The Beau & The Belle

  “Unfortunately yes. I barreled straight into his secretary—I hope she wasn’t severely injured—and then ran straight for the front door.”

  “Wow, you really are a class act.”

  “What can I say? They don’t make ’em like me anymore.”

  Self-deprecation is all I really have at this point.

  “Have you guys talked since?”

  “Since when? Yesterday? No—is that weird?”

  Rose hums.

  I stop applying my eye makeup, worried I’ll smear it if she keeps distracting me. “What?! Is that bad?”

  “No, no.” But then she does a bit more hemming and hawing, like she’s an artsy-craftsy detective standing in front of a board with red strands of yarn going in different directions. “It’s just that…”

  “What?!”

  I want to reach through the phone and grab her by the scruff.

  “Maybe you aren’t that great of a kisser. I mean, you said he just pushed you off and went right back to work?”

  “Well, not right back.”

  She’s onto something though. I could have been better. I didn’t use any fancy tongue work. I didn’t moan pornographically. Dammit—I was so caught up in the moment that I didn’t even consider where my hands were.

  “Did you do that thing with your teeth like I told you? Guys really like that.”

  I groan. “No. I forgot. I was too distracted.”

  And honestly, I don’t remember what she’s talking about. Rose reads a lot of Cosmo. I just drink a lot of cosmos.

  “It’s okay,” she decides. “You probably haven’t totally ruined everything.”

  “Wow, you should be a life coach. You have such a way with words.”

  She laughs. “Listen, just forget about it. Go have fun tonight and tell everyone I said hi. I’m bummed I’m missing out.”

  “I’ll drink a shot for you.”

  “Or four.”

  It’s been years since I’ve gone out on Bourbon Street, even longer since I’ve been during Carnival season. I finish applying my eye makeup and swipe on red lipstick. My curls have been contained into waves and hey, they’ll likely stay that way for at least five seconds. Most women on Bourbon will disregard the February temperatures and dress in short dresses and skirts. Good for them; not for me. I refuse to participate. I tug on my skinny jeans and boots. I convince myself that my black cashmere sweater is sexy because it’s form-fitting—I accidentally shrunk it in the dryer last week—and now shows a little bit of my midriff.

  I hop in a cab and head down to Bourbon, immediately regretting my decision.

  Let me set the scene. You know those infinity mirrors that face each other so it seems to go on forever? Bourbon Street is like that: thirteen city blocks of the rowdiest shot bars, dance clubs, and restaurants. It’s the Wild Wild West—lawless. Thrilling and disgusting all at once. Open container laws allow booze to spill out onto the streets. Bourbon Street Bingo would consist of the following squares: woman flashing her boobs for beads, street performer, rowdy bachelorette party, rowdier bachelor party, bar brawl, hurricane cocktail, and a second-story balcony so full of people it’s on the brink of collapse. Bingo.

  There are restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, and strip clubs stacked one after another. This is not your mom’s idea of a good time—unless your mom is a 20-something bro named Mitch who can shotgun a dozen Nattys in five minutes.

  Like a lot of locals, I normally wouldn’t touch Bourbon with a 10-foot pole while decked out in a hazmat suit, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen some of these women and I’m trying to not be lame and sit at home. The lame life comes naturally to me, and I have to actively resist my comfort zone or one day I’ll wake up fused with the couch fibers, having won the award for most takeout delivered to a single human.

  My group is ridiculously easy to spot among the crowd at the bar. In a sea of drunken buffoons sit Charlotte, Elizabeth, Mallory, and my old friend, Julie Robichaux. They look like they’re chaperoning the party: Charlotte is spritzing disinfectant on the table, and Elizabeth is asking the waiter for sparkling water.

  “Ma’am, we got tap water or vodka. Take your pick.”

  Two of them are moms—ACTUAL MOTHERS OF CHILDREN. Three of them are married. Two of them have fancy jobs to report to in the morning. Topics of conversation likely include: 401ks, daycare waitlists, school zoning, and preventive Botox.

  Even still, they give me shit about my outfit the second I walk up.

