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  “Same here,” Jess agreed as we continued walking. “This is too cool. It might be even better than Washington Square Park,” she said in awe and looking around. Like most New Yorkers, there was only one city for us.

  “Of course this is just where all the tourists hang out. There are much cooler places, hon. Maybe I’ll show you sometime,” Jared crooned.

  “Like where, your apartment?” I raised an eyebrow. Jared seemed like a textbook player. I hoped Jess knew what she was dealing with.

  “Why, you want to see my place?” he challenged me without removing his arm from around Jess.

  If he expected to unnerve me, he had another thing coming. “In your dreams.”

  I heard Levi’s deep laugh from behind me as he wrapped his arms around my waist. “Would you change your mind about that if you knew I was his roommate?”

  “Why would that change my mind?” I spun out of his embrace and turned my attention to a couple playing guitars. I listened for a few minutes, pulling a dollar from my purse to throw into the hat in front of them. Looking up after leaving the money, I startled as I noticed a black crow staring intently at me from the fence behind the musicians. “Creepy.”

  “What’s creepy?” Owen came up beside me.

  “That crow.”

  “You’re not a big fan of birds, I take it?” he asked with the hint of a smile.

  “I like birds fine, but when a black crow sits there staring at me it weirds me out. It looks like it might attack or something.”

  “It’s not going to attack, it’s just watching.”

  “Okay, well, it’s still creepy.”

  Owen laughed. “I heard you say you didn’t want to stay out too late. I thought I’d warn you that if you want a chance of getting your friend home tonight you should probably speak up.”

  I followed Owen’s gaze to where Jess and Jared were making out. “Thanks for the heads up.”

  “The heads up on what?” For the second time that night Levi interrupted a conversation with Owen.

  “I was simply suggesting she pry Jess away from Jared if she wants to get her home tonight.”

  “What’s the hurry? The night is young.” Levi shot me a devilish smile.

  “We have our first day of work tomorrow,” I explained.

  “Your first day of work at your father’s hotel. Can’t you skip out?”

  “No! I am not missing my first day of work. I’m not like that.”

  “Really? Maybe I can learn more about you tomorrow night? Maybe over dinner?” Levi asked.

  “Not a chance.”

  “Oh, that’s right; you think you’ve sworn off men.”

  Rolling my eyes, I didn’t bother to respond. “Jess, let’s go!”

  “Now? Seriously?” Jess whined.

  “I’m sure you can meet up with your friend another time.” I didn’t want to ruin Jess’s fun, but things were getting intense between her and Jared, and I didn’t know how much of a role alcohol was playing.

  “What’s the rush all of a sudden?” Jared asked, giving me the evil eye.

  “Owen decided to point out the late hour to her,” Levi said emotionlessly.

  “What the hell, man?” Jared lunged at Owen; his eyes looked like they had turned solid black. I shook my head as I watched Levi put himself between his friends. I must have had more to drink than I thought.

  “Let it go, Jared. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities to see them again. We’ll walk you girls home.” Levi wasn’t asking and I didn’t protest, figuring it couldn’t hurt to let them walk us.

  By the time we reached the hotel, Jess’s buzz had started wearing off, and she looked ready to collapse on the spot. I watched her say good bye to Jared while I waved at Levi and Owen. “Goodnight.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Owen smiled.

  “I’ll be seeing you,” Levi said before turning to walk away.

  I barely had enough energy to brush my teeth and wash my makeup off before heading to bed. I knew it was going to be a crazy summer.

  Chapter Four

  “Which one of you is Mr. Davis’s daughter?” A woman in a tailored suit approached Jess and I as we waited in the lobby.

  “You must be Natalie.” I shook the blonde woman’s hand politely. “I’m Allie and this is Jess.”

  She smiled warmly. “Pleasure to meet you both.” Striking and even taller than me, Natalie wasn’t exactly what I expected the manager of the hotel to look like. I don’t know what I expected, maybe a middle-aged man or something. Then again, my dad said he did the hiring himself, and he certainly had a weakness for attractive women.

  “Same to you. We’re really looking forward to working at the hotel this summer.” I nudged Jess.

  “We’re super excited!” Jess’s fake enthusiasm didn’t seem to register with Natalie.

  “Mr. Davis made it clear that you are only required to work set daytime shift hours, but if either of you are serious about working in the hotel industry, you should consider working some evening shifts to get a better understanding of the 24-hour nature of the business.”

  Deciding to keep my thoughts about how little interest we had in the industry to myself, I settled for a simple answer. “I understand, but for now I think we’ll stick with days.”

  Natalie led us over to the front desk and introduced us to the desk clerk on duty. Probably in her late thirties, Adie seemed pleasant enough.

  “It’s nice to meet you girls. I’m looking forward to getting some more time off this summer. With my kids home from school, I could use it.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too.” I shook Adie’s hand and Jess followed my lead.

  Natalie excused herself. “Adie should be able to show you everything you need to know, but if you have any questions or need anything I’ll be in my office.”

