My Favorite Souvenir(37)

“Do you know what you’re going to sing?”

“I have an idea, yeah.”

She tilted her head. “Well, what are the songs?”

I tucked my wallet into my back pocket. “I can’t tell you. It’s bad luck.”

Of course I was full of shit and just made that up. But Maddie bought it.

“Oh. Okay. Well, whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll love it.”

Out on Bourbon Street, the nightly party seemed to have already started. The streets were filled with people drinking and different music blared from each bar we passed. When I caught the second guy checking Maddie out, I started to feel a little possessive and grabbed her hand.

She looked over with a questioning face, though she didn’t try to pull away.

“You’re attracting a lot of attention in that dress,” I explained. “Not that my holding your hand will keep ’em from looking, but it should prevent the drunk, aggressive assholes from approaching.”

Maddie tilted her head with a coy smile. “What if I want to be approached?”

“Approached by who?”

She looked around. A big, muscular guy wearing a tank top and jeans leaned against a stool outside a bar. His hair was slicked back, and he had his arms folded across his enormous chest. He must’ve been the bouncer.

“Him,” she said. “He’s not bad looking.”

“You want that juice head to hit on you?”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

I felt my blood pump faster at the thought. “What the hell for?”

“Well, a woman has needs.”

“And you want that guy to take care of those needs for you?”

“Maybe not him. I don’t know. I’m just saying.”

“Saying what?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Forget I even said anything.”

“Ummm… You just told me you might not want me to hold your hand so you can pick up some random guy off the street. Considering you’d be bringing him back to a room we’re currently sharing, I think forgetting might be a problem.”

“Jeez. I was just teasing. Relax, Milo.”

I scratched the day-old scruff on my chin. “Just teasing, huh?”

Maddie nodded.

“Alright.” I looked around. It didn’t take more than a few seconds to find a woman with a lot of skin showing. We were in the Big Easy, after all. Dropping Maddie’s hand, I said, “Do you mind if I go talk to that woman?”

Maddie’s forehead wrinkled. “Who?”

I lifted my chin to point out the scantily clad blonde. She had double Ds, at least. “Her.”

Maddie’s eyes narrowed. “Is that your type?”

“Depends on what I’m shopping for.”

Her lips pursed. “Well, maybe I should just go home if you’re out shopping.”

I chuckled and grabbed her hand again. Tugging her close, I said, “Not a good feeling, is it? Thinking of me picking up some stranger?”

She pouted. “No, it’s not.”

“Good. Because I’d much prefer to hold your hand and go home and sleep on the couch than bring someone who isn’t you home with me anyway.”

Maddie’s face softened. She leaned her head on my shoulder as we walked. “You know the right things to say to a woman.”

I leaned down and kissed her forehead just as we arrived in front of the bar for open mic night. “This is the place.”

A bunch of people were milling around out front smoking cigarettes…or weed. I was certain I smelled marijuana mixed in with the tobacco. One of them was Druker, the guy I’d signed up with this morning.

He lifted his chin as I walked us over. “Hey, what’s up, man?”

“Not much. Excited to get on stage tonight. I know you said there’d be a piano available to play, but any chance there’s a guitar laying around I could borrow for my set, too?”

He tossed the remnants of a cigarette on the ground and covered it with his foot to put it out. “I’m sure I can rustle one up. You want acoustic or electric?”

“Acoustic.”

“Give me ten minutes.”

“Awesome. Thanks.”

Inside, Maddie and I found a booth off to the side of the stage.

“So you’re going to play guitar, too?”

“If they can find me one, yeah.”

“Do you play any other instruments?”

I smiled. “Well, I’m a music teacher, so I know how to play most of them. But guitar is my instrument of choice.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to play.”

“I can teach you, if you want.”

She smiled. “I’d like that.”

“What do you want to drink? Your usual wine?”

“Yeah, that would be great.”

“Be right back.”

I went to the bar and ordered a beer for me and a glass of white wine for Maddie. When I came back, some old dude was sitting in my seat. Even though he had to be at least sixty, I felt a pang of jealousy.

Maddie smiled when I approached. “Milo, this is Fretty—with two Ts, not Freddy with two Ds.”

I nodded. “Nice to meet you.”