  “Woo! Lauren’s heading to her grandma’s house!”

  “Nice sweater, Lou!”

  None of their jokes are funny, so I flip them off and steal the drink sitting in front of Julie—who, by the way, is wearing a shift dress like it’s the middle of summer. She’s shivering, though we’re seated nowhere near the door. I ask her if it’s a little toasty in here just to fuck with her. In response, she yanks her drink back.

  “I saw a girl on Instagram wearing it the other day and thought it looked cute!”

  “Was that girl Kylie Jenner?”

  She looks away and mutters, “Yes.”

  Oh Jesus.

  I’m entirely too sober for this. The only way I’m sitting with four PTA moms and discussing the merits of gel manicures is if I have a BAC of at least 1.0.

  When the waiter comes by, I order two rounds of tequila shots.

  Everyone protests.

  Mallory says she’s breastfeeding. “Pump and dump!”

  Elizabeth wants to know if the tequila is fair trade and organic.

  I contemplate smashing my head into the edge of the table.

  The waiter returns and I pass out the shots, ignoring the groans.

  “DRINK IT QUICK!” I shout, clinking my glass with each one of theirs in quick succession.

  I pinch my eyes closed, toss back the tequila, and try to ease the pain and suffering with a slice of lime.

  “Oheughh, it’s so bad.”

  I dry-heave.

  Mallory actually throws up a little bit in her mouth, which I feel bad about—but not so bad that I don’t force her to drink the second shot. Is this what it feels like to haze people? Like Batman said, you either die from peer pressure or live long enough to pressure your peers.

  I am a wizard. To purge the taste of the tequila, everyone sucks down a hurricane, and in the span of one hour I’ve transformed four boring losers into a wild pack of women out on the town. Elizabeth is up dancing on the bar, twirling a set of beads over her head like a helicopter. Mallory is behind the DJ booth, stealing the poor guy’s headphones and continuously shouting, “It’s Britney, bitch!” into the too-close microphone. Every time she does it, the crowd goes wild. Julie—the only other single one in our group—is grinding with a wide-eyed college freshman in the middle of the dance floor. Every time I look over, she escalates. When she sees me looking at them making out hardcore, she bends him over, spanks him with all her might then leaps onto his back like a rodeo clown. At this rate, she’s either going to take his virginity or his life.

  I turn back to the bar and try to get the bartender’s attention. It’s no use; the place is too packed. We’re sardines in a tin can. I wave my hands some more, but the poor guy is too overwhelmed to notice me.

  Charlotte runs up and shouts straight in my ear.

  “I JUST CALLED LINCOLN AND HE’S ROUNDING UP THE GUYS!”

  Fun fact: Charlotte is married to Lincoln—St. Thomas Lincoln. Preston’s best friend Lincoln.

  “WAIT! WHY’D YOU DO THAT?!” I shout back over the music Mallory has turned up to an obnoxious level at the DJ booth.

  “I wanted it to be a real high school reunion!”

  The thought makes me break out in a sweaty panic, but then I decide there’s no possible way they’ll be able to find us in the madness. There are thousands of people on Bourbon at this point. In this one bar alone, there are a couple hundred people filtering in and out. If I think about it too hard, I feel claustrophobic and panicky.

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; The bartender finally sees my wild flailing arms and I order more alcohol to help ease my nerves. It works so well that I forget Charlotte’s announcement right up until I’m on the dance floor and Preston appears, standing in front of me wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a bemused smile.

  “You’ve got moves,” he teases.

  I stop watering my lawn and clear my throat.

  “Thanks!”

  “What are you drinking?”

  I hold up my half-finished frozen hurricane. “Want it? It tastes like a bunch of Oompa Loompas threw up their all-candy diet.”

  I thrust it out for him to take, mostly so I don’t continue guzzling it down myself. It’s a sweet, slushy concoction that completely masks the taste of alcohol. I think this is my third one, and it’s given me supernatural powers—I can see Preston’s aura, and when I squint, he multiplies.

  He takes the drink and manages one tiny sip.

  “Yeah, that’s awful.” He laughs and drops it on a nearby table. “I’m going to go grab something else. Want to come with me?”