  I smiled. “Thanks, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

  The morning dragged. Although not hung over, I wasn’t feeling like myself. I had slept fitfully with dreams that slipped away before I woke up. Adie showed us how to work the computers, and she explained that unless someone was checking in or out, we could usually direct most questions to the concierge if one was working.

  Adie left around noon, leaving Jess and I to our own devices.

  “Hey girls,” Billy said when he came by the desk.

  “Hi Billy!” Jess turned to give him her undivided attention.

  “I’m going to take a break for lunch; do you guys want to join me?” He leaned casually against the desk.

  “Sure,” Jess said eagerly.

  “You can go, but Adie just left and we can’t leave the desk empty so I’ll stay here,” I explained.

  “Oh, then forget it.”

  “Go ahead, I don’t mind.”

  “You sure?” Jess tried to act like she didn’t care, but her face pleaded with me. So much for being into Jared, she certainly seemed excited to see Billy.

  “Yeah, go ahead,” I repeated.

  “Okay, great. I’ll be back soon so you can get something next.”

  “All right, have fun.”

  I played around on my phone for a while, downloading some apps I didn’t actually need. A few guests came to check in, but thankfully, I was able to direct most questions to the concierge. I was feeling all right, but I needed caffeine. I noticed a sandy haired guy working at the bar and decided to go over to get a Diet Coke.

  “Hi there. Are you Allie or Jess?” the bartender asked as soon as I walked over.

  “Hi… How did you know our names?” I said slowly.

  He laughed. “Well, how many new employees do you think started today?”

  “Oh, that makes sense. I’m Allie.”

  “Alex. Pleasure to meet you.” He shook my hand.

  “Same.”

  “So you’re the boss’s daughter, huh? What can I get you? Not going to drink on the job your first day, are you?”

  I tried to ignore the boss’s daughter comment even though it irked me. “No, I�
�m not that desperate. I could use a Diet Coke though.”

  “Coming right up.” He smiled as he popped open a can of soda and handed it to me.

  I took a sip, and started to take a seat when Jess’s voice rang through the lobby.

  “Oh my god Allie, I’m so sorry we were gone so long!” She joined me at the bar, Billy next to her.

  “This must be Jess?” Alex asked with the hint of a smile.

  “Oh no, what did Allie say about me?”

  “Nothing, we’ve only been talking a minute,” Alex explained.

  Billy exchanged glances with Alex. “Well, I’m glad you guys met. I thought we could all go out after work. Jess claims she wants to try some southern food.”

  “Southern food, eh?” Alex arched an eyebrow.

  “I want my experience down here to be authentic.”

  “Oh yeah?” Alex laughed. “You in, Allie?”

  “Sure, but I should probably get some lunch now.”

  “I’m sorry again for taking so long, but here’s a peace offering.” Jess pulled a plastic bag from behind her. I took it, and peeked inside to find a sandwich.

  “Peace offering accepted. Let’s get back to work.”

  ***

  After running upstairs to our rooms to change, we headed down to the lobby to meet Billy and Alex.

  As the elevator doors opened, I noticed the infuriatingly familiar outline of Levi walking toward us. Thankfully, he was looking the other way. Jess had already started getting out, so I yanked her back inside, letting the doors close again.

  “What the hell was that?” she asked, rubbing her arm where I grabbed her.

  “Sorry, I’m just not in the mood to deal with him right now.”

  “Fine. I guess it’s better this way. It would have been awkward to have tried to talk to both Jared and Billy at the same time.”

  I shook my head.

  By the time the doors opened again, Levi and his friends had already moved over to the bar where a female bartender now worked.

  Alex and Billy were waiting for us by the front entrance.

  “You know those guys?” Alex asked, noticing the direction of my attention.

  “We hung out with them last night,” Jess said nonchalantly.

  Alex stopped to look at us as we walked out into the still bright sun. “You should really stay away from them. They aren’t the kind of people you kids should be hanging out with.”

  “Kids?” I asked as we walked. “As compared to you and your advanced years?”

  “I’m twenty-four. You just graduated from high school, right?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “Well then, you’re a kid. Trust me; the next few years will make a big difference.”

  “Okay, whatever. I don’t plan to spend more time with them, but now I’m curious. Why warn us about them?” I asked as we walked down the street toward the restaurant. Alex had apparently not heard my question or decided not to answer it.

  A few minutes later we arrived at Café Maspero. Even on a weekday night, a line had formed outside. Billy assured us that this was a mainstay French Quarter restaurant, and we had to try it at least once.

  Eventually we were seated at a table in the middle of the bustling restaurant and we all ordered some sodas.

  “Where are you girls from?” Alex asked.

  “New York,” I answered.

  “The city?”

  “No, the suburbs.”

  Alex got excited. “What part? I’m from Connecticut.”

  “Really? We’re from Westchester.” I was surprised to find another northeasterner. “What brought you down here?”

  “I came down for school and never left. This city has a funny way of doing that to you. It gets under your skin.”

  “Even more than New York?” Jess asked. “I can’t imagine loving a city more than that.”

  Alex smiled faintly. “I thought that too, but there is just something about New Orleans that’s addicting. I can’t really explain it.”

  I noticed Billy was quiet and tried to pull him back into the conversation. “Where are you from?”

