firm in New York. Either way, it made her realize just how big a deal Parker’s presence at the firm was. She couldn’t decide if that made her feel better about things, or worse. She offered a casual good night and breathed a sigh of relief when Parker was no longer sitting next to her.
Once Parker was in her building, Sam backed her car out of the drive and headed toward Elisa’s house. “She seems nice.”
Elisa huffed out a breath. “She’s charming. That’s not the same thing.”
Tess turned around to face her. “You’re saying she’s faking it?”
“Not faking. Just…” What? “I think she turns it on and off when it suits her.”
“Like at the office, you mean? At work she’s all business?” Tess asked.
“Um.” In truth, Parker didn’t turn it off at the office. She was funny without being flirtatious. She seemed genuinely interested in the members of her team and was considerate of everyone in the office—from partners to paralegals. Elisa had even seen her chatting up the custodial staff one evening on her way out. “It’s not that. She’s—”
“Charming all the time and you don’t like it?” Sam offered.
Elisa cringed. “That makes me sound awfully petulant.”
“Not at all.” Once again, Tess turned in her seat. “I hope you don’t mind. Sam brought me up to speed.”
“I don’t.” She didn’t. She already thought of Tess as family.
“If she’s all charm now, it leaves you to wonder if she’s changed or if it’s just you.” Tess hit the nail on the head.
“That feels petty.”
“It’s not.” Tess shook her head. “It’s self-preservation.”
“What happened between us was years ago. I probably shouldn’t still be holding on to it anyway.”
Sam made brief eye contact with her in the rearview mirror. “I don’t get the sense you’ve been pining.”
“I haven’t.” That, at least, was true. The whole thing had been a bruise to the ego, but once Parker left, she didn’t dwell on it.
“But?”
“But it’s one thing to be over it in some theoretical sense. Now that she’s popped back into my life, I don’t know how to navigate it. I’m not holding a grudge, but it feels weird to let my guard down, or to act like nothing ever happened.”
“Have you told her as much?” Tess asked.
The very idea of baring her soul to Parker mortified her. “God, no.”
“Are you still attracted to her?” Sam glanced at her in the mirror. “Or maybe attracted to her again?”
Elisa groaned and rolled her eyes, letting her head fall against the headrest.
Tess gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”
“And I hate myself for it.”
“But she’s super attractive,” Tess said.
Sam lifted a hand. “Hey. I’m right here.”
Tess shrugged. “Being in love with you doesn’t turn off the part of my brain that recognizes women as attractive.”
Sam scowled, but without real anger. “Fine.”
“The problem isn’t that I find Parker attractive. That’s something you acknowledge in passing. The problem is that I’m attracted to her.” There. She’d said it out loud. At least she could say she’d moved past the denial phase.
Tess nodded. “I get it.”
“It’s kind of humiliating to want someone who hooked up with you when they were drunk, but the next morning was, ‘eh, no thanks.’ And now she’s my boss. I’d be an absolute idiot to give her even a passing thought.”
“I sort of felt that way about Sam.”
Elisa had never gotten Tess’s side of the story. “You did?”
“Well, the passing thought part. Not a local, a little too smooth.”
“Again. Right here.”
This time Tess leaned over and kissed Sam’s cheek. “And I gave you a chance and now we live happily ever after.”
Elisa did not like where this conversation was going. “What are you saying?”
Tess returned her gaze to Elisa. “Only that you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”
“Oh, because it sort of felt like you were telling me to give her a chance.”
“That, too. Professionally, at least, and maybe as a person. I’m offering no romantic advice whatsoever. I know better than that.”
And with that, they pulled into Elisa’s driveway. She gave Sam and Tess half hugs from the back seat. “Thanks for dinner.”
“We didn’t get to buy dinner, if you recall.”
Right. “Thank you for the company. Even if I’m now more conflicted instead of less.”
She climbed out of the car and went to the front door. She unlocked it and offered a final wave before stepping inside. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. How had she gone from happy hour to dinner to maybe giving Parker another chance?
Was that what she was doing? No. At least not in that way—the romantic way. But maybe she didn’t need to keep her guard up quite so high either. Parker had been friendly and funny and professional. What happened between them had been a long time ago. And, like Sam said, it wasn’t like she’d been pining.
Chapter Six
Despite another grueling day of depositions, Parker had promised herself she’d check out Elisa’s yoga class. Even if what she really wanted was a mindless three-mile run and a martini. She sighed. It probably wouldn’t feel like a real workout, but she’d get to see Elisa, out of the office no less. Not that she’d seen much of her in the office this week. So, even i
f it was a total bust, it would be worth it.
Parker had no idea what to expect. Or what to wear. She regretted not asking Sam when they’d talked about it over dinner. In the end, she settled on athletic shorts and a T-shirt. Because there was no way in hell she was putting on yoga pants.
At 5:15, she changed in the office bathroom and sneaked down the back stairs so no one would see her. She drove to the address Elisa had given her and found herself in front of a tiny standalone building that looked like it used to be a shotgun-style house. The small yard out front had been set up like a Zen garden, complete with a bubbling water feature and meditating Buddha statue. Parker gave it points for charm.
Inside, most of the interior walls had been knocked down. Dark wood floors gleamed against neutral walls, making the space seem open yet intimate at the same time. A small desk sat near the door. Behind it, a woman who appeared dressed for yoga smiled at her. “Are you here for the class?” she asked.
Parker returned the smile. “I am.”
“You don’t look familiar. Is it your first time here?”
“First time doing yoga, actually. I’m a—” Parker hesitated for moment, unsure whether she qualified as a friend at this point. “I know Elisa and she invited me.”
The woman beamed. “Great. This is a great class to start with. It’s gentle, but not so gentle you’ll think you didn’t do anything.”
A man and a woman walked in behind her, carrying water bottles and yoga mats. Shit. “So, I need to pay for the class, obviously, but do you happen to sell mats, too?”
“We’ve got plenty you can borrow.” She pointed to a basket near the wall.
“Oh. Right. Thank you.”
Although she could have paid for a single class, Parker bought a pass for four sessions. It would be good to mix up her routine. It also gave her an excuse to see Elisa outside the office. If she had any chance of making progress on that front, Parker had a feeling it would need to be outside the office.