  My only other option is to continue dancing, and I need a break. I’ve done the running man so many times, my knees hurt.

  “Okay. Sure.”

  I’m confused to find him so genial. Shouldn’t he hate me after what I did to him yesterday? That phone call was pretty abrupt—not to mention, Beau hung up on him.

  He leads me over to the bar with his hand on the small of my back. My sweater has ridden up enough that his fingers touch my skin, and I don’t think I’m supposed to be here, doing this with him.

  When we’re at the bar, I sidestep his grasp and turn to face him.

  He has a few inches on me so I have to pop up on my toes to reach his ear. There’s no way he’ll hear me over the music otherwise.

  “You’re not mad at me after yesterday?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That phone call.”

  He laughs and shakes his head. “I was expecting it.”

  Wow. Okay. How very mature of him.

  “Things were moving way too fast,” he continues. “I got excited, and it probably freaked you out.” Yeah, I mean, I’m glad he’s aware of that. “I’m happy to slow things down a bit, get to know each other again.”

  My smile is slowly wiped off my face.

  “Wait, what?”

  He shakes his head and leans in. “C’mon, Lauren, I get it. You don’t want a boyfriend right now. That’s cool—my ego isn’t bruised. Besides, I was happy when Charlotte called and told me you wanted me to come tonight.”

  SHE WHAT?!

  Earlier in the night, the girls were asking me about my love life. They heard about Preston and me, saw our photo in the society pages like everyone else. They thought we made a great couple and went on and on about how adorable our children would be. I tried to end the conversation quickly by telling them we weren’t seeing each other anymore, but I didn’t go into the details about why. Now I wish I had.

  Charlotte catches my eye over Preston’s shoulder and winks conspiratorially then she makes fake kissing sounds and pretends to make out with her hand. She thinks she’s done me a massive favor.

  No.

  This is a mistake.

  “Listen, Preston, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I’m seeing someone else.”

  Even with all the alcohol in my system, I think I do a pretty good job of offering a clear, concise response. There can be no confusion.

  “Is it serious?” he asks.

  Oh.

  Well…

  It feels like he’s just scribbled a Good Will Hunting equation on a chalkboard and asked me to solve it.

  “Um…I mean, not currently, but I want it to be—at least, I think I do.”

  I haven’t even acknowledged that fact to myself, so it feels weird to admit it out loud to Preston.

  He frowns and tips his head toward mine. His finger finds a few strands of my hair and he tucks them behind my ear gently. It feels so unnatural, like he’s seen the gesture on TV and is trying it out for himself. “Lauren, I’m not going to walk away after all the history we have together. Go on dates with other guys, do whatever you want, but in the end, I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Charlotte overhears this and shouts, “THAT’S THE CUTEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD!”

  Preston laughs good-naturedly, and I grasp for any alcohol within reach. It happens to be Preston’s whiskey sour. I down half of it with one long swallow.

  He tugs it back out of my hand. “Slow down there, champ.”

  I need my phone.

  I need to call Beau and let him know I’m with Preston before he hears about it from someone else. Oh my god, what if he shows up right this second and sees Preston spinning my curl around his finger? I yank it away and make a feeble excuse about needing the bathroom. Instead, I wind my way to the side of the bar and rip my phone out of my clutch.

  I go to my contacts and start scrolling.

  Ashley

  Aunt Debbie

  Baylee

  Becca

  Betsy

  No Beau.

  I scroll again. He’s not there. I don’t have his number. Hilarious.

  So this is what it was like in the Stone Ages. How horrifying! I kissed someone I’ve never even texted before. What if he uses a million emojis? Or worse, what if he doesn’t use punctuation? These are modern-day deal-breakers!

  I consider dialing the operator like it’s the 40s and just saying, “Connect me to Beau Fortier.” Instead, I decide to improvise like a detective and call his office. I’ll ask his secretary for his number and everything will be right in the world.

  Unfortunately, I get the firm’s answering machine. I’m told to call back between the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. No, this won’t do. I leave a heated voicemail message demanding that someone call me back immediately. It cuts off sooner than I would like, so I call again and leave a second message. I wonder how long it will take for someone to call me back.

