laughter. I didn't miss the teasing nudge she gave Nathan, or the way his eyes darkened when he looked down at her. I didn't fully know their story but there was no doubting how they felt about each other, not when it was so clear on their faces every time they looked at each other.
I briefly wondered what it might be like to have someone look at me that way. I almost looked over at Dylan then caught myself just in time. We weren't together and never would be and it would be more than foolish to even think that way.
That didn't stop the little burst of emotion that flared in my chest and I was briefly surprised to realize it was jealousy. Not of any one person, but of what Addy so obviously had with Nathan.
I didn't have time to reflect on that—probably a good thing because jealousy was something new for me—because Dylan was already leading us along Pirates Alley toward Jackson Square. He kept walking, leading us through the gathered crowds toward the main street.
Nathan came to a stop with a low groan. "You have got to be kidding me. Seriously?"
"It'll be fun."
"Look at the line! It's nothing but tourists."
"Which is exactly what we are tonight." Dylan squeezed my hand then looked down with a wink. "Aren't we?"
I smiled and nodded even though I had no idea what they were talking about. It wasn't until Addy pointed across the street that I realized where Dylan was taking us. It was a small building, with an outside seating area encircled by black railings and protected by a green-and-white striped awning feature. Small white tables were clustered together with barely enough room to move around each of them. Nearly all the tables were occupied and a long line of people stood outside, waiting to be seated.
I'd heard of the place, of course, but had no idea it was so popular. Part of me silently agreed with Nathan about the line but Dylan obviously had his own ideas. A few minutes later, we were standing with everyone else, waiting for our turn to be seated.
"I can't believe we're doing this."
"Can't you just relax and have fun?"
"Since when do you call standing in line fun? There's got to be someplace else we can go for the same thing."
Dylan adjusted his grip on my hand and pulled me closer then turned back to Nathan. "Tonight's about being tourists."
"In case you forgot, we're not tourists. We live here. Remember?"
"Have you ever been here?"
"No but—"
"Then stop complaining."
"No coffee in the world is good enough to wait in a line like this."
"Oh hush." Addy leaned up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss against Nathan's chin. "Besides, you're getting cafe au lait, not coffee."
"There's a difference?"
"You'll just have to see."
Nathan rolled his eyes but kept any other objections to himself. Less than a minute later, he and Dylan started discussing hockey, talking about plays and lines and special teams. They might have been talking a foreign language for all I understood and I quickly tuned them out as I studied the people around us.
I'd lived in at least a dozen different cities up and down the east coast but none of them came close to New Orleans. There was an energy here, one I had trouble defining. The sights and sounds and smells were completely unique, drawing people from all walks of life. If not for the sticky humidity, which had only recently seemed to ease, it would be easy to imagine living here.
I gave myself a mental shake and forcibly veered my thoughts in another direction. Images of California popped into my mind, of swaying palm trees and white sandy beaches and cool ocean waves. But the excitement of heading west had diminished some in the last few days and I was afraid to look too deeply into the reasons why.
Not that it mattered. I didn't have to go to California. I could go somewhere else. Arizona or Oregon or Colorado or—
"You look like you're deep in thought."
"Hm?" I glanced over at Addy. my smile only a little forced as I shook my head. "No, just people watching."
Her dark gaze scanned the line as well as the people hurrying past. "You can definitely do a lot of that down here."
"Yeah. I guess."
"So what do you think so far?"
"Of?"
"New Orleans, of course." The words were drawn together as one in her softly accented voice, making it sound a little like Nawlins. I bit back