I bark out a laugh. “Guess I never have to worry about going missing and no one noticing.”
“So, are you gonna tell me where you took off to?”
“You’ve probably already tracked my phone.”
He clears his throat and mutters something I can’t hear.
“Listen, I didn’t call for a heart-to-heart. I need your help with something,” I tell him, getting down to business. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can get back to day drinking my problems away.
“What’s up?”
“I’m helping a...uh.” I pause, not sure what to call Carys. She’s merely an acquaintance at this point, but I can’t help the feeling of wanting her to be more. “A friend. She’s, uh, having trouble with her computers and I thought you might be able to help.”
“A friend, huh?” Shep asks, picking up on my hesitation. “What’s in it for you?”
“I’m shocked you’d assume such a thing.”
“Actually, you’re a fucking do-gooder, so it’s probably some nun you met at confession.”
A picture of a younger Carys hanging on the wall in front of me catches my attention and a slow smile spreads across my face. I’m thankful I didn’t Facetime Shep and I can keep this to myself for the time being. Damn, she’s definitely no nun, and she’s certainly not innocent. In the picture, she’s laughing with a woman who looks like an older version of her, and their wild blonde hair is blowing in the wind. Actually, it looks like it was taken just a few blocks from here at the river. She’s younger, but she’s still sexy as sin, in an unintentional way. It’s so appealing.
“Mav?”
“Yeah.”
“Thought I lost you there for a second. So, what’s the problem?”
I begin to tell him everything I’ve checked so far, having ruled out all the easy stuff, and why I turned to him. “So, has to be her software.”
“Where are you?”
“The Blue Bayou,” I say without hesitation. Unlike my father, Shep gets me. He might be a trust fund baby, but he’s nothing like the rest of the douchebags we went to school and now work with. Both of his feet are planted firmly on the ground. He’s not afraid of a hard day’s work or getting his hands a little dirty, even though on most days, he’s rubbing elbows with all of the bigwigs in the hotel industry. His father is a lot like mine, trading million-dollar properties like kids trading Pokémon cards.
After telling me how outdated the software is, he finally agrees to take a closer look at it, but that requires him having remote access to the computer system. I don’t feel comfortable granting him that without talking to Carys first. I trust Shep with my life, but this is Carys’ life, so she gets to call the shots.
Hanging up with him, I head to the door.
Laughter coming from the other side makes me pause. It’s hers mixed with a deeper, male laugh and my hackles are immediately up.
Get a grip. I laugh for letting myself be so affected by a mere...acquaintance. I just met her. We’ve shared names and a few bits of information about ourselves. That gives me no right to feel ownership over her or her laughs, but fuck if I don’t love them.
“Carys.” She turns her bright blue eyes on me and they sparkle with mirth. Her smile still on full display.
“Oh, hey. Is it fixed?” she asks, but then immediately laughs. “I’m kidding. Nothing around here is ever that easy.” She turns back to the guy who I’m assuming is her new employee. “Hope I’m not scaring you off, Jules, but it’s better you know now.”
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” Jules places his palm on his chest in a grand gesture as his eyes scan me from my head to my feet.
I smirk and shake my head at my ridiculousness. If anyone should be jealous, it should be Carys, because if I’m reading him right, and I think I am, he’s inspecting me like a fresh piece of meat.
“Uh, it’s not fixed, but I know someone who can fix it,” I tell her, glazing right over the insinuation dripping off Jules’ comment.
Her face falls, and she looks a little downtrodden. “How much?”
“Free, hopefully. But he’s going to need remote access.”
“So, he’s coming here too?” she asks, a bit confused.
I hide my amusement and shake my head. “No, he’ll just need me to give him online access to your computer. There’s a program we use sometimes. Free,” I assure her. “He’ll use that and log into your computer. It’ll be like he’s sitting in the office. I’ll be there the whole time to make sure he doesn’t steal any family secrets.” I wink, and she gives me a slow smile.
“You trust him?” she asks, going a bit serious again. “I mean, it’s someone you know?”
“My best friend. He’s on the up and up, I promise.”
She purses those full lips and looks at me with an investigative stare. “Okay, Maverick Kensington. If you trust him, then so do I.”
“Okay.” I nod, unable to take my eyes off of her.
After a minute, or maybe a century, Jules clears his throat and breaks the spell, forcing me back into the safety of the office. Once I’m out of their sight, I groan. What is wrong with me? Maybe this entire place is under a spell, some voodoo shit. I mean, this is New Orleans, after all.
Exhaling roughly, I throw myself back in the chair and dial Shep back. “Let’s do this, jackass.”
“Talk sweeter to me or I’ll make you pay.”
“That’s the bad word of the day, don’t let Carys hear you say that,” I tell him with a shake of my head. Maybe she’ll let me take a look at her books once we’ve figured out this computer stuff. She’s got a great place here. There’s no reason she shouldn’t be making money. I’m sure I could help her find ways to bring in more customers. Like I was telling her earlier, in all the times I’ve been to New Orleans, I’ve never seen an advertisement online or in person. That’s one thing we need to fix. I wonder if she even has a Facebook page or website?
“Carys, huh? Is that the friend?”
“Yeah, I guess she’s more of an acquaintance at this point, but—”
He barks out a laugh. “You like her.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to. I’ve been listening to you talk about the female gender for more than a decade. I know when you want to know one in the biblical sense.”
“Let’s get this computer shit put to bed first.”
“You’re such a sly dog,” he says as I hear the clicking of keys in the background. “Did you pick this place out because of her? Is that why you’re not staying at the Mont?”
I sigh. “No and no.”
“Are you logged in?” he asks.
“Yep, waiting on you.”
“I’m here.”
About that time, I see his avatar pop up on the screen, letting me know he’s online. After I upload the remote access program, he’s in the system and in control of the mouse as I sit back and watch him work.
After a few minutes, the questioning resumes. “So, what made you go to the Blue Bayou?” He says the name of the hotel like it’s foreign.