  “…I KNOW THIS is all getting a little confusing, especially because you don’t even know Charlotte. She’s nice. Did I tell you she’s a mom now? Yeah, it’s crazy because I knew her when she had braces and now she has a baby! She was so worried about stretch marks but I saw her tummy and it looks great. Oh! But back to what I was saying, I think she had good intentions, but she was sooooo off base to invite Preston here. I thought he was going to be upset with me about the phone call when we were, you know…YOU KNOW. Instead, he was all ‘I’ll wait for you no matter what,’ which is sweet but weird, just like these drinks I’ve been drinking. I don’t know, I keep thinking of the old Preston who didn’t give two shits whether or not I liked—”

  The voicemail cuts off and then the next one starts up.

  “Me again. I think your answering machine is broken, it keeps cutting me off outta nowhere. As I was saying…wait.” Someone asks her if they can get by to use the bathroom. “Oh, sure thing. Here, just use the men’s. I’ll make sure no one goes in.” There’s unintelligible mumbling and then she’s back, focusing on the voicemail. “Yeah, so…wait, is this thing still recording? Operator?”

  The voicemail beeps again, cutting her off.

  There are a few of us crowded around my receptionist’s desk, listening to Lauren’s voicemails from last night.

  Russ can’t contain his laughter.

  Michelle is doing her best not to smile. “Do you want to listen to the next one?”

  “How many more are there?”

  “Two, maybe three.”

  I can’t help but smile.

  “Did she leave her number on any of them?”

  “No, and I listened twice just to be sure.”

  I could get her phone number from her parents, but I’d rather not. Besides, tomorrow is the luncheon. I’d rather talk to her in person.

  CARNIVAL SEASON IS the busiest time of year for me. For months ahead of time, Michelle drops piles of invitations on my desk: luncheons, dinners, cocktail parties, fu
ndraisers, charity concerts, balls. Every organization in town throws an event during this time of year. The food is always good. The company is hit or miss. Most of the events are thrown in honor of a worthy cause, and I always write a fat check before I leave—early, if I go at all.

  Today will be different.

  A crew has spent untold hours transforming the LeBlancs’ back yard into a circus complete with clowns, face painting, acrobats, and enough cotton candy that every child is walking around with sticky fingers.

  “Beau!” Mrs. LeBlanc finds me as soon as I walk through the gate with my mom by my side. She’s been excited to meet Lauren’s mom ever since I told her about the invitation, and apparently, the feeling is mutual. They latch on to each other right away.

  “Mrs. LeBlanc, it’s so good to meet you.”

  “Oh please, call me Kathleen.”

  “You and your daughter look so alike, you could be sisters!”

  “Pah, I can see where Beau gets his manners!”

  From there, talk turns to the back yard and their shared love of gardening. I stand, watching the conversation volley back and forth, smart enough to know I won’t be getting a word in edgewise any time soon.

  “Have you tried putting hydrangeas in the shade there?” my mother asks.

  “Do you think they’d last? I was going to try next spring.” Mrs. LeBlanc touches her elbow. “Actually, I’d love another opinion on this flowerbed in the back.”

  They wander off, forgetting I was even there. I pass through the crowd and people reach out to clap me on the shoulder or shake my hand. I recognize quite a few people I invested in after Audrey. Eventually, I find Mr. LeBlanc standing with a group of men. Some I know, some I don’t. Preston is among them, and he doesn’t waste a moment.

  “Beau, good to see you, man.”

  I shake his hand and he smiles extra wide. Something about the guy makes it hard to trust him. He’s too earnest, his grin too wide. With the way he grips my hand firmer than is necessary, I get the feeling he wants to take a nine iron to my skull.

  “Good to see you too.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”

  “Really? Why’s that?”

  He chuckles and looks around. “Oh, y’know, it’s a small event compared to some of the other things that go on during Carnival.” He lowers his voice. “An intimate gathering. Everyone here has known each other since childhood. That sort of thing.”