  “Shreveport. I’m a Louisiana boy through and through.” He grinned.

  “Cool.”

  As the conversation hit a lull, I decided to push Alex again on his comment about Levi and his friends. I had no intention of spending more time with Levi, but I knew Jess wanted to see Jared again.

  “You never answered my question. Why should we stay away from them?”

  “Away from who?” Billy interjected.

  “Those jacked up guys who are always at the hotel,” Alex supplied.

  “Oh, them.” Billy gave a disgusted look. “Yeah, Alex is right, stay away.”

  “But why?” I was getting tired of the elusive answers.

  “How much did your father tell you about the hotel? Did he tell you anything about who he bought it from?” Alex asked.

  “He told me nothing. For someone who wants me to take over his business he never bothers to give me any information.”

  Alex looked like he was contemplating how much to reveal. “There’s just something off about them.”

  “Could you possibly be less vague?” I didn’t bother to hide my impatience.

  Billy gave a frustrated sigh. “Fine, it’s like this. You know how there are no basements in New Orleans?”

  “I didn’t, but okay. What does that have to do with those guys?”

  “There are no basements because we’re below sea level.” He waited for us to acknowledge that we understood. “For some reason, there is still a button for the basement in the elevator at the hotel. But if you hit the button nothing happens, okay?”

  “And?” Jess pressed.

  “Those guys are always hanging out at the hotel. I’ve watched them. Whenever they get on the elevator the button for the basement lights up as though they are actually getting off there. It makes no sense,” Billy explained.

  “So first you say there is no basement, and now they’re getting off there?” Jess rolled her eyes.

  “I know. It makes no sense. Either they are going to another floor and making the elevator look like it’s going down to the basement, or they are doing something weird underneath the building,” Billy continued.

  “Whoa, do you realize how crazy you sound? Besides, what are you doing staring at the elevator numbers when they get on?” I asked.

  “I’m a bellhop. I’m supposed to hang out by the elevators.”

  “Plus, they are always with some pretty shady characters. And I mean shady for New Orleans, which says a lot,” Alex added.

  I wasn’t sure what he meant by that exactly, but I went with it. “All right, so we should stay away from them because they keep weird company and get off on the nonexistent basement level of the hotel. Got it.”

  Even though Billy and Alex seemed a bit out there on the topic, it still gnawed at me. I would have to ask my dad about the basement. If there was a way down there, he would have access.

  Jess played with a piece of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail. “They’re actually pretty cool guys, so you don’t have to worry. Anyway what are you going to order, Allie?”

  “I’m not sure, maybe the chef salad or something,” I said absently, scanning the menu.

  “No way. We came here so you two can try some New Orleans food, and that’s what we’re going to do.” Billy smiled.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Let me order,” Alex offered.

  I looked at Jess. “Should we trust him?”

  “Might as well.”

  When the waiter returned, Alex and Billy ordered enough food to feed ten. I hadn’t heard of some of the dishes, but I’m usually an adventurous eater so I didn’t mind.

  An hour later, I was so stuffed I could hardly move. I loved how flavorful everything was, and even liked the greasiness of it all. “All right, so the jambalaya is incredible and let’s be honest, what doesn’t taste good fried?”

&nbs
p; “Next time we’ll have to get you hushpuppies,” Billy said.

  “Hushpuppies? Aren’t those shoes or something?” I asked confused.

  Alex and Billy burst out laughing.

  “What?”

  “A hushpuppy is like fried cornbread.”

  “Oh, wow, you learn something new every day.”

  Chapter Five

  “Remind me again why I agreed to this?” I asked as Jess and I finished getting ready in front of the mirror in the bathroom.

  “Because you’re my best friend and Jared is hot. Oh and whether you admit it or not you want Levi.”

  “Don’t push your luck.”

  “It’s going to be fun. We’ve been here two weeks and still haven’t left the Quarter,” Jess pouted.

  “True. It’ll be nice to see more of the city, but does it really have to be with them?”

  “I don’t know why you care. If you aren’t into Levi then what are you afraid is going to happen?”

  “Nothing,” I said quickly. “Are you ready?”

  “Definitely. You look awesome.”

  “Thanks.” It didn’t take long to discover that lightweight sundresses were the best wardrobe choice for the climate. Wearing a pink halter dress, I slipped into a pair of black flip-flops as we headed out the door.

  Levi, Jared, and Owen were waiting for us when we got off the elevator.

  “Hey there Allison.” Levi blatantly checked me out. He didn’t look too bad himself, dressed once again in a fitted Lacoste shirt and dark jeans.

  “It’s Allie.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Are you girls ready to see uptown?” Owen asked.

  “Sure, should we follow you, or get an address for my GPS?”

  “Neither.” Levi ushered us towards the door. “We’re taking the streetcar. That way you don’t have to worry about a designated driver.”

  “Will it still be running when we need to get home?” I asked.

  “This is New Orleans, it runs all night,” Jared said. I could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

  We walked two blocks to the corner of Canal and St. Charles and hopped on the streetcar just as it got ready to pull away. Levi pushed my money aside as I tried to figure out how to insert it into the machine. “I’ve got this.”