Easy Fortune: A Boudreaux Series Novella

Mal’s eyes widen and she tosses another pair of sandals on her pile, then gives me her full attention. “Seriously? What did he say?”


“His favorite aunt died last week, and he’s the only heir. He’s in town to settle her estate.”

“So, he just dropped in to say hello?”

“No.” I shake my head. “No, his aunt, who was a bit eccentric, made a stipulation that he has to take me to the reading of the will with him, or else her estate will be donated to the city.”

“Of New Orleans?”

“Yes.”

“Huh.” Mal frowns. “So, were you friends with her after you and Mason stopped seeing each other?”

“No. I only met her a couple of times. She was really nice, and I liked her, but once a guy dumps you, you pretty much sever ties with his family.”

“Yeah, that’s usually how it works. Interesting.”

“So, he came by to tell me that, and of course to ask me to go.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That I’d think about it.”

Mallory watches me for a moment and then stands up. “I need wine.”

“Good call.”

I follow her into my kitchen where she finds a bottle of sweet white already open in the fridge. She pours us each a glass and we sit on stools at the breakfast bar.

“Why didn’t you tell him yes?” Mal asks.

“You remember how he affected me,” I reply and take a long sip of wine. “He just stopped calling me back. I didn’t know what I’d done wrong, I couldn’t apologize for something. He just…left. And it tore me up.”

“I know.”

“I still have scars from it, and it affects my dating life to this day.” Every guy I’ve dated I’ve compared to Mason because not one of them made me feel the way he did. Not one of them made me yearn for something more … something permanent.

“I still say you should go talk to someone,” she replies, but I just keep talking.

“Not to mention, even if I didn’t still have unresolved issues, he doesn’t deserve to just walk back into my life and ask me to help him.”

“It’s not really his fault,” Mallory says. “It’s because of his aunt.”

“Stop siding with him.”

“I’m not. I’m always on your side. Always. Every time.”

“And why does he have to look good? I mean, he’s so damn sexy.”

“Is it me, or did he look like Chris Evans?”

“Don’t ruin Captain America for me,” I reply. “You know how I love him in those movies.”

“Sorry,” she says. “But I still stand by my statement. He’s a dead ringer for Chris Evans, but he has darker hair. Does he still have dark hair?”

“Yeah. And he’s in super good shape. He was in good shape when I knew him years ago, but now? Wowza.”

“Did you just say wowza?”

“There’s no other word for it. His arms are ridiculous with a capital R. Like, they should be illegal in all fifty states.”

“Wowza,” she says with a sigh. “Beau has good arms too. There’s something to be said for good arms.”

“And he still hugs good.”

“He hugged you?”

“Yes. Damn it. He’s a good hugger, and his smile is also ridiculous.”

“So, everything about him is ridiculous. Sounds like you still have a crush on him.”

“I do not.” I stand and set my empty wine glass in the sink, and then decide, fuck it. I pour another glass and lean against the counter opposite of Mallory so I can look her in the face. “He may look great, but he was mean to me, and I’m not one of those women who just says it’s okay and sets herself up to be hurt all over again.”

“Good because I’d have to slap you if you were.” Mal rubs the sweat on the outside of her glass. “Maybe you’re overthinking this.”

“Maybe??”

She laughs and then checks her phone when it beeps with a text.

“Sorry, I’m just going to reply to Beau real quick. He’s asking if I need him to bring anything home for me.”

“He’s still working?”

“No, he met Eli, Declan, and Ben for dinner.” She types out her response and then sets her phone aside. “So, you’re totally overthinking this. He hasn’t asked you to fuck him. He asked you to go to the reading of his aunt’s will, at her request. I mean, that’s not exactly a date. I haven’t been out of the dating pool for long, but I don’t think that’s ever considered a romantic date.”

“No,” I concede and feel foolish. “You’re right. He didn’t ask me out on a date. He didn’t even suggest that he might be interested in one. He hugged me, but he’s grieving and maybe he just needed a hug.”

“Exactly. Maybe he just needed a hug, and he knows that you give great hugs. What does he do, anyway? Is he still teaching archeology?”

“No, he got his Ph.D. and he works on dig sites. Not that I’ve kept track of his career or anything.”

I’ve totally watched his career. But not in a stalkery way. Mal raises an eyebrow and I can’t help but bust up laughing.

“Okay, so I might Google his name about once a year, just to see if there’s anything interesting to see. But, he doesn’t do social media, and there isn’t much to read aside from write ups on some of the archeological digs he’s been on.”

“I would probably do that too.” She grins. “So, the point is, all you have to do is sit next to him in a lawyer’s office while the will is read, and then you leave and never see him again.”

“Yes.”

“It’s a no brainer, Lena. You should go. And then you get back to your fabulous life.”

“Right.” I nod once and pour the last of the wine into my glass. It’s only half of a glass, and that’s probably for the best. I’m a cheap date. “You’re right, and I know I’m going. I’ll just have to give myself a pep talk before I go in there. And I’ll come to your shop right after to fill you in on it all.”

“Well, that goes without saying.” She smiles. “What are you doing this summer with all of your time off, anyway?”

“I guess I’ll be converting my spare room into a closet. The more I think about that, the more I like the idea.”

“You could make it so cool,” she says. “I have a whole board on Pinterest dedicated to cool closets. You should check it out. I’ll totally help you.”

“Okay. That will be fun. I’ll look around and find a whole bunch of stuff that I can’t afford.” I smirk. “But it’ll be fun. Not that I have any clothes to put in it anymore. I just gave them all to you.”

“I’m telling you, set that stuff aside for a couple of days. Well, except those sandals. I want them.”

“You can take them. I’ll think about the rest.”

She nods. “Are you going to travel this summer?”

“Not really.” I tilt my head to the side, considering her. “You rarely ask me what my summer plans are.”

“I’m just curious. You should do something fun. You work hard all year long, and you deserve a break. Travel somewhere.”

“I don’t want to travel alone.”

“Take Miss Sophia.”

“She’s not much of a traveler either. You could go with me.”